In this episode, Rob and Jared discuss communication with Dr. Sandra Yang who has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and serves as a professor of Music History at Cedarville University. They discuss the importance of communication with students and instructors. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. We would love to get your feedback! Please fill out our survey to help improve our podcast and serve you better.

Dr. Yang discusses the importance of communication with her students in both face-to-face and virtual environments. She emphasizes the need for clear communication and establishing guidelines at the beginning of a course for both students and instructors. In her syllabi, she addresses her own responsibility as a teacher to be punctual, prepared, and respectful; and she holds her students to the same standards. In online discussions, she reminds students to be respectful of one another, especially when discussing sensitive topics.

As part of her responsibilities as the Introduction to Humanities course coordinator, Dr. Yang maintains communication with a large network of adjunct instructors. To do this, Dr. Yang regularly sends out announcements and updates through an instructors-only course on Canvas. Through this tool, she encourages instructors to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement, making them active participants in the ongoing development of the course.