Communication Skills is the module taught since 2005 at the Zagreb Polytechnic professional and specialist studies in electrical engineering and information technology. Since 2009 Petar Jandrić has been leading the module, while Ida Popčević has been his teaching assistant since 2011. This textbook is a result of common efforts of the teaching staff and students founded on many years of teaching experience and researches in optimal delivery methods of the practical classes.
The idea to create this textbook came from Milan Bajić, an employee of the Zagreb Polytechnic, who in the years between his professional and specialist graduate studies in information design established Alfa producent d.o.o. (Ltd.) .), a successful TV & video production firm. The author of this textbook gladly accepted the challenge and then we all set to work. During the first lecture in the Communication Skills module, the students voluntarily applied to take part in the textbook videos voluntarily applied to take part in the textbook videos, and a week later they were joined by the students who voluntarily applied to create these web pages. As the number of students who applied was bigger than needed, the lecturer let the students themselves select the participants of the project. So, the lecturer did not in any way choose the students who participated in creating this textbook.
The textbook was recorded during the summer semester of the academic year 2011/2012 and was released in the autumn of 2012 as a compulsory teaching material for the Communication Skills practical classes. Video recordings truthfully present practical classes of the module, and were shot in one of the most frequently used classrooms. Apart from Ms Ana Biloš, the camerawoman, all participants of the project are the students of the Zagreb Polytechnic.
All practical classes were recorded in the first attempt. During the practical classes in non-verbal communication and impromptu speech, the students came out twice in front of the group and a better recording was selected in editing. Discussions, debates and all other materials were recorded in the first attempt. Some obvious mistakes and too long pauses between the presentations were cut out; no other interventions were made by the director.
By such approach the videographers faced an exceptionally demanding task to show a real situation in the classroom with minimum technical intervention. The students and the lecturer found themselves in a very delicate position: you, dear textbook users, will see all our accomplishments and mistakes long after we already forgot about them. Yet, this kind of a little raw approach gives you a fair insight into our daily work: accomplishments are presented because we are proud of them, and mistakes so that we could learn from them.
For all those involved, the recording was a genuine educational process in which we learnt a lot about how our presentations look like, seen in the neutral eye of the camera. It was particularly interesting to compare the recordings of the practical classes made at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the semester, and to see the advancement in the presentations of both the students and the lecturer.
The whole work of creating the textbook was based on enthusiasm of the lecturers, students and videographers, as well as on wholehearted support of the administration. The textual part provides a theoretical background of the practical classes, the video recordings present our faces and gestures, but a good feeling in work and friendly relations between colleagues that were developed among all the participants brought a value that is hard to transmit to the readers. We wish you the best of luck in using this textbook and honestly hope that it will convey to you at least a tiny portion of positive energy that we have invested into its making.