Biographical note

Isa Engleberg (EdD) is a professor emerita at Prince George’s Community College with thirty-five years of teaching experience, including visiting scholar and adjunct professor appointments at other colleges and universities. She also served as vice president of advancement and planning at her home institution. After serving as president of the National Communication Association (NCA), Engleberg chaired the NCA Core Competencies Task Force in 2013–2015, which produced a report titled “Exploring the Identification of Common Core Competencies for Basic Communication Courses” and a related journal article. During her membership in NCA, she served as chair of the NCA Research Board, a member of the Educational Policies Board, and chaired the Community College Section. She devoted many years to the NCA Legislative Council and the Eastern Communication Association by working in standing committees and task forces. Like her coauthor, John Daly, she has written several communication texts and dozens of articles in a variety of academic journals.   She began her career as a speech instructor and intercollegiate debate and forensics coach, all of which helped her grasp the indispensable role of communication education and critical thinking in everyday life. Her professional life’s mission is the study, development, and recommendation of standards and measures for improving the quality, content, and pedagogy of introductory communication courses at all levels of higher education.   John Daly (Ph.D.) is professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he directs the professional communication skills course. He edited both Communication Education and Written Communication and is a former president of the National Communication Association. He is an NCA Distinguished Scholar and has published numerous research articles and books on communication skills. Susan M. Ward (Ph.D.) is professor of communication studies at Delaware County Community College, where she also serves as the faculty fellow for Quality Matters. Her disciplinary background focuses on rhetoric and persuasion, including participating in competitive debate. She has been involved in course design for both face-to-face and online courses for more than 20 years and is extensively involved in the community college sections of both the National Communication Association and the Eastern Communication Association.