Educational Resources

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

Advancing Communication
The responsibility to advance the communication discipline rests with NCA, its individual members, and communication departments. Learn more.

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.

Guidelines for Developing and Assessing Undergraduate Programs in Communication
In September of 2009, the Executive Committee of NCA approved seven guidelines for undergraduate programs in communication.  These guidelines are designed to give both department chairs and external reviewers criteria by which to develop and evaluate communication programs.  The guidelines include Missions, Goals and Learning Outcomes; Administration and Governance; Resources and Personnel; Faculty and Professional Staff; Hiring and Evaluation of Faculty, Promotion and Tenure; Curriculum and Student Advising. Download the guidelines

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.

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.