{"id":69906,"date":"2021-01-08T13:25:53","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T18:25:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=69906"},"modified":"2021-04-23T15:16:05","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T19:16:05","slug":"canada-games-teaching-spotlight-kate-cassidy-gives-students-real-world-business-communication-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2021\/01\/canada-games-teaching-spotlight-kate-cassidy-gives-students-real-world-business-communication-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Games Teaching Spotlight: Kate Cassidy gives students real-world business communication experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

NOTE: This is the latest in a series of question-and-answer stories featuring faculty members who are integrating the 2022 Canada Games into the courses they teach at Brock University or the research they\u2019re leading. For more information on Brock\u2019s academic activities around the Games, visit\u00a0brocku.ca\/canada-games<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

With the 2022 Canada Games set to be hosted in Niagara, Assistant Professor of Business Communication Kate Cassidy saw a unique opportunity to involve Business Communication students.<\/p>\n

Partnering with the Games became the inspiration for a new course \u2014 COMM 3V50 \u2014 Applied Projects in Communication \u2014 for students seeking real-world experience in their field of study while learning and practising the key competencies needed for employment today. The goal of the course is to improve students’ readiness to apply their education, lead collaborative projects and productively contribute to teams in organizational settings.<\/p>\n

Cassidy says the feedback from the community partners so far has been very positive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe partners have appreciated the fresh perspective the students bring, and the students have expressed increased confidence, a more profound connection to their studies and an enthusiasm to get out there and start making a difference,\u201d she says. \u201cOne student has already used the course as inspiration to start her own business.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is your Canada Games-related course title, code and description?<\/strong><\/p>\n

COMM 3V50 \u2014 Applied Projects in Communication<\/p>\n

In this community-engaged course, students will learn theory in small group communication and project management. They will also gain real-world experience in the field of communication as they design, develop and construct solutions to an authentic challenge related to the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games. This unique and hands-on course builds academic knowledge but also helps students prepare to work in business and non-profit organizations.<\/p>\n

Describe how you\u2019ve integrated Canada Games-related material into your <\/strong>course.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This course was designed using an inquiry-based instructional method called problem-based learning (PBL), through which students learn about a topic area by working in groups to solve an unstructured authentic problem. In this method, the problem is raised first before students\u00a0have been taught some of the relevant knowledge. As they work on the challenge, they become curious, and with feedback they learn how to bring structure to the problem, determine what they need to learn and identify where they can acquire the tools they require to come up with solutions. This mirrors real-world problems and helps students become adaptable, flexible thinkers while developing transferable skills and discipline-specific knowledge.<\/p>\n

For this course, three different challenges were offered by community partners Chris Seguin (the Niagara 2022 Host Society) and Jonathan Younker (the Library at Brock University). They include:<\/p>\n