Public Address as Embodied Experience: Using
digital technologies to enhance communicative
and civic engagement in the communication
classroom
Victoria J. Gallagher, Max M. Renner & Ragan Glover-Rijkse (2020): Public address as embodied experience: using digital technologies to enhance communicative and civic engagement in the communication classroom, Communication Education, DOI: 10.1080/03634523.2020.1735642
Abstract
“This study examines how students characterize their experience of a communication-based digital humanities project in relation to elements of situated embodiment and situated learning. Analysis of student response data indicates that the Virtual Martin Luther King Project situates students in a particular space and historical context resulting in communication outcomes including a form of cognitive attention that is conducive of reflection and fosters civic engagement. The essay concludes with a discussion of what is
transferable from this case in relation to creating the conditions for situated learning and public address as immersive, embodied experience in communication classrooms.”
The studies found that the MLK project increased both the attention and engagement of students compared to simply learning about the speech in class. The project made students comprehend the content on a more meaningful level, as they were placed in a “particular space and historical context” that could not have been accomplished outside of the project.