Joan E. Aitken

Joan E. Aitken is Professor, Arts and Communication, Park University. She has a B.A. in Communication Theory from Michigan State University, an M.A. in Special Education from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and an M.A. and Ed.D. in Communication and Administration from the University of Arkansas. She joined the Park faculty in 2005, after teaching at the University of Missouri, University of Louisiana, and University of Arkansas.

Aitken’s emphasis in scholarship has been computer-mediated communication and communication education. She has authored eight books, which include the following:

    • Interpersonal Concepts and Competences, by Berko, Aitken, and Wolvin. (2010). Rowman & Littlefield Press.
    • Cases on Online Discussion and Interaction, by Shedletsky and Aitken. (2010). IGI Global Press.
    • Human Communication on the Internet, by Shedletsky and Aitken. (2004). Boston: Allyn & Bacon/Longman.

Aitken has authored five instructor’s manuals (three in the second edition or later), provided Web development for four publishers, and published 50 articles and reports. Aitken was editor of the National Communication Association’s The Communication Teacher and served on the editorial board of NCA’s Communication Education. She has obtained $3.5 million in competitive grant funding, including $1.5 million as the primary grant writer and others as a collaborative team member. Aitken has worked internationally in Jamaica and the People’s Republic of China.

Publications

Cases on Communication Technology for Second Language Acquisition and Cultural Learning
Cases on Communication Technology for Second Language Acquisition and Cultural Learning
Joan E. Aitken. © 2014. 611 pages.
For teachers of English, connecting with non-native students can pose significant problems, but communication technologies may offer a viable solution. Cases on Communication...
Listening Tests: Pearson’s MyLab in Teaching Communication and Spanish
Listening Tests: Pearson’s MyLab in Teaching Communication and Spanish
Joan E. Aitken, Andrew D. Wolvin, Roy M. Berko. © 2014. 27 pages.
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the use of technology in providing listening tests for the basic communication course. Because of experience with Pearson publishing’s...
Integrated Technology for Culturally Competent Communication in Urban Schools
Integrated Technology for Culturally Competent Communication in Urban Schools
Maura Wechsler Linas, Joan E. Aitken. © 2014. 14 pages.
A disproportionately high number of students who live in urban centers are found eligible for special education services. For some of these students, teachers and administrators...
Parental Communication about the Needs of Their Children: As Expressed in an Online Support Group
Parental Communication about the Needs of Their Children: As Expressed in an Online Support Group
Joan E. Aitken. © 2014. 12 pages.
The purpose of this chapter is to analyze parental use of an online support group about their children with disabilities. A content analysis was conducted of 1,718 emails from a...
Communication Technology for Students in Special Education and Gifted Programs
Communication Technology for Students in Special Education and Gifted Programs
Joan E. Aitken, Joy Pedego Fairley, Judith K. Carlson. © 2012. 399 pages.
Communication technology provides new opportunities for individuals with special needs, facilitating assistive communication, increasing mobility, offering a different model of...
Integrated Technology for Culturally Competent Communication in Urban Schools
Integrated Technology for Culturally Competent Communication in Urban Schools
Maura Wechsler Linas, Joan E. Aitken. © 2012. 14 pages.
A disproportionately high number of students who live in urban centers are found eligible for special education services. For some of these students, teachers and administrators...
Parental Communication About the Needs of Their Children: As Expressed in an Online Support Group
Parental Communication About the Needs of Their Children: As Expressed in an Online Support Group
Joan E. Aitken. © 2012. 12 pages.
The purpose of this chapter is to analyze parental use of an online support group about their children with disabilities. A content analysis was conducted of 1,718 emails from a...
Cases on Online Discussion and Interaction: Experiences and Outcomes
Cases on Online Discussion and Interaction: Experiences and Outcomes
Leonard Shedletsky, Joan E. Aitken. © 2010. 440 pages.
Discussion, whether in online or face-to-face environments, is central to attaining and disseminating information. Cases on Online Discussion and Interaction: Experiences and...
Blended Learning for Adaptation to Needs
Blended Learning for Adaptation to Needs
Joan E. Aitken. © 2010. 14 pages.
Blended learning is an instructional method that opens the channels of communication in the learning process so that there are increased communication strategies. This chapter...