COURSE EVALUATION

Where
1. AT = Assessment Task
2. CO = Course Outcome
3. TLA = Teaching Learning Activities (e.g. Quiz, Recitation, Laboratory Activity,
etc.)
TOPIC 1
Communication Processes, Principles and Ethics

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:

a. identify the nature, elements, and functions of verbal and non-verbal
communication in various and multicultural contexts.
b. illustrate the connection of communication to globalization.

INTRODUCTION

Communication (came from the Latin term ‘commūnicāre’ which means to

share) is the act of conveying meaning to a person or group of people using mutually
understood symbols, gestures, behaviors and semiotic rules. As much as
communication is acquired skills, not everyone can communicate properly not unless
they exert effort to develop and refine their communication skill. Communication
plays a significant role in a day-to day basis since it is used to persuade, inform,
entertain and motivate. It is important to develop variety of skills depending on its
purpose, as well as to know how to interpret conversation and information coming
from others. Knowing your audience and

understanding how they need to receive information is equally important as knowing

ourselves.

Time Allotment/ Duration: 1 Week (The teacher meets the class at least 30 minutes
every schedule (MW/TTh).

Core-Related values and Biblical Reflection:

Humility
James 1:19
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak,
slow to anger;

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for
building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

LEARNING CONTENT

THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

The goal of communication is to convey information—and the understanding of

that information—from one person or group to another person or group. This
communication process is divided into three basic components: A sender transmits a
message through a channel to the receiver (Figure 1 shows a more elaborate
model). The sender first develops an idea, which is composed into a message and
then transmitted to the other party, who interprets the message and receives
meaning. Information theorists have added somewhat more complicated language.
Developing a message is known as encoding. Interpreting the message is referred to
as decoding.

ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Sender (encoder)
- the sender also known as the encoder decides on the message to be sent and the
best/most effective way that it can be sent.
- it is the sender’s job to conceptualize.

2. Medium (message)
- the medium is the immediate form which a message takes. For example, a message
may be communicated in the form of a letter, an e-mail or face to face in the form of a
speech.

3. Channel
- the channel is responsible for the delivery of the chosen message form. For example:
post office, internet, television and radio.

4. Receiver (decoder/listener)
- the receiver or the decoder is responsible to extracting/decoding meaning from the
message.
- the receiver is also responsible for providing feedback to the
sender. - it is his/her job to interpret.

5. Feedback (response)
- this is important as it determines whether or not the decoder grasped the intended
meaning and whether the communication was successful.

6. Context
- the context of any communication act is the environment surrounding
it. - it is also known as setting of the communication.

7. Noise (also called as interference)

- this is the factor that inhibits the conveyance of a message
- noise is anything that interferes with communication

Physical Noise
-is interference that is external to both speakers and listener; it hampers the physical
transmission of the signal or message.

Example of physical noise are: loud party at the neighbors while you are trying to
record and irritating hum of your computer, air conditioner, or electric fan

Physiological Noise
- is created by barriers within the sender or receiver.

Example of physiological noise on the encoder’s side are: articulation problems,

mumbling, talking too fast, talking too slow, forgetting to pause, and forgetting to
breathe.
An example of physiological noise on listener’s side: hearing problem. Maybe the
listener cannot heat high tones as clearly as they used to. For some, low tones are the
problem. Their difficulty in literally hearing words and sounds becomes physiological
noise.
Psychological Noise
-is mental interference in the speaker or listener.
-wandering thoughts, preconceived ideas, and sarcasm can be kind of psychological
noise.

Semantic Noise
-is interference created when the speaker and listener have different meaning

system. PRINCIPLES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNICATION

1. Communication is schemata-driven
-it begins with yourself, you begin with what you have already stocked in your brain or
with what you already knew or understood about the subject matter of the
communicative act. Transmitted messages become understandable or meaningful
because of your background knowledge about the messages.

2. Communication is interpretive act

-the only person who knows the exact or full meaning of the message transmitted is the
sender or speaker. Being the creator or source of the ideas, he/she has the absolute
knowledge about his/her message.
-it is called interpretive act because the role of the receiver or the listener is just to
interpret, infer, or guess the meaning of things appealing to his/her sense of hearing.

3. Communication does not guarantee a direct or automatic link between two

minds
-this form of knowledge becomes meaningful only to others when you initiate
communication with them.

4. Communication is active, powerful, or forceful

-communication is said to be active because messages have varied effects on all
participants in any communicative event. It engages speakers and listeners inaction of
giving and receiving information.
-communication is powerful and forceful for it elicits different meanings or reactions;
these messages are prone to changes. Subjected to the changeable and continued
existence of the world, communication is dynamic (a process or system characterized
by constant change) as life that goes on and on like a river. Nothing remains permanent
or fixed in the world of communication.

5. Communication is symbolic
-symbols, signs, or marks like letters, words, sentences, graphs, pictures, and other
concrete objects represent or stand for ideas that you intend to convey verbally.
6. Communication always results in something
-it refers to two or more persons participating in any communicative act. The first
expresses or sends a message; the second responds or reacts to the message.

7. Communication is irreversible
-you are free to talk about anything under the sun. But once you utter something, the
things you have said remain as it is susceptible to different interpretations or meanings.

8. Communication is contextual
-an exchange of views, ideas, or feelings doesn’t only involve the sender and receiver,
but also other aspects of the communication setting like type, place, topic, occasion,
purpose, and the manner of communication.

9. Communication is developmental or progressive

-to communicate ideas to go through the different stages of language learning that
begins from birth to elementary, high school and college level. It is not a one-time
learning towards communicative competence.

10. Communication is a progress

-several stages of communication take place when people exchange or share with one
another. Each stage involves elements with different functions.

11. Communication is ethical

-any communication event is expected to apply rules, moral values, and beliefs agreed
upon by the societal members. Guided by these standards determined by the cultural
group you belong to, your community communication becomes ethical, good and
desirable.

12. Communication is influenced by media and technology

-now you are in the era of knowledge explosion or modern technology. This period is
characterized by an instant global exchange of knowledge, services and technology.
Using modern electronic communication devices, an exchange of ideas occurs just in
seconds or minutes regardless of the distance between or among the participants.

METHODS OF COMMUNICATION

The standard methods of communication are speaking or writing by a sender and

listening or reading the receiver. Most communication is oral, with one party speaking
and others listening.

However, some forms of communication do not directly involve spoken or written

language. Nonverbal communication (body language) consists of actions, gestures,
and other aspects of physical appearance that, combined with facial expressions (such
as smiling or frowning), can be powerful means of transmitting messages. At times, a
person's body may be “talking” even as he or she maintains silence. And when people
do speak, their bodies may sometimes say different things than their words convey.
A mixed message occurs when a person's words communicate one message, while
nonverbally, he or she is communicating something else.

Although technology such as e‐mail has lessened the importance of nonverbal

communication, the majority of organizational communication still takes place through
face‐to‐face interaction. Every verbal message comes with a nonverbal component.
Receivers interpret messages by taking in meaning from everything available. When
nonverbal cues are consistent with verbal messages, they act to reinforce the
messages. But when these verbal and nonverbal messages are inconsistent, they
create confusion for the receiver.

The actions of management are especially significant because subordinates place

more confidence in what managers do than what they say. Unless actions are
consistent with communication, a feeling of distrust will undermine the effectiveness of
any future social exchange.

Oral Communication Skills

Because a large part of a manager's day is spent conversing with other managers
and employees, the abilities to speak and listen are critical to success. For example,
oral communication skills are used when a manager must make sales presentations,
conduct interviews, perform employee evaluations, and hold press conferences.

In general, managers prefer to rely on oral communication because communication

tends to be more complete and thorough when talking in person. In face‐to‐face
interactions, a person can judge how the other party is reacting, get immediate
feedback, and answer questions. In general, people tend to assume that talking to
someone directly is more credible than receiving a written message. Face‐to‐face
communication permits not only the exchange of words, but also the opportunity to see
the nonverbal communication.

However, verbal communicating has its drawbacks. It can be inconsistent, unless

all parties hear the same message. And although oral communication is useful for
conveying the viewpoints of others and fostering an openness that encourages people
to communicate, it is a weak tool for implementing a policy or issuing directives where
many specifics are involved.

Here are two of the most important abilities for effective oral communication:

• Active listening. Listening is making sense of what is heard and requires paying
attention, interpreting, and remembering sound stimuli. Effective listening is
active, requiring the hearer to “get inside the head” of the speaker so that he or
she can understand the communication from the speaker's point of view.
Effective listeners do the following:
o Make eye contact.
o Schedule sufficient, uninterrupted time for meetings.
o Genuinely seek information.
o Avoid being emotional or attacking others.
o Paraphrase the message you heard, especially to clarify the speaker's
intentions.
o Keep silent. Don't talk to fill pauses, or respond to statements in a point‐
counterpoint fashion.
o Ask clarifying questions.
o Avoid making distracting gestures.
 • Constructive feedback. Managers often do poor jobs of providing employees
with performance feedback. When providing feedback, managers should do the
following:
o Focus on specific behaviors rather than making general statements
o Keep feedback impersonal and goal‐oriented
o Offer feedback as soon after the action as possible
o Ask questions to ensure understanding of the feedback
o Direct negative feedback toward behavior that the recipient can control

Written Communication Skills

Written communication has several advantages. First, it provides a record for

referral and follow‐up. Second, written communication is an inexpensive means of
providing identical messages to a large number of people.

The major limitation of written communication is that the sender does not know how
or if the communication is received unless a reply is required.

Unfortunately, writing skills are often difficult to develop, and many individuals have
problems writing simple, clear, and direct documents. And believe it or not, poorly
written documents cost money.

Managers must be able to write clearly. The ability to prepare letters, memos, sales
reports, and other written documents may spell the difference between success and
failure. The following are some guidelines for effective written communication:
• Use the P.O.W.E.R. Plan for preparing each message: plan, organize, write, edit,
and revise
• Draft the message with the readers in mind
• Give the message a concise title and use subheadings where appropriate •
Use simple words and short, clear, sentences and paragraphs
• Back up opinions with facts
• Avoid “flowery” language, euphemisms, and trite expressions
• Summarize main points at the end and let the reader know what he must do next

Non-verbal language
-non-verbal language is influenced by contexts and varies among individuals within a
particular cultural group as well.
-the idea you want to convey through this non-verbal communication are symbolized or
represented, not by words but by the following non-verbal language symbols:

1. Body movements
-also known as body kinesics
-big and small movements of your body like gestures, facial expressions, posture, and
eye behavior expresses meanings.

2. Paralanguage
-refers to the ways of saying something
-these are extra sounds that go with your spoken words and a study of these special
sounds accompanying your words are called paralinguistic.

3. Time
-there are two kinds of people based on time: punctual and late
-your willingness, hesitance, or hatred to wait for a long time speaks of your trait for
patience. Likewise, this reflects your manner of valuing your relationship with the object
of your waiting. Your trait of optimism is also proven by the fondness of talking about
your goals, dreams, or plans for the future. Chronemics is the term that refers to your
act of studying the impact or effect of time on your behavior.

4. Proxemics
-it concerns the way a person uses the space around him as well as the distance where
he stands.

a. intimate distance
-in this situation, people are in direct contact with each other or are in no more than 18
inches apart as in mother and daughter.

b. personal distance
-people may stay anywhere from 18 inches to 4 feet from each other as in casual and
personal conversations. This distance is close enough to see each other’s reactions but
fair enough not to encroach on the person’s intimate distance.

c. social distance
-when talking to persons unknown to the speaker, he must keep a distance of 4 to 12
feet. Mostly done in impersonal business and social gatherings or interviews which is
expected to be more formal.
d. public distance
-it is the distance of more than 12 feet typically used in public speaking. There is a need
for the speakers to speak loudly and to use exaggerated gestures for the audience to
understand what he is trying to convey.

5. Haptics
-is the term used to refer to your acts of studying the effects of your touch to people.

TOPIC 1
 Botany 
The scientific study of plants; also called plant biology 
• At first, interest in plants was practical. 
*centered around the production of food, fibers, fuel and medicine 
• Eventually, an intellectual interest arose. 
*led to plant study becoming a science. 
• Science involves the observation, recording, organization, and classification of information. 

Scientific Method 
• Describes the procedures of developing and testing hypotheses. 

Hypothesis – tentative, unproven explanation of an observation. 

Experiment – test to determine if a hypothesis is correct. 
• Must be repeatable 
• Variables – Aspects of the experiment that can be changed or held
constant • Good experiments consist of two parts: 
– Variable changed 
– Variable held constant = Control  
Data – results from the experiment 
Principle – useful generalization derived from experimental data 
Theory – grouping of related principles 

Steps in doing SCIENTIFIC METHOD 

1. Recognize a problem – or an unanswered question 
2. Develop a hypothesis – to explain the problem 
3. Design and perform an experiment – to test the hypothesis 
4. Analyze and interpret the data – to reach a conclusion 
5. Shae new knowledge – with the scientific community 

Origin and Evolution 

 Organisms were originally simple and increased in complexity through evolution by natural 
selection. 

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyVKrLbpJpo 

Natural Selection 
• Organism reproduce and have non-identical offspring whose features pass to more
offspring. • Offspring with features that are well-adapted to the environment reproduce
more. 

Origin of Plants 
 Life on Earth began about 3.5 billion years ago with prokaryotes (bacteria and archaeans). 
Photosynthesis arose 2.8 billion years ago in a cyanobacterium.
Diversity of Plant 
 Over 297,000 plant species exist today; wide diversity of adaptation is important. For any 
aspect of the environment, many types of adaptation are possible. 
− There is no single, perfect adaptation. 
− There are alternative adaptations.  
− There are ways of coping with different environments and the multitude of factors 
within them. 

“Sampung Halamang Gamot” 

Check the link for 10 medicinal herbs of DOH  

http://www.philippineherbalmedicine.org/doh_herbs.htm 

Fields of Botany 
Plant Anatomy  
• Internal structure of plants 
Plant Taxonomy  
• Describing, naming and classifying plants 
• Plant Systematics 
– Developing methods for classifying and naming plants 
Plant Geography 
• Plant distributions 
Plant Morphology 
• Form and structure of plants 
Plant molecular biology  
• Structures and functions of important biological molecules (proteins, nucleic
acids) Plant cell biology 
• Structures, functions, and life processes of plant cells 
Plant physiology 
• How plants function (photosynthesis, mineral nutrition) 
Plant genetics 
• Plant heredity and variation 
– Potential development of better agricultural, medicinal, and other useful
plants Plant ecology 
 • Interrelationships among plants, and between plants and their
environment Cell Biology 
• Cell structure and function 
Economic Botany and Ethnobotany 
• Practical uses of plants and plant products 
• Still vast amounts of botanical information yet to be discovered

TOPIC 2

Cell Structure
• All organisms are composed of cells.
• Plant cells consist of a box-like cell wall surrounding a mass of protoplasm.
• The protoplasm contains organelles, such as
− Nuclei
− Mitochondria
• Cells are the physical framework within which a plant’s metabolism occurs.
• Water and salts are absorbed from soil by root cells. They are transported throughout
the  plant by cells of the vascular tissues.
• The energy of sunlight is used in leaf cells to convert carbon dioxide and water to 
carbohydrates.
• Plant reproduction is also based on cells and
cell biology.

Courtesy of R. Fulginiti, University of Texas, Austin

Membranes
• Membranes perform many important tasks in cell metabolism.
− They regulate the passage of molecules into and out of cells and
organelles.  − They divide the cell into numerous compartments, each with its
own specialized  function.
− They act as surfaces that hold enzymes.
• Biological membranes are composed of proteins and a phospholipid bilayer.
 -Intrinsic proteins are at least partially immersed in the lipid bilayer. 
− Extrinsic proteins are located outside the membrane. 

• Transport of material  
− Vesicles—membrane “bubbles” that can carry materials with the
cytoplasm − Exocytosis and endocytosis 
• Permeability—all biological membranes are selectively permeable. 
− Allows for compartmentalization 
• Dynamic—constantly changing in response to age and environment 

Membrane Permeability 
• Membranes are more permeable to hydrophobic substances than anything carrying an
electric  charge. 
• Movement of charged substances is assisted by large intrinsic proteins that span
the  membrane.  
− Facilitated diffusion 
• Molecular pumps bind to a molecule on one side of the membrane, change shape, and
release  the molecule on the other side—requires energy. 
− Active transport
Basic Cell Types 
• All cells are either prokaryotic or eukaryotic. 
• Prokaryotic cells are structurally more simple than eukaryotic cells.  
− They are found in domains Bacteria and Archaea. 
• Eukaryotic cells contain a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles. 
− They are found in plants, animals, fungi, and protists. 
Plant Cells: Structures 

Association of Cells 

• Cells of multicellular organisms interact and must communicate. 

− Interacting cells sense that they are part of a larger organism and identify how they 
should differentiate. 
− This requires extensive intercellular communication. 
 • Cells can secrete messenger compounds. 
• Plant cells cannot communicate via direct physical contact. 
− In plants the cell wall and middle lamella are a barrier. 
− Plasmodesmata allow direct communication. 
• Plasmodesmata are small channels that connect adjacent cells. 
− The plasma membrane passes through them and creates a contiguous
membrane  from cell to cell. 
− A small stream of the cystol and a section of the ER also pass through the  
plasmodesmata. 
− These occur singly or in clusters called primary pit fields. 
• Plasmodesmata connect protoplasts to create the symplast. 
• Many cells do not abut each other tightly, so there is intercellular space
between. − All intercellular space and cell walls together are called the
apoplast. 
• The symplast and apoplast together make up the entire plant.