Overview of Instructor Resources

To gain access to the instructor resources for this title, please visit the Instructor Resources Download Hub  

Existing Users If you have previously had access to the Instructor resources via the separate instructor area on this Companion Website, then you will be able to login with your previous credentials.

New Users If you are a new user and need access to the Instructor resources then you will need to fill out a the registration form on the site which will be verified by one of our sales reps.

Chapter Resources

Resources specific to each chapter include PowerPoint slides and chapter guides. Approximately 10-12 PowerPoint slides per chapter address major concepts covered in each chapter. Chapter guides include the following:

  • Guiding questions: These are the fundamental questions that the chapter aims to answer.  Understanding the answers to these questions are the basic learning objectives that readers should accomplish.
  • Chapter outlines: These give instructors a brief overview of the entire chapter and its various subsections in outline form.
  • In class discussion or essay questions:  A series of questions are presented that would be suitable for starting class discussions about the readings, or for use as essay questions on written examinations.  These questions cover differing levels of specificity, although most are constructed such that there are objectively correct answers.  However, some are designed to highlight how there are different ways of looking at an issue (e.g., definition of “family”) and in such cases instructors will want to exercise discretion in evaluating the appropriateness of the question for an essay exam.
  • Multiple choice exam questions: Each chapter has 8 – 12 accompanying multiple choice exam questions.  These generally test knowledge of specific concepts that are discussed in the book chapters.
  • Media resources:  Each chapter guide provides a list of various links to media resources that feature, for example: lectures or informal talks by family communication scholars, or media clips, articles, or song lyrics that relate to family communication topics.  This resource list promotes further study and examination of media treatment of issues related to family scholarship.

Course-wide Resources

In addition to chapter-by-chapter resources, we also provide course-wide resources, such as an Appendix on family research methods and a Sample syllabus.

  • Appendix on research methods:  Family Communication is designed as a text for an advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate student audience.  Consequently, readers are assumed to have at least an elementary background in social scientific research and theories.   In many academic programs in the social and behavioral sciences (e.g., communication, psychology, family studies, and sociology) an introductory research methods course is a prerequisite to more advanced courses in the discipline. Readers who have not had such a course would probably benefit from reading the appendix of Family Communication, which explains how research is conducted, along with other important issues that consumers of research need to understand.  With that basic knowledge in hand, readers should have no difficulty following and comprehending the remaining chapters in the book.
  • sample syllabus: The syllabus provides an example for organizing a 16-week Family Communication course.