Joshua Westwick

Education

University of South Dakota, Ed.D. in Adult and Higher Education Administration, May 2012
South Dakota State University, M.S. in Communication Studies, May 2003
South Dakota State University, B.S. in Communication Studies and Theatre, May 2001

Academic Responsibilities

I have taught the following courses at SDSU:
SPCM 101: Fundamentals of Speech
SPCM 201: Interpersonal Communication
SPCM 205: General Communication
SPCM 215: Public Speaking
SPCM 434: Small Group Communication
SPCM 492/592: Communicative Issues in Death and Dying
SPCM 700: Instructional Methods in Communication
SPCM 701: Introduction to Graduate Studies

Awards and Honors

Don Yoder Distinguished Faculty Award, Basic Course Division, National Communication Association, 2020.
Edward Patrick Hogan Award for Teaching Excellence, South Dakota State University, 2019.
Outstanding Experiential Learning Educator, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, 2018.
Honors Advocate Award, Fishback Honors College, 2017.
Outstanding Service Award, National Communication Association Basic Course Division, 2017.
Top Three Paper in the Basic Course Division, National Communication Association Annual Conference, 2016.
Douglas M. Trank Award for Top Paper in the in Basic Course Division, Central States Communication Association Annual Conference, 2016.
Manuscript of the Year presented by the Communication Apprehension and Competency Division of the National Communication Association, 2014.
Basic Course of Excellence Award presented by the Basic Course Division of the National Communication Association, 2013.
Outstanding Young Speech Teacher Award presented by the Speech Communication Association of South Dakota, 2009.

Grants

1. Westwick, J. N. (PI), Simonds, C., & Joyce Kaufmann, J. (2021). Developing best-practices for accommodations in the introductory course and beyond. National Communication Association Advancing the Discipline Grant. Awarded $5,000.00.
2. Koromyslova, E., Sadovnikova, A., & Westwick, J. N. (Project Advisor). (2020). Transforming curriculum to improve STEM learning and advance career readiness. Funded by South Dakota State University Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Challenge Grant. Awarded $14,978.00.
3. Westwick, J. N. (2011). Griffith Foundation Award for Faculty Development. Funded by the Griffith Foundation. Awarded $1,900.00.

Professional Memberships

Speech Communication Association of South Dakota
Central States Communication Association
National Communication Association
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Association for Communication Administration

Area(s) of Research

My overarching research question is: how do we improve the human experience through communication education and instruction? I have strategically engaged in relevant research which impacts my teaching, my students, and my assigned professional service.

Applications of Research

A bulk of my research efforts have focused on assessment within the basic communication course which is designed to strengthen our course and the experience of our students. Specifically, my colleagues and I have been engaged in a multi-layered inquiry surrounding Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) and Communication Competency. This line of research has produced a notable collection of independent and collaborative work. Specifically, this inquiry has produced numerous conference panel presentations and peer-reviewed and competitively-selected conference papers. When examining my collection of scholarship, my work with Public Speaking Anxiety, Communication Competency, and Assessment has provided the greatest impact in the area of communication education and the basic communication course.

Recent Publications:
1. Morreale, S. P., Broeckelman-Post, M. A., Anderson, L. B., Ledford, V. A., & Westwick, J. N. (2023). The importance, significance, and relevance of communication: A fourth study of the criticality of the discipline’s content and pedagogy. Communication Education.
2. Morreale, S. P., Myers, S. A., Wang, T. R., & Westwick, J. N. (2023). Study X of the basic communication course at two- and four-year U.S. colleges and universities: Revisiting trends and considering new challenges. Communication Education
3. Morreale, S. P., Thorpe, J., & Westwick, J. N. (2021). Online teaching: Challenge or expanded opportunity for communication education scholars. Communication Education, 70, 117-119.
4. Alvey, A. [graduate student], & Westwick, J. N. (2020). How do speeches stack up? Examining arrangement through Jenga®. Carolinas Communication Annual, 36, 98-102.
5. Hunter, K. M., Westwick, J. N., & Chromey, K. (2020). Best practice for fostering student-development in online courses with dually-enrolled students. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 31, 61-84.
6. Broeckelman-Post, M. A., Hunter, K. M., Westwick, J. N., Hosek, A., Ruiz-Mesa, K., Hooker, J, & Anderson, L. B. (2020). Measuring essential learning outcomes for public speaking. Basic Communication Course Annual, 32, 2-29.