What’s in a name? Identity awareness and promotion as fundamental to the future of communication education and instructional communication

A pervasive mantra across the Communication discipline proclaims the critical importance of our work—whether it be research, teaching, or service—to improve the personal and professional lives of individuals and communities, as well as local and global societies. In fact, the mission statement of the National Communication Association (n.d.) declares that our field “promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge and communication to solve human problems.” Fundamental to achieving this mission of the Communication discipline is the capacity to teach communication (e.g., concepts, theories, skills) effectively. The entire discipline was founded on the premise that “the study and teaching of Communication [is] distinct from other disciplines [and deserves] its own institutional and intellectual legitimacy” (National Communication Association, n.d.). The subfield devoted to research and practice in communication education and instructional communication addresses this exigence. In addition to the teaching of communication, the subfield is also devoted to the research and practice of “understanding the role of communication in the teaching and learning process in diverse spaces, structures, and interactions, within and outside of academia” (a.k.a. instructional communication) (Taylor & Francis Online, n.d.). Thus, the work of our subfield is most definitely central to the mission, vision, and values of the discipline (e.g., Morreale et al., 2023). Three major discipline-specific journals–Communication Education, Communication Teacher, and the Journal of Communication Pedagogy—exist as outlets created intentionally for publishing an array of communication education and instructional communication research (Taylor & Francis Online, n.d.). Not only are communication education and instructional communication visionary constructs that ground the discipline historically, but they continue to be central foci in current research and practice throughout the Communication discipline (e.g., Morreale et al., 2014; Myers, 2010).