Association for Business Communication

My Favorite Assignment

Speeding teaching innovations to market

My Favorite Assignment is the ABC’s celebration of teaching innovation. Each lively, fast-paced session features 15 presenters—up to 45 speakers each year. Each speaker has only 3-minutes to explain their Favorite Assignment.

Audience participation is an essential part of the Teaching Moments experience. As each presenter takes the stage and afterwards as they exit they experience a Teaching Moments tradition: Thunderous Applause.

Here’s how it works: Conference, Journal & Internet

Experienced teachers will tell you that the first time they try a pedagogical innovation, it rarely works as they envisioned it. New methods require iteration: trial, assessment, and modifications. The Association for Business Communication’s My Favorite Assignment is designed to speed this development process by offering a forum for business communication educators to share fully-tested, successful teaching methods.

In the fast-moving conference session participants have 3-minutes to describe their teaching innovation. At the end of 3-minutes a bell is rung. The presenter then receives thunderous audience applause as their reward. Attendees gain a shopper’s sense of how the innovation might help their students. Audiences attending these sessions reach 150 to 200 academics.

In the journal The conference presenters submit a catalog-style description of their teaching innovation: Summary description, learning objectives, learning outcome assessment, etc. Submissions are triple-blind reviewed.

On this webpage you can inspect and teaching tools designed by the authors that deliver successful learning results: Lecture slides, assignment sheets, student work samples, grading rubrics, videos, and more.

Background

My Favorite Assignment was created by Wisconsin Professor Dan Dieterich. Upon his retirement in 2009 Dan enlisted DePaul’s D. Joel Whalen to take over his invention. Joel faithfully followed Dan’s successful formula: Energetic sessions, featuring very short presentations, and lavish audience appreciation. He added the journal article series and teaching materials web posting.

My Favorite Assignment Articles in Business & Professional Communication Quarterly

1. Whalen, D. J. (2021). “Selections from the ABC 2020 Annual Conference, Online, Gathering Around the Cool Fire to Share Business Communication Teaching Innovations.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol, 84(3) Pp. 266-286.

2. Whalen, D. J. (2021). “Selections from the ABC 2020 Annual Conference, Online, Dress and Pajama Bottoms—My Favorite Assignment Goes Online.”Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol, 84(2) Pp. 156-176.

3. Whalen. D. J. (2021). Selections From the ABC 2019 Annual Conference, Detroit, MI: My Favorite Assignments That You “Heard Through the Grapevine”Association for Business Communication/Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. https://www.businesscommunication.org/page/grapevine-detroit-2019-1271

4. Whalen, D. J. (2020). “Selections from the ABC 2019 Annual Conference, Detroit, Michigan: High Horsepower My Favorite Assignment Sessions in the Motor City.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol, 83(3), Pp. 336-357.

5. Whalen, D. J. (2020). “Selections from the ABC 2019 Annual Conference, Detroit, Michigan: Dancin’ in Motown’s Streets to the Beat of My Favorite Assignments.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol, 83(2), Pp. 234-255.

6. Whalen, D. J. (2019). “My Favorite Assignment: Selections from the ABC 2018 Annual Convention, Miami Florida: Teaching Innovations Bright as the Tropical Sun.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol. 82. No. 2. Pp. 239-265.

7. Whalen, D. J. (2019). “My Favorite Assignment: Selections from the ABC 2018 Annual Convention, Miami Florida: Bridging Teaching Ideas From the Innovator to the Classroom.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. In press.

8. Whalen, D. J. (2018). “Selections From the ABC 2017 Annual Conference, Dublin, Ireland: Teaching with Yeats' elegance and Wilde's wit.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol. 81. No. 3. Pp. 368-390.

9. Whalen, D. J. (2018). “Selections From the ABC 2017 Annual Conference, Dublin, Ireland: Finding a Pedagogical Pot of Gold.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol 81. No. 3., Pp. 244-265.

10. Whalen, D. Joel. (2017). “Teaching Innovations Soaring like a Flight of Balloons over Alburquerque.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. In Press: September 2017.

11. Whalen, D. Joel. (2017). “Bright as Stars in the Albuquerque Desert Sky: Classroom Tested Business Communication Assignments.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. In Press: June 2017.

12. Whalen, D. Joel. (2016). “Let’s have a cup of coffee and create some out-of-the-box teaching innovations, enhance cross-cultural communication and accelerate students’ professional development.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol. 79. No. 3. September.

13. Whalen, D. Joel. (2016). “Pitching fish and innovative oral and written business communication assignments.” Business & Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol. 79. No. 2., Pp. 243-261.

14. Whalen, D. Joel. (2015). “A Well-Stitched Flag of Favorite Assignments: Leadership and Other-Focused Communication, and Projects.” Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol. 78. No. 3. Pp. 355-377.

15. Whalen, D. Joel. (2015). “Let Favorite Assignments Ring: Sharpening Communication Tools and Self & Career Development.” Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol. 78. No 2. Pp. 244-266.

16. Whalen, D. Joel. (2014). “All that Favorite Assignment Jazz From the ABC 2013 Annual Convention, New Orleans: Message packaging & delivery, Job Interview and On-the-Job communications.” Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol. 77. No. 3. Pp. 330-350.

17. Whalen, D. Joel. (2014). “A Gumbo of Favorite Assignments: Global, Communicating Complex Information, Short Message Packaging—From the ABC 2013 Annual Convention, New Orleans.” Business and Professional Communication Quarterly. Vol. 77. No. 2. Pp. 217 - 237.

18. Whalen, D. Joel. (2013). My Favorite Assignment: Selections from the ABC 2012 Annual Convention, Honolulu, HI.” Business Communication Quarterly. Vol. 76. No. 3 pp. 361-384.

19. Whalen, D. Joel. (2012). “My Favorite Assignment: Selections from the ABC 2011 Annual Convention, Montreal, Canada.” Business Communication Quarterly. Vol. 75. No. 3. September. pp. 317 – 339.

20. Whalen, D. Joel. (2011). “My Favorite Assignment: Selections from the ABC 2010 Annual Convention, Chicago, Illinois.” Business Communication Quarterly. Vol. 74. No. 3. September. pp. 356 – 371