Artificial intelligence (AI) has gained both momentum and importance within society over the past several years. This article provides an opening for further discussion to the broader social and digital media research community and those interested in answering important questions related to these areas by leveraging a focused, productive approach. In supporting future educational endeavors within the communication classroom, and specifically to this topic, we propose five important considerations that will move the conversation forward. The considerations within this article are meant to engage scholars in intellectual conversation and to provide an initial foundation for the direction of communication education. They are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather initiate discussions within education and research addressing implications emerging technologies have had on our field and what could be incorporated into the media and communication curriculum to prepare educators and students alike.

This paper discusses the purpose, reach, and function of the Non-Profit and Civic Engagement (NPACE) Center in the Department of Communication. Additionally, it explores how the ground-up creation of NPACE resulted from a thorough examination of the strengths and needs of both department and community and how the center offers substantive solutions to meet real-life challenges of both. Along the way, the paper addresses how faculty members negotiated with faculty and administrators across campus to gain support to launch the center. Moreover, the paper discusses key achievements of a few select projects executed in the past 5 years of service to the university and community. It also addresses the value of NPACE to its students, including a recent trend that has potential for further examination regarding the effect of the learning model and the center on fostering the civic and community engagement of graduates. Finally, the paper discusses emerging challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities for NPACE.

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It is imperative that today’s advertising, journalism, mass communication, and public relations students are prepared to engage in corporate activism and corporate social responsibility communications once in the workforce. This article explores the need for incorporating equity-based pedagogy, using feminism as one of many approaches, into skills-based communication courses. The researchers conducted 20 qualitative interviews with academics to discuss various approaches, examples, and learnings. The findings suggest that using a feminist framework to teach skills: (1) enhances the skill being taught, (2) allows students to communicate more effectively, (3) builds life skills, and (4) comes in many forms. The article concludes with consideration to areas for future research and contributes to the understanding of academics engaged in a feminist approach to teaching skills-based communication courses.

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