Program Purpose

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The School of Communications exists to help students become professional and scholarly communicators whose messages contribute to a better society by benefiting the organizations for which they work and the audiences they reach.

Curricular Structure

Students majoring in Communications complete 40 hours in the department with an emphasis in a particular area of study. Our accrediting body, the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, requires students complete a minimum of 72 credit hours outside of School of Communications, and meet the university's  liberal arts and sciences requirements. Students take complementary courses in theory and application. Students complete three courses before applying to the Communications program: Comms 101, Writing 150, and the introduction course of their intended emphasis. Once admitted to the program, all students take two additional core courses: Comms 300 and Comms 319/308. Students then must complete the required courses in their emphasis and at least two electives that focus more on the broader theories and concepts of mass media and society. Most students are required to complete an internship. Students may take supplemental courses provided they have met all of the other requirements.

Advertising Emphasis

1. Complete the following: Comms 101, 230, and Writing 150.
2. Apply to the major.
3. Complete the following: Comms 300, 304, 309.
4. Complete two of the half-semester skills courses: Comms 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316.
5. Complete 6 hours from the following departmental electives: Comms 301, 351, 352, 360, 381, 382, 401, 402, 406, 411, 412, 449, 480.
6. Complete four hours of an academic internship, Comms 496R.
7. Complete one of the following tracks:
   1. Management Track:
      1. Complete the following: Comms 317, 337, 372, 489, 432, 489.
      2. Complete the following: MKTG 201.
   2. Creative Track:
      1. Complete the following: Comms 330, 331, 433, 489.
      2. Complete one course from the following: Comms 330, 345.

Note: Twelve students will be admitted to the creative track each year based on a screening and portfolio work. Portfolios must be submitted to the department's main office by the twelfth week of winter semester. Late portfolios will not be considered. It will take from four to five semesters to complete the design minor. Students interested in this track should qualify and apply early.

Catalog Information
Major Academic Plan Advertising Communications Emphasis

Learning Outcomes

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Students will demonstrate proficiency in the twelve professional values and competencies of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC), which are each related to one of the following program learning outcomes:

• Effective Communication;
• Professional Practice;
• Mass Communication Processes;
• Gospel-centered Values.

Writing

Students will write correctly and clearly in forms and styles appropriate for the communications professions, audiences and purposes they serve.

Editing

Students will critically evaluate their own work and that of others for accuracy and fairness, clarity, appropriate style and grammatical correctness.

Numerical skills

Students will apply basic numerical and statistical concepts.

Technology

Students will apply tools and technologies appropriate for the communications professions in which they work.

Research

Students will conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communications professions in which they work.

Freedom of speech

Students will understand and apply the principles and laws of freedom of speech and the press, for the right to dissent, to monitor and criticize power, and to assemble and petition for redress of grievances.

Ethics

Students will demonstrate an understanding of professional ethical principles and work ethically in pursuit of truth, accuracy, fairness, and diversity.

Theory

Students will understand concepts and apply theories in the use and presentation of images and information.

History

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the history and role of professionals and institutions in shaping communications.

Critical thinking

Students will think critically, creatively and independently.

Domestic Diversity

Students will demonstrate an understanding of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and, as appropriate, other forms of diversity in domestic society in relation to mass communication.

International diversity

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of peoples and cultures and of the significance and impact of mass communications in a global society.

Evidence of Learning

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1. Embedded assignments from both management and creative classes are assessed each Fall on a rotating schedule:
   1. Comms 230 Intro to Advertising
   2. Comms 309 Account Planning Management
   3. Comms 330 Creative Advertising Concepts: Portfolio 1
   4. Comms 417 Advertising Research Methods
   5. Comms 433 Advanced Advertising Concepts: Portfolio 3
2. Student applications to the major in Fall and Winter Semesters provide faculty with baseline direct assessment data.
3. Senior portfolio is assessed each Winter by advertising professionals at the annual Sundance recruiting fair.
4. Internship providers provide direct assessment, which is examined by the faculty each Fall Semester.
5. Student surveys provide indirect assessment evidence, which is examined by the faculty each Fall Semester.
6. Student awards and other recognitions provide indirect assessment evidench, which is examined by the faculty each Winter Semester.

Direct Measures

The following forms of direct evidence inform the faculty's assessment of program learning outcomes:

1. Reported every Winter Semester (ongoing, but new rubric employed in Winter 2020): Advertising executives from around the country assess senior student portfolios. The rubric used for this assessment measures the following program learning outcomes: Writing, technology, research, numerical skills, and critical thinking;
2. Reported every Fall Semester, beginning Fall 2019: assessment of employer evaluations for Comms 496R (Academic Internship). The rubric used for this assessment measures the following program learning outcomes, research, technology, writing, diversity, ethics, First Amendment;
3. Reported every third Fall Semester, beginning Fall 2019: final projects from Comms 230 (Introduction to Advertising) and Comms 489 (Strategic Advertising Campaigns). The rubric used for this assessment measures the following program learning outcomes: Domestic diversity, critical thinking, research, writing, editing, statistics, and technology;
4. Reported every third Fall Semester, beginning Fall 2020: class assignments from management track courses Comms 309 (Account Planning Management) and Comms 417 (Advertising Research Methods);
5. Reported every third Fall Semester, beginning Fall 2021: portfolios from creative track courses Comms 330 (Creative Advertising Concepts: Portfolio 1) and Comms 433 (Advanced Advertising Concepts: Portfolio 3); 
6. Reported every Fall Semester, beginning Fall 2019: Faculty's assessment of indirect measures derived from surveys.

Indirect Measures

1. University senior surveys
2. National Survey of Student Engagement
3. Student evaluations
4. Discipline-specific focus groups
5. Alumni survey

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

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New assessment procedures

In Winter 2019, the School of Communications began to update its assessment plan with the following goals:

1. Developing a more sustainable, accountable, authentic, faculty-driven, assessment procedure;
2. Strengthening direct measures;
3. Revising the internship rubric to ensure it reflected relevant Values and Competencies of ACEJMC, thus making it a useful direct measure;
4. Faculty selecting, then scheduling which direct assessments would take place each semester;
5. Faculty in each emphasis reporting results of direct and indirect assessments, as well as their interpretations and recommendations for closing the loop. Assessments of class-embedded assignments, including internships, are reported at the end of each Fall Semester and portfolio assessments are reported at the end of each Winter Semester;
6. Developing or strengthening rubrics, then deploying the RCampus platform for class-embedded assignments; 
7. Deploying the Digication platform for portfolio assessment. Faculty in Communications Studies and Journalism experiment with the platform in 2020'
8. Recruiting alumni professionals to assist with assessing portfolios (or retaining alumni professionals who have already been performing this service), then selecting from this group new members for our Alumni Advisory Committee.

The following procedures were carried out during 2019-2020:

1. Winter 2018: Learning outcomes were rearranged to align with the values and competencies of ACEJMC;
2. Winter 2019: The employer evaluation of student interns was revised to produce direct measures of assessment for certain learning outcomes (values and competencies);
3. Spring 2019: Online assessment platform RCampus was adopted to facilitate faculty assessment of embedded course assignments;
4. Fall 2019: A new Teaching and Learning Committee was constituted, with representatives from each of the emphases. Each member was charged with leading emphasis assessment activities;
5. Fall 2019: Emphases chose which embedded class assignments would be assessed and designated a schedule for which years these assignments would be assessed;
6. Fall 2019: Faculty worked to develop and/or refine rubrics for designated embedded assignments;
7. Fall 2019: An assessment day was held in October to orient faculty on the RCampus platform;
8. Fall 2019: Embedded assignments from designated classes in each emphasis was batch uploaded to RCampus, then samples were drawn for faculty members to assess;
9. Fall 2019: Faculty in each emphasis analyzed assessment reports generated by RCampus, then reported their findings;
10. Fall 2019: Faculty analyzed survey results (Senior Survey, Alumni Questionnaire, NSSE) and reported their conclusions;
11. Fall 2019: Faculty recruited alumni professionals and organized to assess student portfolios during the Winter Semester;
12. Winter and Spring 2020: Emphases employed different methods to assess portfolios: Advertising and Public Relations continued with their ongoing methodology of having alumni and other professionals evaluate digital portfolios, while Communications Studies and Journalism used the Digication platform for students to develop, curate, and present portfolios, which were then assessed by alumni professionals;
13. Spring 2020: Faculty analyzed, then reported the following: the results of portfolio assessments, internship assessments, and compiled awards and other recognitions received over the past year;
14. Summer 2020: It was determined the committee would retain the same members for the 2020-2021 school year.

 

Awards and recognitions (indirect evidence of overall program excellence)

The Advertising program continues to perform at the highest levels of creative achievement in both national and international competitions. The biggest takeaway is to somehow continue to maintain the level of excellence achieved over the past few years. This marks four consecutive years of high-achievement and improvement. This will be difficult to sustain. In particular with the restrictions and limitations that COVID-19 has placed upon meeting in person and no access to equipment, computers, and production capabilities.

One Club for Creativity

#2 Ranked School in the World

https://www.oneclub.org/awards/rankings/students/ 

 

Young Ones Portfolios

Four Portfolio winners, two in advertising (Cam Tribe and Enoch Lui), and two in film (Connor Dean and Derrick Trotman), and we ranked #1 in the Portfolio category.

https://www.oneclub.org/awards/youngones/-agency/Brigham+Young+University+[s]+Provo/2020/57/all 

https://www.oneclub.org/awards/youngones/-archive/awards/2020/57/all/select

 

Young Ones ADC

Twenty-two winning entries from the Young Ones ADC (these are the spec projects our students made throughout the year), And are ranked #2 in this category

https://www.oneclub.org/awards/youngones/-agency/Brigham+Young+University+[s]+Provo/2020/66/all

https://www.oneclub.org/awards/youngones/-archive/awards/2020/66/all/select

 

Young Ones Briefs

Twelve winning entries from the Young Ones Brief competition (these are based on a client brief and you compete against each other School on the same project), and we are ranked #2 in this category.

https://www.oneclub.org/awards/youngones/-agency/Brigham+Young+University+[s]+Provo/2020/5/all

https://www.oneclub.org/awards/youngones/-archive/awards/2020/5/all/select

 

International ANDYs

7 Shortlist finalists, most of any one school/program

3 GOLD ANDY winners

-LA Times -Decisions

-Lionheart

-Handimojis

 

AICP

3 entries on the Shortlist

-LA Times-Decisions

-Lionheart

-RAINN-Asking For It

To Be Announced June 11

 

AAF 2020 American Advertising Awards:

-Utah Advertising Federation

26 Total Awards

9 Gold

17 Silver

Judge's Choice Award

Student Best of Show, LA Times

 

-District 12 Competition

17 Total Awards

3 Gold

9 Silver

Judge's Choice Award

Student Best of Show, Apple Handimojis

 

-AAF National 

National Nest of Show Winner

Los Angeles Times – Decisions

-This is four-times in a row for the AAF National Best of Show from the BYU AdLab. Remarkable!

 

Mosaic National Award Winner for Diversity and Inclusion

Nat. Org. for Women- Dick & Jane

 

Five National ADDY Winners

• S19A-339708-12-UTA - Ikea - Make It Yours
• S19A-339980-12-UTA - Los Angeles Times - Decisions
• S08B-339986-12-UTA - Nat. Org. for Women- Dick & Jane
• S27A-340516-12-UTA - Los Angeles Times - Decisions
• S31-339764-12-UTA - Apple Maps - Wake Up!

 

TELLYs

-15 Winners in 2020

3 gold, 4 Silver, 8 Bronze

https://www.tellyawards.com/winners/2020/online-commercials/general-student-

Gold – LA Times-Decisions https://vimeo.com/386350429 

Silver – Lionheart https://vimeo.com/409322919 

Silver – REI-Silence Your Phone https://vimeo.com/385769873

Silver – Chanel-The Black Dress https://vimeo.com/358382376 

Silver – RAINN-Asking For It https://vimeo.com/394580172

Bronze – Nike-Sport Your Support https://vimeo.com/394480970 

Bronze – FedExtreme https://vimeo.com/372920998 https://vimeo.com/372906180 

Bronze – Good Enough x American Crew https://vimeo.com/378046475 

Bronze – Bumble-An Easier Way to Say Hello https://vimeo.com/378056742 

Bronze – IKEA-Make it Yours https://vimeo.com/378725103 

https://www.tellyawards.com/winners/2020/social-video/general-student-

Gold – Having a Coke With You https://vimeo.com/378019914 

Bronze – Trident-Chew More, Do More https://vimeo.com/291944613 https://vimeo.com/291944882 https://vimeo.com/291945189

Bronze – Roomba-A Perfectly Choreographed Clean https://vimeo.com/378220808 

https://www.tellyawards.com/winners/2020/branded-content/general-student-

Gold – Devacurl-Love Your Monster https://vimeo.com/385446923 

Bronze – Quasar Science-Lights, Camera, Action! https://vimeo.com/386419087 

 

NSAC

-District 12 First Place for Adobe

 

EFFIEs

Two national semi-finalists and one EFFIE winner

 

Emmys

2020 College Television Awards, Student EMMY winner for Commercial Rebok-Miguel

 

Communication Arts Advertising

2020 Communication Arts Advertising Annual

3 awarded entries:

• LA Times-Decisions
• Lionheart
• Handimojis