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The ability to work in groups is vital for today's workforce, yet the existence of the necessary skills among students is questionable. Although group activities are now common, specific classroom instruction in effective group participation skills is not. Moreover, students recognize the need for such instruction. Content analysis of students' self-descriptions identified ten categories of deficiencies: conflict avoidant, public speaking anxiety, leadership, shy, oral skills, lack motivation, brainstorming, impatient,-intolerant, dislike groups. These weaknesses were addressed by a vuriety of pedagogical exercises including individual presentations, type or temperament identification, an enhanced understanding of argument and brainstorming, and ways to encourage substuntive, but not procedural or affective, conflict. Student-perceived improvements were found in all categories, with the largest improvement in public speaking anxiety.

In this article, we explicate the use of principles of best practice in the design and implementation of a service-learning course. Using 11 principles adapted from the National Society for Experiential Education, we describe a service-learning course that we conducted on communication training and development. We explain how we modified and incorporated these principles to guide our service-learning project. Finally, we offer evidence gathered from project members that underscores the benefits and challenges of using these principles of best practice in the communication curriculum.

This article examines an innovative philanthropic program instituted by a Midwestern U.S. manufacturing company during organizational downtimes. Rather than institute layoffs and unemployment, the organization chose to enact a policy of “loaned labor,” securing employee pay and benefits in exchange for work in local nonprofit organizations. This case study examines the tensions that emerged when a traditionally structured company instituted a program indicative of incremental shifts toward feminist organizing principles. In this analysis of traditional structures and feminist management principles, the authors examine the promises and problems of this philanthropic program. Lastly, the authors explore the pragmatic and far-reaching benefits of this program for the employees, the community, and the organization as a whole.