A review and assessment of national educational trends in communication instruction

Abstract

At a time when many people, communication education professionals included, seem nearly obsessed with trends, it is especially important to raise critical questions about both what the trends are and how the discipline should respond. This work provides an overview of trends at the national and higher education levels as well as in undergraduate communication education. It examines three dominant trends‐interactive teaching and learning, use of teams, and use of computer technology—which have emerged at all three levels. Finally, it encourages critical assessment of those and all other trends.

Keywords:

• trend
• communication education
• interaction
• teams
• computer technology
• higher education