Educational Resources

Talking about ... Communication

“We are living in a communications revolution comparable to the invention of printing...In an age of increasing talk, it’s wiser talk we need most. Communication studies might well be central to colleges and universities in the 21st century.”

NCA provides the latest in educational resources to assist teachers, scholars, and administrators of communication programs including assessment tools, statistics, and communication program guidelines.

A Code of Professional Ethics for the Communication Scholar/Teacher
NCA believes that ethical behavior is a hallmark of professionalism in communication. In 2000, the NCA Legislative Assembly endorsed a Code of Professional Ethics for the Communication Scholar and Teacher. Learn more.

College Board Standards
The College Board published content standards for middle and high school English Language Arts and Mathematics and Statistics that focus on 21st century cognitive, behavioral, and technical skills for creating and sharing effective messages in one-on-one, public, and group contexts. The Standards for College Success define a developmental progression of rigorous learning objectives from middle school through high school and are designed to prepare all students for AP and college-level work. NCA members Sherry Morreale, John Heineman, and Mary Bozik served on the writing team for the Communication Standards, which were endorsed by the Executive Committee as a replacement for the NCA K-12 Standards. Learn more.

Communication Assessment
NCA supports communication colleagues as they develop, design, and redesign assessment efforts on their campuses. Assessing academic programs and student achievement of communication competence is a challenge. Learn more.

Communication Defined
Communication focuses on how people use messages to generate meaning within and across all kinds of contexts, cultures, channels and media. Learn more.

Communicating Common Ground
This project advances the communication discipline's role in reducing prejudice and hateful acts based on racial, ethnic, religious, and other human differences. Communicating Common Ground seeks to increase society's ability embrace the opportunities of diversity. Learn more.

Doctoral Program Reputational Study
NCA constructed voluntary studies that sought to measure the reputations of doctoral programs in communication. Learn more.

Faculty and Student Statistics in Communication
This section contains national information about students and faculty in the communication discipline. The main source of these data is the U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Learn more.

K-12 Resources
Committed to developing and providing essential resources for the inclusion of communication in all grades K-12 in the U.S. educational system, NCA supports and promotes a working relationship among communication teachers and administrators in grades K-12 to provide essential teaching and curricular resources needed for these educators. Learn more.

Standards for Program Review and Assessment
NCA’s Standards for Undergraduate Communication Programs are designed to be used for program review and assessment. To guide departments through the program review process, we have developed a Chairs’ Handbook for Program Review, compiled some program review data from chairs across the discipline, compared NCA’s standards with those of our regional accreditation agencies, and provided samples of self-study and program review documents. Click on the link above to access this information.

Preparing Future Faculty in Communication
NCA is committed to preparing students as future colleagues who have already begun to grow as scholar/teachers and members of the academic community. Learn more.

Professional Development During Your Doctoral Education
An informal introduction to professional development for doctoral students in communication. Addressing several issues involved with career development, this booklet is a primer to graduate school and helps one prepare for conversations and questions with faculty throughout one’s graduate education. Download the publication

Profiles of Practice
Profiles of Practice describes several of the wide-ranging career possibilities for people with Ph.D.s in communication. This series helps people make good personal job choices—to find the positions in which they will be most successful and that they will most enjoy.