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07/04/2026

CSCA 2027 ... Communication Education Interest Group Call for Papers

COMMUNICATION EDUCATION INTEREST GROUP
Call for Papers and Panels

Central States Communication Association (CSCA) Annual Convention
Madison, WI
April 7th -11th, 2027

Navigate–Finding Inspiration in Uncharted Terrain

The Communication Education Interest Group invites the submission of competitive papers, panels, roundtable discussions, and innovative programming for the 2027 CSCA Convention in Madison, WI. The purpose of the Communication Education Interest Group is to promote research, strategies, and ideas related to communication and teaching across contexts (K-12, higher education, and professional settings). A range of topics encompassing pedagogy, communication education, instructional communication, teaching strategies, administration, and instructor/student experiences are welcome, and we especially encourage members to address issues related to the convention theme, Navigate. Regarding panels, preference will be given to those with panelists representing multiple institutions rather than representing a single institution.

The conference theme, Navigate, offers many opportunities for submissions within the Communication Education Interest Group. Submitters could consider writing about navigating their experiences as a teacher, administrative duties in the current education climate, and changing student expectations and motivations. Ideas from the last business meeting include navigating:

  • Budget cuts
  • Inaccessibility/accessibility
  • Expectations for AI use for faculty and students
  • Students away from digital
  • Enrollment in-person vs. online
  • Engagement, specifically navigating the disengaged student
  • Administration/peers effective classroom communication
  • The different paths toward education (education majors)
  • The “leap” from high school to first year
  • The change in degree requirements (90 credit degrees)
  • Changes to the tenure system
  • Loss of international students
  • Apathy (students and faculty)
  • Burnout
  • Graduate student expectations/experiences with the job market
  • Classroom management

You are welcome to run with these ideas, or submit something completely different based on your insights, research, and experiences. We also welcome novel approaches, such as debates about topics.

Completed papers, discussion panels, and paper panels shall be considered for conference planning. If you have a new approach for a submission, feel free to run it past Caroline Waldbuesser (interest group chair—email address at the end of the call) to see if it would be appropriate for the conference.

Completed Papers:

  • Only completed papers will be considered for the conference.
  • Please make sure to remove all personal identification information [author name(s)] from the manuscript and from the document properties prior to submission.
  • Include a title and a brief abstract (required).
    • Abstracts should be no longer than 250 words.
  • If you would like your paper to be considered for the Inclusive Scholarship Award, type “INCLUSIVE SCHOLARSHIP” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page.
    • To be considered as an exemplar of inclusive scholarship, the paper must demonstrate academic rigor in the examination of communication and centralize historically marginalized communities/populations.
    • To be considered for this award, please clearly articulate, in at least one paragraph in your abstract, how the respective scholarship explicitly addresses equity and inclusion.
    • The paper receiving the interest group award for Inclusive Scholarship shall be forwarded for consideration for the CSCA Inclusive Scholarship Award.
  • Graduate students should type “STUDENT” on the upper right-hand corner of the title page. These papers will be considered for the Gustav Friedrich Award/Top Student Paper for the Interest Group.
    • If this is the first submitted paper by a graduate student to CSCA, please type “DEBUT STUDENT” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page. These papers will be considered in the pool of papers for the Top Student Paper for the Interest Group and the Top Debut Student Paper will be forwarded for consideration in the CSCA Past Officers Debut Paper Award
      • To be considered a graduate student debut paper:
        • the author must be a graduate student,
        • the paper must have single authorship, and
        • the paper must be the author’s first paper to be presented at CSCA
    • All Paper submissions shall be eligible for the Top Paper Award of the Communication Education Interest Group.

Discussion and Paper Panel Proposals:

  • A title, description, and rationale are required for discussion and paper panels.
    • Descriptions should be no longer than 100 words.
    • A rationale should be no longer than 500 words (not inclusive of references).
  • Paper panel proposals should include a chair, 3-5 presenters, a proposed respondent, and an abstract for each paper being presented in the proposed paper panel.
    • Make sure to list the participants, their affiliation, and contact information
    • Abstracts for papers included in paper panel proposals should be limited to no more than 250 words per abstract.
  • Discussion panel proposals should include a chair, 3-5 discussion participants, central questions posed for discussion, and an explanation of how they will foster audience participation.
    • Make sure to list the participants, their affiliations, and contact information.
    • A description/rationale of each presenter’s contribution should be included and be no longer than 150 words for each presentation.
  • Preference will be given to those panel proposals with panelists representing multiple institutions rather than representing a single institution.
  • All discussion and paper panel proposals will be considered for the Top Panel Award of the Communication Education Interest Group.

To submit, scholars should create a profile in the CSCA online submissions system (https://ww4.aievolution.com/csc2701/). Membership is not required to submit, but use of the online submission system is.

All technology requests must be made at the time of submission. Submissions must be received by 11:59 PM, CDT, October 9, 2026. Send submissions electronically through our CSCA online submission system site.

Questions about conference submissions for the Communication Education Interest Group or upcoming interest group business should be directed to Caroline Waldbuesser, interest group chair, at carolinewaldbuesser91@gmail.com

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