Bachelor of Science
Gordon Rowland, Associate Professor and Chair
The organizational communication, learning, and design (OCLD) curriculum provides a comprehensive education in the theory and practice of both human and media-based communication within organizations. Students prepare to assume roles as communication professionals in media design and production, public information, education and training, employee communication, meeting and special events planning, technical writing, interactive media and Web site design, and promotional communication. These skills and concepts are presented and applied in a variety of contexts - business and industry, media production houses, consulting firms, health care providers, educational institutions, social service agencies, and government.
The breadth and depth of the curriculum provides majors with the background to become communication generalists within small organizations (designing desktop-publishing newsletters, writing annual reports, creating training media, writing speeches and press releases, and recruiting new employees) or to become specialists within a more focused context such as corporate video production, interactive multimedia design, conflict resolution, instructional technology, or diversity training.
All majors take a common core of courses that provides basic communication design, production, and presentation skills as well as ethical, managerial, and research concepts and issues in the field. This core introduces three focus areas within the major: organizational media design and production, workplace communication, and learning and performance systems. Focus areas help students select electives that relate to their interests and intended careers.
· Organizational Media Design and Production
This focus area offers courses that prepare students to design, produce, and manage media programs. These courses include:
Introduction to Promotional and Instructional Video
Promotional and Instructional Video Practicum
Slide Imaging: Techniques and Applications
Interactive Multimedia
Organizational Writing and Publishing
Applications of this area include corporate video for marketing or for employee communication and training, interactive multimedia for education or point-of-information systems, slides and graphics for support of speeches and sales presentations, and desktop publishing for newsletters, brochures, and technical manuals.
· Workplace Communication
For students with special interests in human communication in organizations, this focus area provides a set of skills and concepts that can be applied in areas such as conflict management, workforce diversity initiatives, meeting planning and facilitation, employee communication, and speech writing. Courses in this area include:
Organizational Writing and Publishing
Communication and Organizational Conflict
Organizational Speech Writing and Interviewing
Communication in Culturally Diverse Organizations
Communication and Participatory Leadership
Organizational Culture
This area provides the theoretical and practical context for examining how informal and formal communication occurs in organizations, including leadership styles, the impacts of technology and diversity, and the creation and change of corporate culture.
· Learning and Performance Systems
This area is for students who want to pursue interests in education, training, technical communication, and related fields. Courses include
Computer-Assisted Learning
Performance Technology
Interactive Multimedia
Technical Communication
Students prepare for positions as instructional designers, performance technologists, technical writers, and managers and evaluators of learning and performance systems. Students apply theories of communication, systems, educational psychology, and management to such areas as designing and managing corporate training and development programs, developing computer-assisted learning software, creating job aids and incentive programs, designing and producing technical manuals, designing courses and educational materials, and analyzing and solving workplace performance problems.
In addition to the general College guidelines for academic standing and the Park School academic policies, OCLD majors are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.50 in all communications school courses as well as an overall cumulative GPA of 2.50. Courses at level 1 are open to seniors only by permission of the instructor. One-credit minicourses do not count as required OCLD electives. All majors must complete a minimum of 60 credits outside communications, and a minimum of 50 percent of their credits (normally 60) in courses designated "LA" (liberal arts).
