Certificate in Critical Communication Skills

The UT Dallas Certificate in Critical Communication Skills (C3) provides students with an opportunity to further enhance their communication competence by enrolling in communication-intensive courses beyond those required by their major. Students who obtain the C3 certificate will demonstrate to employers and graduate school admissions personnel that they possess the ability to communicate at an advanced level in their chosen profession or field of study. C3 courses are for students who want to attain highly developed communication skills to succeed in an increasingly competitive job market and graduate school admission process.

The C3 Program is open to all degree-seeking undergraduate students and consists of an interdisciplinary list of designated courses from a variety of degree programs.

The certificate is administered by the Office of Undergraduate Education.

Why Pursue the C3 Certificate?

According to the 2010 National Association of College and Employers (NACE) "Job Outlook 2010 Survey," employers ranked communication skills as the most important attribute they look for in potential employees.[1] However, a recent Conference Board study illustrates that approximately 30 percent of employers rate college graduates as deficient in written and oral communication skills. Additionally, 45 percent of those queried in a College Board survey listed writing as the skill most lacking among entry-level job seekers. Employees with poor writing skills tend to be perceived as unprofessional and less proficient than coworkers who write well; these perceptions limit career options and advancement.[2] The top five reasons given for rejecting graduate school applications include poor writing skills, such as spelling and grammatical errors and application material weak in content and structure.[3] Moreover, at the heart of good relationships is good communication. Whether we interact with colleagues, friends, intimate partners, or members of our family, effective communication can satisfy our need to affiliate with others, reinforce our self-concept, enable us to give and receive information, and improve our physical and psychological health.[4]

Student Application for C3 Certificate

To obtain the Certificate in Critical Communication Skills, students must complete 4 upper division classes (12 hours) designated as Critical Communication Skills courses.

1. Students must complete courses that meet the following requirements:
   • One of the designated courses taken must emphasize oral communication and presentation skills
   • One of the designated courses taken must emphasize written communication
   • Two designated courses that emphasize both written and oral communication
2. Student must receive a grade of B or higher in each designated course
3. Complete the online Application for the Certificate in Critical Communication Skills
   • Use your UT Dallas NetID and Password to access the online C3 Course Designation Request Form
   • Provide all of the requested information. For clarification about the information requested, scroll your mouse over the '?' icon located to the right of the field.
   • Upload 4 writing samples from assignments completed in C3 designated courses. This writing portfolio is required in order to receive the certificate.
   • Review the information you have provided.
   • Once you have reviewed the information select 'Submit Form' located at the bottom of the page. If your acceptance form was submitted successfully, the screen will read, ‘You have successfully submitted a C3 Course Designation Request Form.’

Click here to fill out the online C3 Application Form

List of approved C3 Courses

Classes that meet the C3 requirements are flagged within CourseBook on the class overview tab.

You may view a current list of C3 classes using the CourseBook links below:

Current classes that fulfill the C3 written communication course requirement

Current classes that fulfill the C3 oral communication course requirement

Recommended classes that meet the C3 written communication component

Recommended classes that meet the C3 oral communication course component

C3 Faculty and Staff Resources

Faculty who teach courses that emphasize writing and/or oral communication skills can request to have their course designated within the Certificate in Critical Communication Skills (C3) curriculum. The C3 designation demonstrates that the course seeks to improve student communication skills and the assignments will emphasize the writing and/or oral communication practices specific to the academic discipline of the course.

Having a course C3 designated allows for faculty to align pedagogy, with writing and speaking activities toward the overall improvement of student learning. Whether it is effective presentations in the workplace or a high quality research grant proposal, students must possess good communication skills in order to be successful. UT Dallas understands that in order for students to develop those skills they must regularly complete writing and speaking assignments and receive instruction and feedback from experts within their academic discipline. We are dedicated to ensuring that undergraduate students receive the knowledge and skills necessary to make them successful graduate students and professionals.

The Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE) provides faculty teaching C3 designated courses with rubrics and student learning objectives that can be tailored to their discipline and course content.

Request C3 Course Designation

In order to get a course approved as a C3 offering, follow the simple process outlined below:

1. Use your UT Dallas NetID and Password to access the online C3 Course Designation Request Form
2. Provide all of the requested information. For clarification about the information requested, scroll your mouse over the '?' icon located to the right of the field.
3. Upload a copy of the course syllabus.
4. Review the information you have provided.
5. Once you have reviewed the information select 'Submit Form' located at the bottom of the page. If your acceptance form was submitted successfully, the screen will read, 'You have successfully submitted a C3 Course Designation Request Form.'
6. Email a copy of the course syllabus to ugdean@utdallas.edu. Prior to approval, the Office of Undergraduate Education will request a copy of the course syllabus if one has not already been provided.

Click here to fill out the C3 Course Designation Request Form

C3 Assessment and Quality

To ensure quality and consistency among C3 courses, the syllabi for designated courses will be reviewed at the beginning of each semester. Each academic year the OUE will prepare a report that contains an analysis of the students that receive the Certificate in Critical Communication Skills and the assessment measures that illustrate the effectiveness of C3 courses.

Instructors who offer an approved C3 designated course are encouraged to:

• Attend C3 Workshops.
• Utilize aspects of the recommended C3 rubric(s) below to assess student communication skills on assignments throughout the semester.
  • Assessment Rubric for Writing Designated Courses
  • Assessment Rubric for Oral and Presentation Skills Designated Courses
• Provide feedback to students outlining how their oral and written communication skills can be improved.
• Include communication-based student learning objectives in course syllabi.
  • Written Communication Student Learning Objectives
  • Oral Communication Student Learning Objectives

C3 Workshops at UT Dallas

The C3 workshops will be brief one-hour sessions that will assist instructors with determining how to assess student communication skills and the type of communication assignments that would benefit their students. These workshops provide faculty an opportunity to learn more about how to utilize the following resources:

• The McDermott Library's Information Literacy Program
• The GEMS Center Writing Lab
  • Due to an increase in student demand, the GEMS Center now has more consultants and available appointments than ever. With over 96 hours of appointment time available each week and two ESL consultants now on staff, the Writing Center is further equipped to help students improve their written communication skills. To discuss how you can incorporate the Writing Center into your course, contact Thomasina Hickmann at 972-883-6770.

Experts in written and verbal communication skills provide faculty an opportunity to ask questions about applying the C3 student learning objectives and rubric(s) to their courses and specific assignments. Speakers include faculty from the School of Arts and Humanities and staff from the University's Office of Student Success and Assessment. The OUE is committed to the continuous development of faculty and the success of the C3 curriculum.

Notes

[1] "Employers Rank Communication Skills First Among Job Candidate Skills and Qualities (1-21-10). National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). 21 January 2010. www.naceweb.org.
[2] Kozel, Bill. "The High Cost of Poor Writing Skills." Training Magazine: Manage Smarter. 16 October 2009. www.managesmarter.com.
[3] Appleby, Drew C. and Appleby, Karen M. "Kisses of Death in the Graduate School Application Process." Teaching of Psychology, 33(1), 2006: 19-24.
[4] Adler, Ronald B. and Rodman, George. Understanding Human Communication (10th edition). NY: Oxford University Press, 2009.