Communication Matters Lab open in Hartnett Hall
MINOT, N.D. – The broadcasting and professional communication department revealed its new Communication Matters lab located on the west first floor of Hartnett Hall during the Fall 2021 semester. The lab can be used by not only communication majors but anyone on campus that has communication research or work they need to conduct.
“It started with buy-in from all of our faculty who conduct research and do various teaching exercises on a daily basis,” said Christina Paxman, associate professor and program coordinator for the professional communication department. “A lot of what we do is already done in our offices or classrooms, but we really need a space dedicated to all of those things that would have additional tools that we don’t have. It’s a teaching and research resource for students and faculty. The space can be used by members of other departments whose work resembles some aspect of communication.”
The lab is mainly set up for research purposes or two-way communication, but has the ability to serve many other purposes for both students and faculty on campus.
“One of the great things about the lab is that we have three cameras that can allow us to videotape and analyze the communication from multiple perspectives. It also has a ceiling mounted microphone, a TV screen, and rolling stackable chairs,” Paxman said.
“We’ve had all the chairs out and in a circle to conduct a focus group for my public relations class. And we’ve had the chairs stacked and moved to the side so a student can give a practice speech for intro to public speaking. Those are just a couple examples of what we do, but other things include one on one interviews with research participants, mock job interviews, guest lectures, and even teaching exercises.”
The lab is also equipped with collaborative ultra for classes to use for a better learning experience.
“We have the ability to do an exercise in the lab while another class is linked in and observing online,” Paxman said. “For example, when I'm teaching interpersonal communication, if students wanted to do an experiment about nonverbal communication and deception, they could create the experiment, have confederates and be running through that while another class is analyzing. It allows for a lot of creative teaching exercises and also interdisciplinary work across campus.”
Although most of the work currently being done in the lab is specific to communication classes or research, Paxman hopes that as time goes on, the lab will be more versatile and students and faculty from other departments feel comfortable using the lab to their advantage.
“At any point along the way, students might have course work involved in the lab, and then it’s also available to anyone across campus doing any communication related project. For example, if anyone studies science communication, this would be a great space to conduct that research. Lots of faculty do interdisciplinary research on this and other campuses,” she said.
Paxman is excited about the lab as she is working on her own project, using the lab to conduct research and analyze individuals on their behaviors.
“My next project is going to be exploring the communication behaviors of binge eaters. For example, privacy management, how they garner social support, if and how they experience social control, so that’s something where I would be conducting one on one interviews with people who might be in the Minot area, or they could be via Zoom with people around the country,” Paxman said.
The lab is a great opportunity to shy away from reading journal articles and allowing students and faculty to get their feet wet gaining hands-on experience and conducting research.
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| Published: 02/04/22 |
