Each year, we invite organizations to share their communication challenges with our graduate students as a ‘live case’ assignment within their first residency courses, and as part of the requirement for their Master of Arts in Professional Communication (MAPC) degree. We would welcome your participation!
The students research your organization and conduct their analysis. Two or more teams then present their analysis, recommendations and a communications plan to your organizational representatives in a formal presentation at RRU. We have two intakes a year (October - November, and May - June).
What your participation would entail:
- Meet with us, in person or virtually, to discuss the communication challenge you would like the students to address (e.g., building teams, building culture, establishing a reputation, addressing public concerns, employee engagement, managing growth, rebuilding trust after a crisis, change, creating structure, etc.)
- Record an interview (20 minutes) to describe your organization and present the challenge to the teams.
- Answer questions or host visits from students over two weeks (time parameters established by you).
- Attend the final student presentations at RRU Centre for Dialogue where you will be given two or more teams’ analyses of your challenge, recommendations, and communications plan for implementation. You will be invited to ask questions and engage with teams after the presentations.
- Participate in a follow-up phone call six months after the exercise to discuss the impact of recommendations.
Students in the SCC programs doing practicums and internships are also available to work with these organizations after the Organizational Communication Challenge completes, to continue the ideas and solutions that the Masters students have created.
For further information, please contact:
- Barbara Collombin, Coordinator, MAPC Organizational Communication Challenge
- Dr. Chasten Remillard, MAPC Program Head
Former Participating Organizations:
- Aptoella Rugby
- BC Coroners Service
- BC Developer’s Exchange
- BC Golf
- BC Hydro
- BC Liquor Distribution Branch
- Cinema Canadiana
- Community Social Planning Council
- Comox Valley Child Development Association
- Education Beyond Borders
- Fernwood Neighbourhood Resource Center
- Flytographer
- Game Plan
- Geological Survey of Canada
- Hotel Rialto
- House of Boateng
- I Love First Peoples
- Inter-Cultural Association
- Island Health
- Kid Care Canada
- Leadership Victoria
- Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows Community Services
- Mediate BC
- Minerva BC
- Ministry of Education
- Office of Adam Olsen, MLA
- Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence
- Power To Be
- Red Hat
- Rethink Thinking
- Rowing BC
- Royal Bank Colwood
- RRU Alumni Relations
- Rugby Canada
- Sask Power
- Seaspan
- Serious Coffee
- Special Olympics Victoria
- Sustainable Archaeology Animation
- Vancouver Foundation
- Vancouver Inner City Women’s Network
- Vintage Wings of Canada
- Western Irrigation District
From a recent “client” of the MAPC Organizational Communication Challenge:
"Working with the MAPC students in the organizational communication challenge was fun and productive! I was impressed by the quality of the students’ analysis and recommendations. I especially loved that they included a theoretical framework as part of the project, and appreciated the practical tools and suggestions. We have adopted one of the teams’ recommendations: to build an engagement strategy with our community as we prepare to celebrate our 20th anniversary next year. Thank you for including Minerva BC in the organizational communication challenge - it was well worth it."
Tina Strehlke, Executive Director,
Minerva BC