A COMPENDIUM OF SCALES for use in the SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

not limited to professor-student relationships, contains a total of 26 items drawn from the
previous literature (13 positively worded items and 13 negatively words items). An advantage
to the NIS is the ability to distribute an other-reporting version (NIS-O) as well as a selfreporting
(NIS-S) version. Although the items on the NIS-O and NIS-S measure the same
constructs, their wording varies slightly in that the NIS-O frames items in terms of what "I" do
and the NIS-S frames items in terms of what s/he (the professor) does. Participants rate the
frequency of the behavior using a 5-point Likert-type scale from 0 (never) to 5 (very often).
Sample items from the scale include, "I smile when I talk to people," "I use a monotone or dull
voice while talking to people," and "I avoid eye contact while talking to people." Negative
behaviors such as using a monotone voice and avoiding eye contact are reverse scored. This
scale yielded high internal reliability estimates for the NIS-S and NIS-O of .90-.93 across several
targets (self, teacher, supervisor, and a romantic date).
LeFebvre and Allen (2014) provided evidence for criterion validity of the Nonverbal Immediacy
Scale. In their study, students enrolled in lecture/laboratory or self-contained courses
completed the NIS, a measure of affective learning, an instruction evaluation measure, and
allowed their grades to be tracked. Students who perceived greater nonverbal immediacy from
their teaching assistants also received higher grades in the courses, reported more affective
learning (e.g., liking of the teaching assistant, wanting to enroll in another course with that
teaching assistant), and provided more positive instruction evaluations.
Aside from assessing students’ perceptions of professors’ nonverbal immediacy behaviors,
students may also benefit from using this scale when discussing nonverbal communication,
person-perception accuracy, and universal versus cultural understandings of emotional
expression. Because the NIS (V. Richmond et al., 2003) has a self-assessment version and an
other-assessment version, students can rate their own nonverbal immediacy behaviors and ask
a close friend and a new acquaintance to also rate them. Through this activity, students can
learn about measurement error, self- vs. other-rating methods, and convergent validity.
Teacher Humor Scale
Humor is one component of verbal immediacy that may lead to increases in rapport when used
in a context-appropriate and respectful manner. Research shows that the use of humor by the
professor corresponds to teachers’ immediacy behaviors in the classroom, and has an impact
on learning outcomes (Gorham & Christophel, 1990). High ratings in professor humor
orientation, or the predisposition for a professor to engage in humorous communication, are
associated with greater positive affect toward the professor as well as increased perceived
learning. There is also a positive correlation between perceived professor humor and nonverbal
immediacy behaviors and responsiveness to students (Wanzer & Frymier, 1999).
An important part of successfully using humor, especially within a classroom setting, is the need
to understand how the audience (e.g., the students) interprets humor. Torok, McMorris, and
Lin (2004) conducted a study exploring students’ perceptions of professor humor, specifically
hoping to find the reasoning behind the positive relationship between professor humor and
student engagement. Seventy three percent of students questioned stated that they felt very
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