The Commission on Graduate Education (CSGE) invites graduate students to submit their work for inclusion in our programming at the 2026 AEJMC Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA. Planned sessions include the Graduate Research-in-Progress Roundtable, the Graduate Research Showcase, and the Graduate Teaching Showcase.
Questions regarding submissions for the Graduate Research-in-Progress Roundtable or the Graduate Research Showcase should be directed to the CSGE Research Chair, Deborah J. Danuser, at deborah.danuser@gmail.com. Questions regarding the Graduate Teaching Showcase should be directed to the CSGE Teaching Chair, Matt Martin, at m.e.martin@usm.edu.
GRADUATE RESEARCH-IN-PROGRESS ROUNDTABLE: The CSGE invites graduate students to submit original research-in-progress proposals for inclusion in our Research-in-Progress Roundtable. This session provides up to 10 graduate student scholars with the opportunity to be matched with a senior scholar mentor who will offer valuable feedback and insights on students’ emerging research.
Research-in-progress submissions may include developing ideas, pilot studies, ongoing data collection, or early analyses that demonstrate potential for scholarly contribution. We welcome research from all theoretical and methodological perspectives addressing any journalism and mass communication topic.
All submissions must follow AEJMC’s uniform call for research-in-progress. Carefully review the instructions and ensure your submission is uploaded to the AEJMC Annual Paper Competition Submission Portal no later than 11:59 p.m. (Central Daylight Time) on April 1, 2026. Please check proposals thoroughly for any self-identifying information, including self-citations, to avoid rejection. As a reminder, a research-in-progress submission cannot be sent to more than one division, interest group, or commission.
GRADUATE RESEARCH SHOWCASE: All divisions, interest groups, and commissions are invited to select two of their top graduate student research papers to be featured in the CSGE Research Showcase poster session. The selected papers must be authored by graduate students and must not be presented as part of other conference programming (i.e., outside of their award-winning papers).
Authors will be notified of their acceptance into the Graduate Research Showcase by May 20, 2026. All research papers presented in this showcase are considered accepted by both the DIG and the CSGE, and authors may indicate this dual acceptance on their CVs.
To be considered for the CSGE Graduate Research Showcase, authors should follow the instructions in AEJMC’s uniform paper call as well as the division, interest group, or commission’s student paper call. It is important to note that faculty members cannot co-author papers submitted to the Commission on Graduate Education.
GSGE GRADUATE TEACHING SHOWCASE
The Commission on Graduate Education’s (CSGE) Graduate Teaching Showcase amplifies graduate student teaching and pedagogy with a live demonstration and poster session at AEJMC’s national conference. The showcase highlights innovative and effective teaching practices led by graduate students to inspire and encourage instructors at all levels.
The unique, engaging, and inspiring class activities and lesson plans developed by graduate students illustrate adapting techniques in pedagogy and instruction, exemplifying that there is no “one size fits all” approach to learning.
Now in its third year, all accepted showcase applicants are expected to attend the 2026 AEJMC conference in New Orleans to share their proposed activity or lesson plan as a poster session during the CSGE Research Showcase.
A select number of submissions will be invited to present a 7.5-minute live interactive teaching demonstration in the Graduate Teaching Showcase. These participants will demonstrate their specific activity or lesson plan in action with a focus on audience engagement. The live presentations should reflect a classroom-like environment and create opportunities for audience involvement. Each presentation will also include time for Q&A.
We strongly encourage students on the job market to submit proposals, as this is an excellent opportunity to practice potential teaching presentations you can use on the job market.
The proposal (400 words max) should:
• Demonstrate the present relevance to teaching and learning in higher education
• Identify clear learning outcomes and objectives
• Appeal to an interdisciplinary audience (including news writing, content production, digital journalism, media literacy, research methods, media ethics/law, artificial intelligence, strategic communication, big data, computational methods, and more)
Proposals will be reviewed through an anonymized peer-review process and evaluated using the following criteria:
• Clarity of the proposal, including key takeaways and audience interaction components
• Relevant topic that would appeal to instructors of all experience levels
• Practical methods and techniques that others can use and apply
• Evidence of successful outcomes or lessons learned
Submit your proposal directly to CSGE teaching chair Matthew E. Martin, APR (m.e.martin@usm.edu) as a Word or PDF document by May 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM CT. Authors will be notified of their status via email by June 1.
If you have questions or would like to discuss your ideas before submitting, please reach out.