Ashley Cowden: Senior Lecturer, English and Client-Based ......•Collaborated with 20 high school drama students to produce an ethics DVD • Goal: Generate dialogue among students,

Clemson University’s Client-Based Learning Program

Ashley Cowden: Senior Lecturer, English and Client-Based

Program Coordinator

Michael LeMahieu: Assistant Professor, English and Director of

the Pearce Studio for Communications

Phil Randall: Lecturer, English, Client-Based Program Faculty

• Beginnings

o Statistics

• Future

• 3 Sample Projects:

o Hanna-Westside Extension Ethics DVD

o Anderson Adult Education Center

o Shorewood Packaging: a division of

International Paper

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• Started in 2003, Created by

Summer Smith Taylor

• Service-Learning program that

matched business and

technical writing classes with

local clients who needed

communication deliverables

Figure 1: Networkbash: a yearly event

organized, marketed, and executed by

two business writing classes

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• Active Learning and Meaningfulness

o Engage students in meaningful projects to motivate and to facilitate future transfer of skills to workplace situations

o Attach consequences that go beyond the classroom

o Involve students in service to campus and community.

o Allow students to help shape projects and to discover effective communication principles through investigation

• Relevance

o Connect courses to the workplace and students’ fields to motivate and prepare them for careers.

• Rhetorical Problem-Solving

o Apply the problem-solving habits taught in majors

o Teach, identify, analyze, and solve communication problems, emphasizing reader-centered approach

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• Over 850 Deliverables

• Marketing Material o Billboards

o Posters

o Websites

o Videos

o Radio and TV ads

o Brochures

o Logos

• Formal Communication o Campus-wide Events

o Research Reports • Focus Groups

• Survey Development

o Proposals

o Instruction Manuals

o Presentations

Figure 2: Technical writing students at

McCants Middle

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• Allow students to “brag”

• Set-up like a science fair

• Display projects in a table

or electronic format

• Attendees: Current and

future clients, students,

faculty, and staff Figure 3: Students showing off their

projects at a semester showcase

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• Fall 2011 Pearce Studio for Professional

Communications and the CBP partnered

• Expand this model to other disciplines

• Future Goals include:

o Expand Community Service Opportunities

o Create Interdisciplinary Collaborative Teams

o Provide Students Professional-Level Work Experience

o Develop Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship

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• Writing Beyond the Curriculum Initiative

• Faculty Training

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• Collaborated with 20 high school drama students to

produce an ethics DVD

• Goal: Generate dialogue among students, teachers, and

parents

• Clemson Students collected data through primary and

secondary research

o Primary research was gathered by conducting focus groups and

surveys

o Ethical Issues: gangs, sex, cheating, drinking, and drugs

• HW High School Drama Students wrote scripts based on

real-life experiences

o “not too cheesy”, like MTV Real Life

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• Clemson and High School Students

collaborated to finalize scripts

based on audience analysis

• HW High School Students

determined the DVD title

o Influences: Real Life, Real Mistakes,

Real Consequences

• Clemson Students wrote procedures

to market and organize a DVD cover

design contest

Figure 4: Winning Cover Design

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• HW High School Students practiced and filmed scenes

• Clemson Students wrote and designed a discussion guide

to help generate discussions and provide activities

Figure 5:

Example of

discussion

guide

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• Clemson Students organized and

executed premier event by

obtaining corporate sponsors

o Managed a budget

o Attendees: Local District personnel

and local newspapers

Figure 6: My students and I at the

premier event

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• Audience Analysis

• Data Collection (focus groups and survey)

• Critical Thinking (Using data to form solid, logical conclusions)

• Graphic Design (Invitations, discussion guide, sponsorship posters)

• Proposal Writing

• Persuasive Writing

• Problem Solving

• Electronic Communication

• Progress Reports

• Professionalism

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• Marketing

• Networking: Started building a bridge between Clemson's education and business departments

• Grants: Identified a potential donor and wrote grant

• Networks II: Linked Anderson University and Southern Wesleyan University

• Re$ource$: Worked on fundraising developed previous semester

• Research: Studied Greenville Literacy Association and similar program in Hendersonville, NC, and produced a report on best practices

• Morale: Created motivational tools to keep AAES students from quitting

• Community event: Helped AAES staff with an event to raise awareness

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• Game development: Produced learning game customized for Anderson clients

• Game development II

• Game research: Supported development teams with research

• Tutor training/reading: Created training manual for reading tutors

• Tutor training/math: Created training manual for math tutors

• Reading tools I: Developed a document that targeted AAES clients

• Reading tools II: Developed teaching material age-appropriate for adult learners

• Presentation development: Produced a 20-minute, enhanced PowerPoint used for community presentations to Kiwanis, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, and similar community groups.

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• Audience Analysis

• Research

• Critical Thinking (Using data to form solid, logical conclusion)

• Graphic Design (Invitations, discussion guide, sponsorship posters)

• Proposal Writing

• Persuasive Writing

• Problem Solving

• Procedure Writing

• Presentation Skills

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• Teams went on two site

visits

• Visit 1: Learned how

each machine operated

• Took pictures and videos

• Wrote proposal,

progress reports, and

rough draft of manuals Figure 7: Students touring facility

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• Visit 2: Performed

usability tests on rough

drafts of manuals

• Made changes and

finalized manuals and

final client

presentation

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• Two Semester Project

• 12 completed manuals

• 4 Translated into Spanish

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• Companies General

Manager and CEO are

taking the template

corporate-wide

• Followed students on

Tumblr

• Internship

opportunities

Figure 8: Students in workroom

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• Audience Analysis

• Data Collection (interviews, view other sites, talking to member of industry)

• Critical Thinking (Using data to form solid, logical conclusion)

• Problem Solving

• Proposal Writing

• Electronic Communication

• Usability Testing

• Progress Reports

• Procedure Writing

• Professionalism

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