06/26/2025

CSCA 2026 Convention - Communication Education Interest Group Call for Submissions

COMMUNICATION EDUCATION INTEREST GROUP
Call for Submissions
Central States Communication Association (CSCA) Annual Convention
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis | Minneapolis, MN
April 14-19, 2026
Translate!

We invite you to join us in exploring how communication education can be translated—across classrooms, institutions, and communities—at the 2026 CSCA Convention in Minneapolis. The Communication Education Interest Group invites the submission of competitive papers, paper panels, roundtable discussions, and innovative programming to promote and highlight the most promising research and pedagogy related to communication education in its various contexts, including K-12 schools, higher education, and professional training. A range of topics encompassing communication education, teaching, administration, and research are welcome, and we especially encourage members to address issues related to the convention theme, “Translate”.

The conference theme, “Translate,” offers many different ways to approach conference submissions this year. Scholars submitting to the Communication Education Interest Group could consider ways we may translate the impact of communication education across institutions and within society. They should consider ways we can translate theory into practice, instructional practices into learning outcomes, and past research into future instructional strategies. Those interested in submitting could also consider how communication education can be translated to build inclusive and equitable learning environments for all groups of students. Scholarship can also look for ways to translate to various stakeholders beyond the classroom as well as to scholars across and outside the discipline. In particular submissions that seek ways to demonstrate communication education’s interdisciplinary nature and importance are highly encouraged. Panel proposals should consider including opportunities for collaboration with other interest groups of CSCA within the rationale of their proposals.

Completed papers, discussion panels, and paper panels shall be considered for conference planning.

Submissions must be received by 11:59 PM, CDT, October 10, 2025.

Completed Papers:

• Only completed papers will be
• 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
• 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
  • 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 panel
  • 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 and 3-5 Discussion panel proposals should include 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/csc2601/). 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. CSCA’s Technology Policy may be found here (https://www.csca-net.org/aws/CSCA/pt/sp/avpolicy).

Questions about conference submissions for the Communication Education Interest Group or upcoming interest group business should be directed to Kyle R. Vareberg, interest group chair, at vareberg@nsuok.edu

Submissions must be received by 11:59 PM, CDT, October 10, 2025.