Welcome Letter
Welcome to UNIV 109 Interpersonal Communication!
I am very excited for you to be taking this class, as the concepts we address in this course will be some of the most enriching and beneficial lessons you’ll hold onto for the rest of your life. I know this is true because I still think about the interpersonal communication course I took during my undergraduate degree on a daily basis.
Although I am new to AIU, I have been teaching interpersonal communication on campus and online since 2015. I am deeply passionate about this course and believe it should be required in the general curriculum at every major university.
So, what is interpersonal communication?
I like to think of interpersonal communication as the crossroads of communication and psychology courses. It is the study of interaction between people; not only the conversation, but the study of relationships, problems, and situations and how they can be dealt with in a positive manner.
This course is designed to introduce you to the basic principles of communication theory and effective interpersonal communication. It will assist you in the identification of how communication impacts an individual, and can help you develop techniques and competencies in diverse social and professional communication situations.
Because this is an online course and I won’t be meeting with you multiple times a week, there are a few things you can do to get off on the right foot.
First, please don’t wait until the last day and expect to get through all of the week’s content in one sitting. I know you’ve heard this in your other classes, but to have a truly beneficial learning experience in this course, you will need to give a honest effort. Remember that effort and participation include participating in class discussion on concepts in the readings, being focused and practicing good listening skills, contributing meaningfully to group discussions and exercises, and relating class material to your own experience and the outside world during class discussions.
I have only lived my life, so I can only teach you so much about interpersonal communication. But each of you have had unique, diverse experiences, so, when comfortable, please share your experiences with the class. Every student in this class has the potential and opportunity to reach and connect to others, so choose to be an active contributor to our class.
Next, I encourage you to get familiar with the course layout and our learning system, if you haven’t already. Check out the expectations and workload for a typical week to get an idea of the time you’ll be able to dedicate to this course. If you have any questions or concerns about the course, feel free to email me at HCoombs@aiuniv.edu.
I love teaching and interacting with my students is my favorite part of my job. Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out. If there is anything I can do to help you through your educational journey here at AIU, all you have to do is to let me know!
Unit 1 Video Lesson: What is Communication?
Audio Only
Discussion Board Post
Hey everyone,
I wanted to get the discussion rolling this first week. so here we go!
- Tell everyone about your current job or a job that you have had in the past. Describe your job responsibilities and how communication skills were involved.
- Discuss your future career and the communication skills that will be needed to move ahead in that field.
My current job is a university professor. Specifically, I teach communication courses and Southern Utah University (SUU) and this course for American Intercontinental University (AIU). As I mentioned in my intro video, I teach journalism and sports management at SUU, but have also been teaching interpersonal communication since 2015. Some of my job responsibilities include planning, preparing, and delivering lectures, grading assignments, leading discussions, answer questions via text, email, and messenger, and serving as a mentor and liaison to students who may need some guidance…you guys included! From the moment I start planning a lecture or presentation, I am constantly thinking about how the content should be delivered, which methods are most appropriate, and how to help my students make the content connect with their personal lives. Even if I were teaching a different subject, communication would be at the core of all my work.
If I was to advance above assistant professor to associate professor and, eventually, full professor, I need to do a few things. I’ll have to publish original research that is beneficial to my academic community, receive high teaching evaluation marks from my students, and serve on a variety of communities. Eventually, with enough experience and growth, I could be a department chair or college dean. To accomplish all of this, I will need to continue developing my writing and leadership skills. I have also found that by being a generally happy and positive person who is willing to work hard and take on additional responsibilities, you can easily gain the trust of your colleagues and supervisors. By focusing on my technical skills (writing, public speaking, etc.) and interpersonal skills (leadership, empathy, resourcefulness, etc.), I believe that I can accomplish all of my career goals.
Hayden Coombs 