Board Games as a Communication Assessment: Teaching Soft Skills Online

How do you teach soft skills in an online communication class? Dr. Cruz-Boone, a communication professor, shows how she uses board games to bring experiential, "3D" learning into her online small group communication course. Students choose a complex game (at least a 2 on the BGG complexity scale, for 4+ players), play it with a group of their choosing, then deliver a speech reflecting on the experience with evidence from course readings. You'll hear how she builds in rigor, student agency, and accessibility: a lending library of games across satellite campuses, community meetups, and games that avoid heavy language or color-only cues. The big takeaway: experiential learning doesn't have to mean board games, just something that brings you joy and gets students reflecting beyond quizzes and essays. This video is a clip from the Communication and Spanish discipline spotlight session in the Reimagining Assessment series. Accessibility note: This video may not include a separate audio-described track due to current platform limitations. Essential visual information is described in the narration whenever possible. For assistance accessing any visual content, please contact: facultypd@cccco.edu.