Communication in the Real World - An Introduction to Communication Studies
I appreciate the comprehensiveness of this text. In addition to including all of the typical topics taught in an introductory hybrid course, the text includes chapters on mass media and technology, as well as how new media impacts our self and our relationships. These topics are increasingly important for students in Communication courses, and I'm happy to see it included in this text.
All content is consistent with well-known and credible research for each topic.
The content is relevant for today's students. There are some examples that might date the content to the 2000's and 2010's, but I don't anticipate that being a problem in the near future. While I appreciate the addition of the media chapters, those will need to be updated more frequently to reflect our evolving technological and social world. Finally, some links throughout the text do not work which can be frustrating for students and give the perception that the text is not up-to-date.
The accessible prose is one of the most attractive features of this text. For students in an introductory course, the text needs to be readable and interesting. The language used to discuss most of the topics is academic yet informal. I think students will appreciate and enjoy the colloquial approach throughout the text.
There is consistency throughout this text. Each chapter is framed similarly which makes it user-friendly and easy to read. I like the learning objectives to start each chapter, and the key takeaways and exercises at the end of each chapter. Some chapters have more images and links than others. The ones with more included media are likely preferred by students.
This is a big textbook, with some long chapters. However, the sub-headings make it easy to assign certain topics at different points throughout the course. It would be fairly easy to rearrange chapters, and even some topics within chapters, without disrupting the reading flow for students.
I am used to teaching the Introductory course in a different order than it is presented in this textbook. I think many instructors rearrange the topics in this course to meet their scheduling needs, assignment needs, and individual preferences. So while I would reorder the chapters, I find this textbook to be in line with existing Intro textbooks.
I appreciate the interface of this text and the different options for reading. Moving from chapter to chapter, or topic to topic is easy with this interface. Some of the links do not work, though.
The text contains no significant grammatical errors.
A variety of perspectives are included in this text, and the language is inclusive. Like most other texts, it could include more diversity in authors quotes, images used, and videos presented.
This is a very good option for an Introductory course textbook. I would have no hesitation adopting this book and I believe students would benefit from the comprehensive content, user-friendliness, and cost savings.