CSUStanislaus

CommunicationStudies
PromotionalVideos

SeniorCapstoneProject

PatriciaGarcia
pgarcia9@csustan.edu

Presentedtosixclasses
May4th7th,2015

Acknowledgements
OnbehalfofourCapstonegroup,wewouldliketoextendourdeepestgratitudeby
sayingthankyoutoallofthefacultyfromtheCaliforniaStateUniversity,Stanislaus
CommunicationsStudiesDepartment.Thankyouforbeingourmentorsthroughoutouracademic
careers,forholdingustothehigheststandards,forpushingustothinkandlearninwayswedid
notknowwaspossible,andthankyouforhelpingusandlettingusgrowasindividuals.A
specialthankyoutothefacultythatwereabletoparticipateinthecreationofthisproject,it
wouldnothavebeenthesamewithoutyourcontributions.Wewouldalsoliketothankthe
facultythatwereunabletoparticipatebutsupportedourprojectandsharedinourenthusiasmfor
itscompletion.
Thankyoutoeachandeveryalumniandcurrentstudentwhoalsoparticipatedinour
CommunicationStudiesdepartmentvideosaswell.Withoutyourhelp,thisvideowouldnothave
beenpossible.Thankyouforallthepositivesupportandexcitementinparticipatinginthese
videos.
AhugethankyougoestoDistantLearningServicesfromtheOfficeofInformationand
Technologyforlettingourgroupusethetechnologyandeditingsoftwareinthestudioandfor
theuseofthecontrolroom.Finally,wewouldliketogiveaspecialthankyoutoJerome
Anderson,MediaProductionSpecialist,forfixinganystudioproblemweeverencounteredanda
valuableresourceduringthefilmingandeditingprocessofourproject.

TableofContents
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Acknowledgements
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Abstract
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Introduction
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ReviewofLiterature
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Results&Discussion
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Conclusion
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References
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Abstract
Thepurposeofourresearchistodiscernthemostvaluableinformationpresentedinthe
videoseriesweproduced.Thestudyexaminedthereactionsfromfaculty,alumniandstudentsof
theCommunicationStudiesdepartment.Themostsignificantresultoftheresearchwas
informingstudentsabouttheorganizationsandresourcesthattheCommunicationStudies
departmentoffers.Theresultsfromsurveysconductedstatethat100percentofthestudent
participantsdidnotknowaboutalloftheorganizationsthattheCommunicationStudies
departmentoffers.Afterviewingthevideosregardingtheorganizationsthatstudentshavethe
abilitytobecomeinvolvedwith,36percentofviewersreportthattheywouldliketobecome
membersofoneormoreorganizationsintheCommunicationStudiesdepartment.

Introduction
Informationalandpromotionalvideosexplainatopicthroughtheuseofinterviewsand
footageknownasBroll.Thesevideosarebecomingcommononthedepartmentwebsitesfor
universities.Theseshortvideos,whichareusuallypartofaseries,addamultimediapresenceto
websites,whilegivingthedepartmentamultimediapresenceandstudentsaquicklyaccessible
poolofanswers.InanarticlewrittenbyThomasClarkandJulieStewart,theauthorsstate,the
easycreationanddownloadingofmediarichvehiclesontheWebcreatessignificant
opportunitiesforacademicprogramsseekingexcitingandcosteffectivewaystocommunicate
abouttheirprogramstoawideanddiverseaudience,(Clark&Stewart,2007,p.478).
Ourgrouporiginallycameupwiththisideaduringthesearchforgraduateschool
programs.WenoticedthatalotofuniversitiesaroundthecountryhadaYouTubechannel
whichfeaturedsimilarvideos.AccordingtoMaribethRossinTheImpactoftheVideoonthe
HiddenSalesCycle,ninetyfivepercentofmarketersareusingvideoaspartoftheircontent
marketingstrategyandtheyareexperiencingbetterresultswithcontentengagement(Ross,Sept.
2014,p.4).Asagroup,wefeltthatitwouldhelptheCommunicationStudiesdepartmentat
CaliforniaStateUniversity,Stanislaustojointhistrendasatoolformarketingthedepartmentin
twoways.First,itwouldtakeStanislausasahiddengemintheCentralValleyandbroadcastit
onaninternationalplatformonYouTubeandmorelocalformthroughthedepartmentwebsite.
Second,itwouldshowcasealloftheorganizationsthatthedepartmentofferstostudents
currentlyenrolledatStanislausthatcouldbringtheirintereststothedepartmentandtothemajor.
AccordingtoNoelLevitzinarticleentitledFocusingyourERecruitmenteffortsto
MeettheExpectationsofCollegeBoundStudentsthisstudyshowshowbeneficialitistouse

theschoolswebsitetorecruitstudentstotheirschool.Italsostateshowtwentyfourpercentof
theirprospectivestudentseliminatedschoolsduetothewebsite(2010).Creatingthesevideosis
awaytonotonlyutilizethetheoriesbeingtaughttostudentsincourseslikePublicRelations,but
toalsotakeadvantageofthetechnologyavailabletothedepartmentandcreateanewwayto
offerresourcestostudentsintheageoftechnology.
Theseriesofvideosincludesclipsfrominterviewswithfaculty,alumni,andcurrent
studentleaders.Facultywerecontactedpersonallyorbyemailwhenaskedtoparticipate.
Alumniandstudentleaderswerecontactedviaemail,Facebook,LinkedIn,byphone,or
facetoface.Studentleadersincludestudentswhoareinleadershippositionswithin
organizationsinthedepartment.Thevideosarebrokendownasfollows:
1. WhatisCommunicationStudies?
Thisvideofeaturesfacultyonly.ThevideoexplainswhatCommunicationStudiesmeanstothem
andwhatcommonmisconceptionsaregeneralizedaboutthedepartment.Thisvideoisaimedat
highschoolstudentslookingatbecomingaCommunicationStudiesmajorincollege,freshmen
orotherlowerdivisionstudentsthathavenotdeclaredtheirmajoryet,butareinterestedin
CommunicationStudies,orstudentswhoareapartofthedepartmentofthemajor,butstill
confusedonwhattheyarestudying.
2. AdvicetoLowerDivisionStudents
Thisvideofeaturesawiderangeofparticipants,includingfaculty,alumni,andcurrentstudent
leaders.Intheirinterviews,participantswereaskedtoofferadvicetolowerdivisionstudents
relatingtocollege,thedepartment,ortheirclasses.Theaudienceforthisvideoincludes

incomingfreshmenandlowerdivisionstudents,butcanevenincludejuniorsstillneeding
direction.ThisvideodoesnotexcludestudentsthatarenotCommunicationStudiesmajors.
3. AdvicetoUpperDivisionStudentsandGraduatingSeniors
Thisvideoalsofeaturesawiderangeofparticipants,includingfaculty,alumni,andcurrent
studentsleaders.Inthisvideo,intervieweeswereaskedtoofferadvicetoupperdivisionstudents
andgraduatingseniorsrelatingtograduateschool,thejobsearch,networking,preparinga
resumeandcoverletter,andpreparingaportfolio.Thisvideodoesnotexcludestudentsthatare
notCommunicationStudiesmajors.
4. BenefitsoftheCommunicationStudiesdepartment
Wehadoriginallycreatedthisasasinglevideobutduetothelength,decidedtobreakdowninto
aseriesofsixshortvideos.Eachofthevideosprofilesanorganizationwithinthe
CommunicationStudiesdepartment,includingLambdaPiEta,RelationalCaffeine,the
InternshipProgram,KCSS,TheSignal,andWarriorRewind.Thevideosincludeclipsfrom
interviewswiththeirstudentleaders,facultyadvisors,andformerparticipantsinalumni.Italso
includesbrollfootagefromtheorganizationrelatingtowhatstudentscanexpecttobe
participatinginiftheyjoin.ThesevideosaretargetedatCommunicationStudiesmajorsthatare
lookingtogetinvolvedandgainexperiencewhiletheyareundergraduatestudents.
Overall,ourgoalistouploadthesevideostothedepartmentwebsite.Wealsohopethat
facultywillusethesevideosduringNewStudentOrientationandMajorShowcaseevents.Ona
smallerscale,wehopethatourfacultywillreferstudentstothesevideosonthedepartment
websiteasoftenaspossible,butespeciallywhenstudentshavequestionsaboutgettinginvolved
withthedepartment.

ReviewofLiterature
Utilizingonlinevideoonwebsitesisaneffectivemarketingtoolthatuniversitiessuchas
CSUStanislauscanuseasawaytomarkettheuniversityandindividualdepartmentstocurrent
andprospectivestudents.Currently,theCSUStanislausCommunicationStudiesdepartmentis
underutilizingtheschoolswebsiteasawaytomarketthedepartmentanduseasarecruitment
toolbyprovidinginformationaboutthedepartmentandthedegreeaswellasadvertise
programsavailablehereoncampus.DistantLearningServicesfromtheOfficeofInformation
andTechnologyhereoncampus,hasthefacilities,technologyandsoftwaretocreatevideoand
webcontentthatisnotcurrentlybeingusedtoitsfullbenefit.ClarkandStewart(2007)
demonstratevideocontentasanaffordableandeffectivewaytopromoteacademicprograms
basedontheirresearchfindingsfrommonitoringwebtrafficfromtheirdepartmentvideo.
Creatingonlinevideocontentissimple,inexpensiveandlesstimeconsumingifplanned
accordingly,italsohasthecapabilitytorapidlymassdistribute.ThevideopostedontheXavier
UniversityswebsitehadsignificantlyhighertrafficandviewsthanothersitessuchasYahoo!
Video.ThevideowaswellreceivedandresultedintheirAdmissionsofficeincontactingthemto
usethevideotosendtoprospectivestudentsanddonorstotheuniversity.
CreatingvideocontentisawaytoestablishabrandcommunitywhichMcAlexander,
KoenigandPadilla(2006)describeastheproductofsocialrelationshipsamongusersofa

brand,regardlessoftheirgeographicallocation,whorecognizetheircommonalityandwhoshare
rituals,traditions,andasenseofresponsibilitytowardthebrand(108).Currentstudentsareby
farthemostimportanttoestablishabrandcommunitywithastheywillbecomefuturealumni.
Bycreatingthatbrandcommunitywhilestillattending,itincreasesthelikelihoodofanactive
alumnimember.Akeyaspectofbrandcommunityismarketing.AccordingtoRoss(2014),over
95%ofmarketersusevideomarketingtoadvertisecompaniesbecauseitisoneofthemost
effectivewaystoconnectandgrabapersonsattentionaswellasthemostcosteffectivewayto
advertisethroughonlinesharing.
Chin(2013)foundthatpeopleweremorelikelytoeffectivelycommunicateinagroup
settingwhentheyhavebeenexposedtodigitaltechnology.Thetechnologycouldaidinthe
developmentandcommunicationbasedcreativity,brainstorming,andcollaboration.Steinbach,
Hirche,Ernst,Brandi,andChaudhari(2012)suggestthathapticcommunicationortouchbased
communicationisastrongperceptualcomponentwhenaidedwithaudioandvisual
communicationaswell.However,theyalsoarguethathighqualityinteractionbetweentwo
peoplewillrequirebothaudioandvideototrulyimmersetheaudience.Overall,theyfoundthat
peoplewhowereexposedtoahighqualityaudioandvideoexperienceweremorelikelytofeel
presentandasenseoftogetherness.

Throughthesearticleswecanconcludethatutilizingvideoisanaffordableandeffective
waytoadvertisethedepartmentandprogramstoprospectivestudents.Onlinevideowillservea
usefulpurposetocurrentstudentsaswellbyprovidingthemwithadditionalinformationabout
theCommunicationStudiesdepartmenttohelpthemadvanceintheiracademicandfuture
endeavors.AccordingtotheNoelLevitzarticleFocusingYourERecruitmentEffortstoMeet
theExpectationsofCollegeBoundStudentsitshowsthatusingarecruitmenttoolonlinesuch
asavideo,canimproveresponsesofstudentsand
fulfillprospectivestudentsneedsand
expectations.Moststudentstakeininformationbettervisually,withvideo,itcanmakestudents
findinformationmucheasier(NoelLevitz,2010).UpdatingtheCommunicationStudies
departmentwebsitewithmoreinformationusingvisuallystimulatingcontentaboutouracademic
programswillbehighlybeneficialforcurrentandfuturestudentsandfulfillneedscurrentlynot
beingmet.
Alumniplayedahugepartinourprojectformanyreasonsbyprovidingbeneficial
informationtoachievesuccesswhileinschoolaswellaspostgraduationadvice.Accordingto
thearticleBeyondgiving:Politicaladvocacyandvolunteerbehaviorsofpublicuniversity
alumnibyWerts,Cabrera,andSanford(2010),Alumniareextremelyeagertohelpandsupport
theirformerinstitutionsinanywaypossiblesuchasattendingschoolactivities,fundraisers,
volunteerwork,recruiting,etc.Thesevideoswillprovideanopportunityforalumnitovolunteer

theirtimetohelpcreateavideothatwillserveasrecruitmenttoolandcreatealumnirelations
withintheCommunicationStudiesdepartment.Havingalumniinourvideocanhelpthe
departmentbyrecruitingnewstudentsandtonetworkwithcurrentstudentswhowanttogetinto
theworkforce.Rissmeyer(2010)foundthatgettingstudentsinvolvedincollaborativeprograms
thatincludealumnicanbuildinstitutionalprideandloyalty.Throughthesevideos,notonlywill
studentsbeabletoseemorealumniworkingwiththedepartmentaftergraduation,butacontact
sheetcanbebuiltforalumniwillingtohelpstudentsinthefuture.Withfutureandcurrent
studentsseeingwhatstudentsofthepastwereinvolvedwithandwhattheyhaveaccomplished,
thisvideocaninspirethemtodothesameorevenexceedtheirownexpectations.
However,networkingwithalumniisnottheonlywaythatthesevideoswillbebeneficial
tostudents.Thegroupthatcreatesthevideosandthestudentswhoupdatethevideosinthe
futurewillhaveanadditionalbenefitinterviewingalumniandutilizinginterpersonalskillsthat
theylearnedduringtheirstudieshereatCSUStanislausallowingformorepersonalnetworking.
Rose(2006)
citesexistingresearchthatsupportswhyStudent/Alumniprogramsarenotonly
successfulbutbenefitallpartiesinvolved.InoneexcerptRosesitesfromPenrosesassertion
from2002,whichstates,alumnitypicallybringmoreloyalty,understandingandwillingnessto
helpthannonalumni.TheseprogramsbenefitstudentsasRosestatesbecausealumnihavethe
abilitytoprovideaccesstocorporateenvironmentsandactingasinterpretersofthem,alumni
helptobridgetherealworld/schooldivide.Programslikethesealsoprovidesecondary

development.Benefitsliketheimportanceofprofessionaldress,punctuality,and
followup/thankyounotes.
Whilethebenefitforstudentsandalumniareclear,thedepartmentshouldsupportthe
creationofthesevideos,maintaininvolvementthroughtheuseoffacultyinterviews,and
continuetoaddsimilarvideostothewebsiteforyearstocomesolelybecausethedepartment
willgainrecognition.Technologyisconstantlyevolving,itiscriticaltostayuptodateandkeep
theinformationprovidedabouttheCommunicationStudiesdepartmentrelevantsothatCSU
Stanislauscancontinuetofulfilltheneedsandexpectationsofprospectivestudents.According
torecentstatistics,CSUStanislaushadthe18thlowestenrollmentofthe23CSUcampuses
(2012).ByadvertisingorganizationssuchasTheSignalorRelationalCaffeinethatareoffered
bytheCommunicationStudiesdepartmentatCSUStanislaus,thisdepartmentcancompetewith
schoolslikeCSUSanBernardinoandCSUFullertonwhichwererankedamongthetop50
schoolsforCommunication,Journalism,andrelateddegreesintheDiverseIssuesinHigher
Educationmagazine(p.1721,2012).
WeextractedinformationfromtheInstitutionalDatapageonCSUStanislausWebsite.
Wefoundfromtheresearch,ledbyJohnP.Tillman,fromtheofficeofInstitutionalResearch
hereoncampus,ofthe41majorsofferedatCSUStanislaus,CommunicationStudiesisthe11th
mostenrolledorimpactedmajor(Tillman,2012).Withanaverageof193totalmajorsperyear
basedonenrollmentfrom2008to2012,theCommunicationStudiesdepartmentonlyrepresents

2.43%ofenrolledstudents(Tillman,2012).Addingthesevideostothedepartmentwebsiteisa
newwaytomarkettheCommunicationStudiesdepartmenttopotentialmajorsandhopefully
movethedepartmentintooneofthetoptenmajorsontheCaliforniaStateUniversity,Stanislaus
campus.

ResultsandDiscussion
Wereceivedawidearrayofanswersfromoursurveysthatwedividedupanddistributed
tofacultyparticipants,facultyviewers,alumniparticipants,alumniviewers,lowerdivision
nonmajors,upperdivisionnonmajors,lowerdivisionmajorstudents,andupperdivisionmajor
students.Facultyreceivedsurveysfacetofacefromamemberofourgroup.Alumniwho
participatedinourprojectreceivedtheirsurveysviaemailandotheralumnireceivedtheir
surveysviaFacebookmessages.Tosurveystudents,wecontactedprofessorstopresentin
introductory,lowerdivision,andupperdivisionclasseswithintheCommunicationStudies
major.Oursurveycountyieldedonehundredfiftythreeresponsesintotal,fivecomingfrom
facultyparticipants,fivefromfacultyviewers,sixfromalumniviewers,fortysevennonmajor
students,andninetyonemajorstudents.Feedbackfromallofourparticipantsandviewerswas
crucialinmeasuringthesuccessofourproject.
FacultyViewers&Participants
Inourvideos,wehadfivefacultymembersparticipateininterviewsforourcapstone
project.Eachoneoftheprofessorswhoparticipatedsharedadvicetoupperandlowerdivision
students,aswellasadviceonhowtogetinvolvedoncampusandwhattodopostgraduation.
Allfiveparticipatingfacultymembersprovidedsurveyfeedback.Wealsosurveyedthefaculty
whotaughttheclassesthatwepresentedto,whichwasalsofivefaculty,threeofwhichcrossed
overbetweenparticipantsandviewers.Intotal,wesurveyedsevendifferentfacultymembers,
somedoingtwodifferentsurveysfortentotalresponses.
CreatingaCommunicationStudiescommunity.
Oneoftherecurringthemesinour
surveyoffacultyincludedtheneedforvideosliketheonescreatedinthisprojectandsurvey

responsesincludedlikelihoodtoparticipateagaininordertocreateacommunityfeelingfor
CommunicationStudiesmajors,alumni,andfaculty.
Experienceandgettinginvolvedwiththe
community,supportingagreatstudentprojectandAchancetohelparticulatewhoweareasa
communitywerebothresponsesgivenbyprofessorswhenpromptedforthebenefitsthey
gainedwhenparticipatinginourproject.Anotherprofessormentionedastudentinourgroupby
namethattheywerenotabletoworkwithinaclassroomsetting,sogettingtoworkwiththem
onaprofessionalleveloutsideoftheclassroomwasbridgingthegapbetweenfacultyand
studentsthatwouldhelpcreatethatcommunitylikefeelingforstudentsandfacultyalike.Itwas
alsomentionedinverbalfeedbackwhenwepresentedtotheseprofessorsthattheylikedthe
combinationofadvicefromfaculty,alumni,andcurrentstudents,becauseitshowsthatalumni
arestillconnectedtoourcampusandmorespecificallyourdepartmentevenyearsafterthey
havegraduated.
Valueforthedepartment.
Thesecondmostprevalentthemeinfacultyfeedback
includedhowmuchvaluethisprojectheldforthedepartmentintwoways:recruitmentofnew
studentstothemajorandpromotionsandrecruitmentfortheorganizationswithinthe
department.WhilewecreatedtheshortseriesofvideosabouttheCommunicationStudies
departmentsorganizationsasatoolforrecruitment,thesuccessisseeninresponsesfrom
facultywhorecognizedthatvalue.Threeofthefivefacultyparticipantswhoweresurveyed
includedaformofsharingourdepartment,recruitingstudentstotheirclasses,andrecruiting
nonmajorstothedepartmentintheirfeedback.Allsevenfacultymemberssurveyedratedthese
videoswithasevenorhigherasbeneficialtoolsformarketingthedepartmentandrecruiting
students.Despitereceivingfeedbackthatweshouldhaveincludedmoreinformationabout

tracks,minors,andspecificclasseswithinthedepartment,wefeltthatthesurveyresponsesfrom
facultydirectlycorrelatedtothevalueswehadinmindwhenwebeganthisprojectandwehope
thatrecruitmentdoesincreasefortheseorganizations.Afterwepresentedourvideostothese
facultymembersandtheirclasses,weofferedstudentswhowereinterestedinanyofthe
organizationsreferencedaflyerwithcontactinformationforeachone.Withinaweek,seven
studentshavereachedouttoWarriorRewindformoreinformationonjoiningandthepositions
thatareavailabletostudents,sowearerealizingimmediateresultsinrecruitingefforts.
Supportingstudents.
Finally,allofthefacultymemberswesurveyedeithermentioned
wantingtoparticipateinthisprojecttosupportstudentsuccessandeducationalgoalsorthatthey
wouldconsiderparticipatinginthefutureifthisprojectiseverupdated.Professorsthatdidnot
participate,orviewthevideoswereclearregardingtheirdisappointmentforbeingunableto
participate.Thisshowsacleardedicationtostudentsuccesswithoutsaiddedication,wewould
nothavebeenabletocompleteourproject.
AlumniViewers&Participants
Notallalumniparticipantscompletedthesurveyasweonlyreceivedsixtotalresponses
tooursurveyrequests.Thesixalumnirangedfromgraduatingclassesdatingbackto2008andas
recentas2013.However,wereachedoutovertosixtyalumnitowatchourvideos,includingthe
eightalumniwhowereguestsinthevideos.Otherthangenerallyagreeingthatthevideoswere
anaccurateportrayaloftheCommunicationStudiesdepartment,oneofthesixalumnisaid,It
seemslikealotofimprovementshavebeenmadeoverthelastfouryears.Thesevideosmakeme
wishIwasacurrentstudentinthedepartment!Notonlywasthisacomplimentforthecurrent

stateofthedepartment,butwethinkthatitalsoacknowledgedhowwellourprojectrepresented
thedepartment.
LowerDivisionMajorStudents
UnderstandingCommunicationStudies.
AfterpresentingourvideostoaPublicSpeakingcourseandanIntroductiontoMass
Mediacourse,91percentofthelowerdivisionCommunicationStudiesmajorsfeltthatafter
watchingourvideostheynowhaveamuchclearerunderstandingabouttheCommunication
StudiesdepartmentandwhatCommunicationStudiesisabout.Inordertobetterunderstandthe
CommunicationStudiesdepartment,amajorityofthestudentssurveyedrespondedwith
statementssimilarto,Itgavemeabetterunderstandingofwhatprogramsandclubsthatareon
campus.Thesame91percentoflowerdivisionmajorstudentsfeltthatthevideoshelped
providethemwiththetoolsandinformationnecessarytonavigatetheirwaythroughthe
department.Thisdatastatesthatourvideosarehelpfultolowerdivisionstudents.Infact,even
upperdivisionstudentsmentionedthatitwouldhavebeenbeneficialforthemtohaveviewed
thesevideoswhentheywerelowerdivisionstudents.Asaresultofthisfeedback,wefeltthatit
wouldbebeneficialforallincomingCommunicationStudiesstudentsforthesevideostobe
playedorviewableatNewStudentOrientationsandMajorShowcasedays.
Departmentawarenessandparticipation.
Outoftheclasseswesurveyed,100percent
ofthelowerdivisionmajorstudentsdidnotknowaboutalltheorganizationsthatthe
CommunicationStudiesdepartmentoffers.Whichmeansthatthesevideoswerebeneficialto
thesestudents.Themostpopularorganizationsfromthesurveysgiventothelowerdivision
studentsincludedTheSignalandKCSS.Theleastrecognizableorganizationsfrom

lowerdivisionstudentsincludedLambdaPiEtaandRelationalCaffeine.Yetafterviewingour
presentation,36percentofthestudentsareverylikelytojoinandgetinvolvedwithoneor
moreoftheorganizationsfeaturedinourvideos.Theseseriesofvideoshasnowhelpedthese
organizationsgainmoremembersforthefuture.
LowerDivisionNonMajorStudents
UnderstandingCommunicationStudies.
Inthelowerdivisionclassesthatviewedour
videopresentation,thestudentsconsistedofbothCommunicationStudiesmajorsandmajorsof
otherdisciplines.Intotal,oursurveyreachedouttotwentyeightstudentsoutsidethe
CommunicationStudiesdiscipline.Overall,ourvideoshada92percentsuccessrateforteaching
nonmajorstudentsaboutCommunicationStudiesasadisciplineandasadepartment.While
moststudentsreportedlearningsomething,manystudentsdidnotfillinthespaceprovidedto
telluswhattheylearned.Fromthosethatdid,theygainedmoreinformationonwhatthe
departmentactuallyis,potentialjobstheycouldgetasCommunicationStudiesgraduates,and
waystheycouldgetinvolvedatschool.But,itwasalsorequestedinthissectionthatweinclude
moreabouttheclassesandpotentialjobsinthemajorinthissection.Throughpersonal
experience,CommunicationStudiesmajorshaveexperiencedotherstudentsquestioningour
majorandwhatweareactuallystudying,sothisprojectalsoaimedatcorrectingthose
misconceptions.Fromtheanswerswereceivedfromnonmajorstudents,wefeelthatwedid
addressthosemisconceptions,buttherearestillthingsthatcouldhaveclarifiedmorefor
students.
Departmentawarenessandparticipation.
Ofthelowerdivisionstudentsfromother
majorsoutsideofthedisciplineofCommunicationStudies,71percentrecognizedoneormore

oftheorganizationsthattheCommunicationStudiesdepartmentoffers.Accordingtothedata
extrapolatedfromoursurveys,themostrecognizableorganizationswereTheSignalwith64
percentofstudentshavingpriorknowledgeoftheorganizationandKCSSwith57percentof
studentshavingpriorknowledgeoftheorganization.Theleastrecognizableorganizationto
lowerdivision,nonmajorstudentswasLambdaPiEta,whichwasrecognizedbylessthan4
percentofstudentsfromotherdisciplines.Noverbalfeedbackwasprovidedfromanyofthe
studentsineitherofthetwolowerdivisionclassesthatviewedthevideopresentations.Although
noneofthelowerdivisionstudentsprovidedverbalfeedback,itwasstillbeneficialtoshow
lowerdivisionstudentshowtobecomeinvolvedwithorganizationsthatourdepartmentoffers
andincludeinformationregardingtheorganizationsthatdonotrequirebeingaCommunication
Studiesmajorasarequirementtojoin.Itwasalsogoodtoshowthelowerdivisionstudentsthe
advicevideostoletthemknowabouttheampleresourcesthatnotonlytheCommunication
Studiesdepartmentoffers,buttheentirecampus.
UpperDivisionMajorStudents
Theupperdivisionstudentswhoattendedourinclasspresentationsprovidedvital
feedback,includingsurveydataandverbalfeedbacktoourproject.Therewereninetyninetotal
upperdivisionstudents(eightymajorandnineteennonmajorstudents)whoweresurveyed.
UnderstandingCommunicationStudies.
Whileupperdivisionstudentswithinthe
CommunicationStudiesmajorshouldbethestudentswiththemostknowledgeaboutthe
department,ourprojectwasabletoteach89percentofallupperdivisionmajorstudents
somethingnewaboutthedepartmentandhowtheycouldgetinvolved.Althoughthesestudents
understoodwhatthemajorwas,79percentmentionedthattheylearnedsomethingdirectly

correlatingtoanorganizationthattheycouldgetinvolvedwith.Fromthoseseventyone
responses,over30percentmentionedRelationalCaffeineassomethingtheylearnedabout,20
percentmentionedWarriorRewind,andanother15percentmentionedLambdaPiEta.Theseare
theresultswewerelookingforwhenwebeganthisproject.Withthisinformation,organizations
likeRelationalCaffeineandWarriorRewindwillknowwhataudiencestheyneedtotargetfor
awarenessandrecruitment.Openingthesewindowsofcommunicationwillonlybenefitthese
organizations.
Departmentawarenessandparticipation.
Themajorstudentswhotookthesurvey
recognizedmanyoftheorganizationsinthevideosthatourCommunicationStudiesdepartment
hastooffer.ThemostrecognizableorganizationsforCommunicationStudiesmajorstudents
wereKCSSandtheSignal.ManyoftheseniorstudentshadheardofWarriorRewind,butdid
notknowindepthdetailsabouttheorganization.RelationalCaffeineandTheInternship
Programwereamongtheorganizationsthatwereleastrecognizedbyupperdivisionstudents.
Manyoftheupperdivisionstudentswithinthedisciplineverballyexpressedaninterestin
joiningtheorganizationsprofiledandevenexpressedregretfornotgettinginvolvedwiththe
organizationsearlierintheircollegiatecareers.Althoughmanyofthejuniorstandingstudents
expressedinterestinjoiningoneoftheorganizations,ourdemographicsincludedgraduating
seniorswhomentionedthatthevideoswouldhavemadeasignificantimpactonwhatseniors
wouldhavelikedtojoinorbecomeinvolvedwith.
Alleviationofgraduationrelatedstress.
InourAdvicetoUpperDivisionStudentsvideo,manyofthefaculty,students,and
alumnigavejuniorsandgraduatingseniorssometipsonwhattodoleadinguptograduationand

postgraduation.Fromoursurveyresults,wecalculatedthat53percentoftheupperdivision
studentssaidthatafterwatchingthesevideosithelpedthemrelievestressaboutpostgraduation
and78percentofstudentssaidthattheylearnedmoreaboutpostgraduateopportunities.These
videosgavestudentsawiderangeofadvice,fromnetworkingandjobsearches,topreparing
resumes,coverletters,andportfolios.Itisourunderstandingthatthisadvicerelievedstress
becauseitisadvicefrompeoplewhohavebeensuccessfulinthecommunicationsfieldandhave
beeninthesamepositionascurrentgraduatingseniors.Stressedseniorsnowhaveavideo
resourcewithadvicefromtheiradvisersandmentorstoreferbacktoastheyprepareforthe
workforce.
UpperDivisionNonMajorStudents
UnderstandingCommunicationStudies.
OutofthenineteenupperdivisionmajorstudentswhoviewedourSeniorCapstone
project,nearly90percentofthestudentsmentionedthattheylearnedsomethingnewaboutthe
CommunicationStudiesdepartment.Manyofthemlearnedaboutwhatthedepartmenthasto
offerandhowtogetinvolved.Almost80percentoftheresponsesfromoursurveysbystudents
includednamesofprogramsthatstudentshadnotheardabout,whereafewresponsesincluded
learninginformationabouttheindustryandmediarelatedjobs.Whileupperdivision,nonmajor
studentsarelesslikelytochangetheirmajortoCommunicationStudies,theyarestillpresentin
upperdivisionCommunicationStudiescourseslikePoliticalSciencemajorsinPolitical
Communication,BusinessmajorsinOrganizationalCommunication,andGenderStudiesmajors
inGenderCommunication.Ifstudentslearnmoreabouttheopportunitiesofferedinthe

department,itispossiblethatenrollmentinCommunicationStudiescoursesrelatedtomajors
outsideofthisdisciplinewillincrease.
Departmentawarenessandparticipation.
Ofthenineteennonmajor,upperdivision
studentsthatparticipatedinoursurveysrecognizedTheSignalandKCSSoverorganizations
suchasWarriorRewindandRelationalCaffeine.Theseresultswereparalleltothe
namerecognitionresultsfortheotherupperdivisionandlowerdivisionstudents.Thisisanother
audiencewhereorganizationswithinthedepartmentcanincreasepublicityandtargetnonmajor
studentsforawarenessandparticipation.Unfortunately,timeisrunningoutforupperdivision
studentstojoinorganizations,67percentoftheresponsesdrovehometheideaofgetting
involvedwithorganizations,internships,andothernetworkingopportunities.Thisshowsthat
whetherornotnonmajor,upperdivisionhavegotteninvolved,amajorityofthemknowthat
theyneedtodoso.
Graduationrelatedstress.
Graduationisastressfultimeformanyjuniorsandseniors,whichiswhytwoof
questionsinoursurveyweredirectedtowardsgraduationrelatedstress.Afterwatchingallofthe
videos,therewasasignificantamountofupperdivisionstudentsthatstatedintheirsurveysthat
theyfeltthatitmadethemmorestressedanticipatinggraduationbecausetheyfeltthatthey
shouldhavebeenmoreinvolvedduringtheirtimeaslowerdivisionstudents.UpperDivision,
nonmajorscanbenefitfromthesevideosbecausetherearemanypostgradopportunitiesthata
studentcangetintoandgettingintouchwithprofessorscanalleviatesomeofthestress.

Conclusion
ForourSeniorCapstoneProject,weproducedaseriesofpromotionalvideosforthe
CommunicationStudiesdepartmentwhichrequiredapprovalfromDr.Harveytosteeraway
fromtheoriginalCapstoneproject.Afterpresentingourcompletedprojecttosixclass,wefound
thatthemostsignificantdatathatresultedfromprese
ntingourvideosandsurveyingstudents,facultyandalumni,wasthatthemajority
consensusfromallthreecategoriesofparticipantswasthatwecreatedsomethingthathas
immediateandfuturevaluetotheCommunicationStudiesdepartment.Withouttheirwillingness
tospendtimewithusinthestudio,noneofthiswouldhavebeenpossible.Wehopethisproject
andideawillbepostedontotheCommunicationStudieswebsiteandserveasavaluabletoolfor
thepromotionalvideoswillhelptheincomingfreshmanandstudentswhoarelookingtotransfer
toCSUStanislaus.
Therewasmanyobstaclesthatwefacedduringtheproductionofthisvideoseries.Alot
ofhardworkwentintotheproductionofthesevideosbutwestillencountereddifficulties
.
Some
oftheproblemsweencounteredduringtheprojectwasscheduling.Obviously,everyoneinour
grouphaddifferentschedulesthisrequiredalotmoreplanningandcommunicationthanwehad
anticipatedbutwemadeitworkbyhavingawindowoftimewecouldgoinandloggingour
hours.Someotherdifficultiesweencounteredwasnotbeingabletoscheduleallofthe
interviewsthatwehadplannedfor.Wehadhopedforamuchlargerresponsetoourinvitations
thanwehadreceivedback,especiallyfromtheCommunicationStudiesdepartmentfacultyand,
wehadalsoplannedformorealumnitorespondbutthesewereobstaclesthatwereoutsideof
ourcontrol.

Althoughweallenjoyedworkingonthisproject,therearechangeswewouldmakeifwe
weretodoitagain.Thesechangesincludeprovidinginformationregardingconcentrations,
explainingthefocusofindividualcourses,includingfootagefromactuallectures,making
correctionstofootagebeforecreatinganycutsinthefilm,andproceduralizingourprocessto
createablueprintforfuturestudentsthatmaybeinterestedincontinuingorimprovingour
project.ThemostcommonverbalfeedbackfromCommunicationStudiesmajorswastoinclude
detailedinformationaboutconcentrationsandclasses.CommunicationStudiesmajorsfeelthat
thiswillclarifywhatthedepartmentdoesandcandoforincomingstudents.Byincluding
footagefromactualcourselectures,prospectivestudentsgetaminesculesampleofthetypeof
educationtheycanexpectbyjoiningtheCommunicationStudiesdepartment.Inthefuture,
makingbasiceditstothefootagebeforemakinganycutswillresultinamuchmorefluid
workflow.Oncecutsaremadeinthefootage,anyeditsmadethereafterhavetobecopiedtoall
individualcutswhichincreasestheriskininconsistencyamongtheclips.Finally,bycreatinga
proceduralmanualforthisprojectthatwillhelpfuturestudentsexpandontheprojectfrom
whereweconcluded.Itwillalsoprovidethemwiththeinformationrequiredtocreatesimilar
footagetoreducedistractinginconsistencies.Wesincerelyhopethatthisisthebeginningofa
longlastinglegacyfortheCommunicationStudiesdepartment.

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Permanentlinktothisdocument:
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