IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ireced/v50y2025ics1477388025000209.html

Formally informal: Collegial communication in a professional work environment

Author

Listed:
  • Dowell, Chelsea T.

Abstract

Employers want to hire new graduates, but they assert that the latest generation of graduates does not have the oral communication skills necessary to be successful. Courses requiring formal presentations are not doing enough to prepare students for the workforce. Oral communication at a workplace entails so much more than presentations. This paper offers an elegant, yet simple, original assessment method that can be combined with almost any collaborative learning activity in the economics classroom. Students’ evaluations of personal and peer oral communication skills were analyzed before and after introducing the new assessment method. The analysis indicates that students believed the assessment rubric statistically significantly improved their colleague-to-colleague oral communication skills and gave them more confidence in their professional conversations.

Suggested Citation

  • Dowell, Chelsea T., 2025. "Formally informal: Collegial communication in a professional work environment," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ireced:v:50:y:2025:i:c:s1477388025000209
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iree.2025.100328
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477388025000209
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iree.2025.100328?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carlos J. Asarta & Rebecca G. Chambers & Cynthia Harter, 2021. "Teaching Methods in Undergraduate Introductory Economics Courses: Results From a Sixth National Quinquennial Survey," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 66(1), pages 18-28, March.
    2. Maier, Mark H & Keenan, Diane, 1994. "Teaching Tools: Cooperative Learning in Economics," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 32(2), pages 358-361, April.
    3. Roach, Travis, 2014. "Student perceptions toward flipped learning: New methods to increase interaction and active learning in economics," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 74-84.
    4. Brandon J. Sheridan & Gail Hoyt & Jennifer Imazeki, 2014. "Targeting Teaching: A Primer for New Teachers of Economics," Southern Economic Journal, Southern Economic Association, vol. 80(3), pages 839-854, January.
    5. Carol G. Johnston & Richard H. James & Jenny N. Lye & Ian M. McDonald, 2000. "An Evaluation of Collaborative Problem Solving for Learning Economics," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1), pages 13-29, December.
    6. Scott A. Wolla, 2018. "Yours, Mine, and the Truth: Using a Structured Minimum Wage Debate in the Economics Classroom," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 63(2), pages 245-259, October.
    7. W. Lee Hansen, 2001. "Expected Proficiencies for Undergraduate Economics Majors," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 231-242, January.
    8. F. Elizabeth Gray & Niki Murray, 2011. "'A distinguishing factor': Oral Communication Skills in New Accountancy Graduates," Accounting Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(3), pages 275-294.
    9. Brown, Roger & Zuo, Na & Shockley, Jordan & Buck, Steven, 2019. "The Project Manager / Private Contractor Approach to Group Assignments," Applied Economics Teaching Resources (AETR), Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 1(2), December.
    10. Brandon J. Sheridan & Gail Hoyt & Jennifer Imazeki, 2014. "A Primer for New Teachers of Economics," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 80(3), pages 839-854, January.
    11. Rik Chakraborti & Gyan Pradhan, 2023. "Reflecting on Reflection," Journal of Economics Teaching, Journal of Economics Teaching, vol. 8(3), pages 146-157, October.
    12. Janet T. Knoedler & Daniel A. Underwood, 2003. "Teaching the Principles of Economics: A Proposal for a Multi-paradigmatic Approach," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(3), pages 697-725, September.
    13. Dowell, Chelsea T. & Duncan, Daniel F., 2016. "Periscoping economics through someone else’s eyes: A real world (Twitter) app," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 34-39.
    14. Zoe M. Boundy-Singer & Corey M. Ziemba & Robbe L. T. Goris, 2023. "Confidence reflects a noisy decision reliability estimate," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 142-154, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anna Maximova & Steve Muchiri & Mihai Paraschiv, 2023. "A Stroll Down the Dollar Street: Teaching Per-Capita GDP Using Internationally Comparable Photographs," Journal of Economics Teaching, Journal of Economics Teaching, vol. 8(2), pages 87-113, May.
    2. A. Arrighetti & A. Lasagni, 2018. "Insegnare Economia Industriale ‘in a digital age’," Economics Department Working Papers 2018-EP06, Department of Economics, Parma University (Italy).
    3. Jeffrey Wagner, 2021. "Concrete Strategies for Economics Tenure-Track Faculty and Their Mentors," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 47(3), pages 449-459, June.
    4. Wolfe, Marketa Halova, 2020. "Integrating data analysis into an introductory macroeconomics course," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 33(C).
    5. Elsa Galarza Contreras & Marianne Johnson, 2007. "Internationalising Intermediate Microeconomics: Collaborative Case Studies and Web-Based Learning," International Review of Economic Education, Economics Network, University of Bristol, vol. 6(1), pages 9-26.
    6. KimMarie McGoldrick, 2011. "Using Cooperative Learning Exercises in Economics," Chapters, in: Gail M. Hoyt & KimMarie McGoldrick (ed.), International Handbook on Teaching and Learning Economics, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Ahlstrom, Laura J. & Mendez-Carbajo, Diego, 2025. "Teaching with FRED and active-learning methods in introductory economics courses," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    8. Sarah A. Jacobson & Luyao Zhang & Jiasheng Zhu, 2024. "The right tool for the job: matching active learning techniques to learning objectives," Advances in Economics Education, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 3(2), pages 164-187, December.
    9. Jung Eon Kwon & Hyung Rok Woo, 2017. "The Impact of Flipped Learning on Cooperative and Competitive Mindsets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.
    10. Carlos J. Asarta & Laura J. Ahlstrom & Cynthia L. Harter, 2026. "“Chalk and Talk†30 Years Later: Insights From a Seventh National Survey on Teaching Undergraduate Introductory Economics," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 71(1), pages 5-14, March.
    11. Siti Fatimah Abd. Rahman & Noorlila Ahmad, 2025. "Computer Self-Efficacy and Computer Anxiety: The Effects on Technology Acceptance in Implementing Flipped Learning Approach," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(3), pages 4457-4469, March.
    12. Bret Sikkink, 2019. "Socratic Seminars in the Economics Classroom," Journal of Economics Teaching, Journal of Economics Teaching, vol. 4(2), pages 76-92, December.
    13. Catherine Y. Co & Jonna Holland, 2019. "Teaching International Microenterprise Development: An Interdisciplinary Experiential Learning Approach," Journal of Economics Teaching, Journal of Economics Teaching, vol. 4(1), pages 27-39, May.
    14. Xiaodan Zhou & Ling-Hsiu Chen & Chin-Ling Chen, 2019. "Collaborative Learning by Teaching: A Pedagogy between Learner-Centered and Learner-Driven," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-14, February.
    15. Perret, Jens K., 2022. "On the gender performance gap in economics education - A comparison of German public and private universities," ISM Working Papers 19, International School of Management (ISM), Dortmund.
    16. Rita A. Balaban & Donna B. Gilleskie & Uyen Tran, 2016. "A quantitative evaluation of the flipped classroom in a large lecture principles of economics course," The Journal of Economic Education, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(4), pages 269-287, October.
    17. Sachan, Swati & Almaghrabi, Fatima & Yang, Jian-Bo & Xu, Dong-Ling, 2024. "Human-AI collaboration to mitigate decision noise in financial underwriting: A study on FinTech innovation in a lending firm," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    18. Julen Izagirre-Olaizola & Jon Morandeira-Arca, 2020. "Business Management Teaching-Learning Processes in Times of Pandemic: Flipped Classroom at A Distance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-17, December.
    19. Prathibha V. Joshi, 2013. "Understanding Cost and Production Using a Cooperative Learning Technique in a Microeconomics Class," Journal for Economic Educators, Middle Tennessee State University, Business and Economic Research Center, vol. 13(1), pages 14-22, Fall.
    20. Sara Gundersen & Allison Shwachman Kaminaga, 2022. "Presentations To The President: A Role-Play Assignment For A Macroeconomics Principles Class," Journal of Economics Teaching, Journal of Economics Teaching, vol. 7(3), pages 185-199, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • A22 - General Economics and Teaching - - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics - - - Undergraduate

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ireced:v:50:y:2025:i:c:s1477388025000209. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-review-of-economics-education .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.