Communication Education and Instructional Communication: Genesis and Evolution as Fields of Inquiry

Communication education is concerned with the communicative aspects of teaching and learning in various situations and contexts. Although the historical roots of this area of inquiry date back to the classical study of rhetoric by the Greeks and Romans, this report focuses on the field's emergence as an important area of modern scholarly study. Contemporary inquiry about communication education pedagogy and instructional communication is explored and clarified. The report then paints a picture of the shifting interests in communication education and instructional communication research and theory in the 20th and early 21st centuries. The contributions of that scholarship to the interdisciplinary, national, and international educational landscapes are described, as well as the field's potential to contribute to future questions in higher education.