Overview

The Department of Communication Studies at Eastern Illinois University is proud to be one of the few programs in the region to offer graduate students an option area in communication pedagogy. As a department in a teaching-focused institution we have long valued the importance of training individuals to teach communication well and communicate well while teaching.

The option area has evolved from a curriculum focused on preparing students to teach speech at community colleges to a more holistic and customizable program that covers a range of theories and practices related to communication pedagogy.

All students receive a holistic view of communication pedagogy in one of our core classes – CMN 5240: Communication Pedagogy (view sample syllabus and readings here). Students who are admitted to the pedagogy option further their studies through additional coursework and applied experiences in the form of internships or practicums.

Our primary internship for students in this option places students in introductory communication classrooms at Lake Land College. There, students are solely responsible for creating their own instructional materials, assessments, and lesson plans.

Our practicums allow students to customize their plan of study in the pedagogy option. In each practicum, students plan a curriculum with a faculty member who serves as the advisor during the practicum experience. The curriculum includes directed readings, hands on instruction, and the creation of original instructional materials. In the advanced instructional practicum, students focus on a more specialized area of communication pedagogy and engage in more reflection on and evaluation of pedagogical practices.

Degree: Master of Arts

Completion time: 39 hours

Resources

- Degree Plan
- Program Information in EIU Catalog

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