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To Evolve is to Involve: Student Choice in Introduction to Public Relations Classes

Introduction The introductory (principles) course in public relations serves a multifaceted purpose not just to schools of mass communication or speech communication, but to the entire university. For potential public relations majors (or those who wish to concentrate in PR), the course is the natural first step, a "tone-setter" that is usually designed to ground the future practitioner in various theories and principles, as well as the history and legal/ regulatory environment. The course is also popular for journalism/mass communication and speech communication majors (the two schools where public relations is usually housed) because all "communicators" need to know the roots of persuasion theory and media relations. Students also flock to the Intro course because it serves several functions, not the least of which might be to fill a humanities requirement and/or provide a framework of learning which is germane to nearly all disciplines. Unfortunately, the class may be thought of as a "cash cow" by departments and even universities because of the popularity of the PR intro course. Large lectures are often the norm; according to a 1998 study sponsored by the National Communication Association, 31% of all Introduction to Public Relations classes contain more than fifty students. A national survey of public relations educators' noted that nearly one-third of Introduction to Public Relations classes field more than thirty-five students, which elicits questions regarding student choice, involvement and motivation. Therefore, many professors are limited by pedagogical, and possibly curricular, strategies in the class. Graduate assistants, computer-aided instruction and audiovisual equipment can alleviate the situation to a degree, but the professor still has a difficult task in trying to offer autonomy and individual instruction to a throng of students, often ranging from freshmen to graduatelevel. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of "connecting" with students in the Intro class. In 1987, the Commission on Undergraduate Education for Public Relations designated public relations principles and theory as one of just five emphases in PR education, along with PR techniques (writing), research, strategies and implementation, and internship; the 1998 task force revamped the core competencies into four learning areas, with "ethics" assuming much of the introductory material to the discipline. If professors simply lecture and give objective tests - a standard procedure for large classes - they are doing a disservice to students because future practitioners are not awarded an opportunity to immerse themselves into the profession itself. This study focuses on an entire year (four consecutive quarters, with an average class size of 110) of the Introduction to Public Relations class at a Research I university, which offers a public relations major for undergraduates and graduates. Students are offered four contract options (explained in the Methods section) at the beginning of the term, and must choose one that they will fulfill for the ten-week session. We set out to assay the choices that students make, and analyze possible correlations between their decisions and factors such as choice of major, motivation and student involvement. Literature Review It is probably safe to assume that the Intro to PR course serves as catalyst for future public relations majors. The Intro course should provide a framework, a spark, for students, and serve as the first rung in a series of courses designed to prepare students for their professional careers. However, a shortage of qualified faculty - exacerbated by a mushrooming growth in the number of university-based public relations degree programs2 - is cause for concern. Also, public relations education is shifting away from the traditional skill-based focus of preparing graduates for entry-level jobs as communication technicians, to a focus that would prepare graduates for positions that involve strategic planning, administrative and problem-solving duties. …