North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation

Thank you for the strong response to the proposal deadline—submissions, shares, and support have really built great momentum!

As I begin reviewing proposals, a quick heads up: if you sent something in and didn’t get a confirmation email, please resend it using the submission link on the website, just to be safe. https://www.ncccfa.org/submissions

I’m excited to dig into everything that’s come in—thank you again!

Submissions Aligned with the System Office Conference theme, this issue will explore how teaching and learning serve as foundational investments in student success and workforce resilience.

Final call for proposals for the Fall issue of the Journal.

Deadline: April 15

If you’ve been thinking about submitting something, this is your reminder to go ahead and do it.

You don’t need a full paper.
You don’t need a perfect study.

You just need a clear starting point:
• What problem were you trying to solve?
• What did you try?
• What are you learning?

That’s the foundation of practitioner scholarship.

The Fall issue will focus on how teaching and learning serve as essential investments in our students and their futures.

Proposal deadline: April 15

Details and submission link: https://www.ncccfa.org/ncccjti
Questions? Send an email to: [email protected]

If you’ve been waiting for the right time — this is it.

—
Elizabeth Braun
Editor-in-Chief, NCCCJTI

NCCCJTI The homepage of North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation

If you’re still thinking about submitting something to the Journal, here’s something I want you to know:

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you submit a proposal.

The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is to start with a strong idea and develop it.

That’s what the review process is for.

If you’ve been unsure whether your idea “fits” or how to shape it — that’s completely normal. And I’m always happy to talk through ideas.

Proposal deadline: April 15

Details here: https://www.ncccfa.org/ncccjti

Sometimes the hardest part is just taking that first step.

—
Elizabeth Braun
Editor-in-Chief, NCCCJTI

NCCCJTI The homepage of North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation

A quick thought if you’ve been considering submitting something to the Journal but aren’t sure your idea is “enough.”

It probably is.

Most strong articles don’t start as big research projects. They start with something like:

• “My students were struggling with…”
• “I changed this one part of my course…”
• “I wanted to see if this would make a difference…”

That’s the beginning of practitioner scholarship.

You don’t need a perfect study.
You don’t need everything figured out.
You just need a clear idea and a willingness to reflect on what you’re seeing in your own work.

Proposal deadline: April 15

Details here: https://www.ncccfa.org/ncccjti

If you’re on the fence, this might be your sign to go for it.

—

Elizabeth Braun
Editor-in-Chief, NCCCJTI

NCCCJTI The homepage of North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation

From Innovation to Publication: A Simple Structure

If you’ve ever wondered how to turn something you’re trying in your class into something publishable, here’s a simple way to think about it.

Start with five questions:

• What problem were you trying to solve?
• What did you change?
• What happened?
• What does research or professional literature say about this?
• What might others take away from your experience?

That’s it.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. It does have to be thoughtful.

If you’re considering submitting a proposal for the Fall issue (deadline April 15), this framework might help you shape your idea.

Details here: https://www.ncccfa.org/ncccjti

NCCCJTI The homepage of North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation

A quick reminder as we move closer to the April 15 proposal deadline for the Fall issue of the Journal.

If you’ve been thinking, “Maybe I should submit something…” — this is your nudge.

You don’t need a massive study.
You don’t need to be “a researcher.”
You don’t need to have everything perfectly figured out.

If you’ve identified a problem, tried an approach, gathered some evidence, and reflected on what you’ve learned — that’s a starting point.

Sometimes the hardest step is deciding that your work is worth sharing.

Proposal deadline: April 15
Full manuscripts due: June 15
Publication: October 1

Details here: https://www.ncccfa.org/ncccjti

And truly — if you want to talk through an idea, I’m glad to connect.
—
Elizabeth Braun
Editor-in-Chief, NCCCJTI

NCCCJTI The homepage of North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation

“I’m not a researcher.”

If you’ve ever thought that, you’re in good company. I’ve thought it too.

In community colleges, publishing isn’t usually part of the job description. We teach. We advise. We support students. We adapt constantly.

But think about what you already do.

When you change an assignment because students are confused, you’re responding to evidence.

When you look at pass rates and ask what might improve them, you’re analyzing data.

When you reflect on why something worked — or didn’t — you’re doing inquiry.

Practitioner scholarship isn’t about writing a dissertation. It’s about taking your practice seriously enough to study it a little and share what you learn.

If you’ve ever felt like your ideas matter but you’re not sure how to frame them — that’s exactly the space this Journal is trying to support.

You don’t have to be “a researcher” to contribute. You just have to be willing to look closely at your own work.
—
Elizabeth Braun
Editor-in-Chief, NCCCJTI

If contributing an article feels like a stretch right now, but you are interested in supporting the Journal as a reviewer or editor, I would be glad to connect.

What is practitioner scholarship?
It is not a dissertation.
It is not an informal opinion.
It is not a simple activity description.

Practitioner scholarship is systematic reflection grounded in professional practice.

Strong practitioner scholarship includes:
• A clearly defined problem or question.
• A thoughtful description of what changed.
• Evidence — quantitative, qualitative, or structured reflection.
• Engagement with relevant research or professional literature.
• Implications others can learn from.

Many community college faculty are already doing this work. The shift is learning to structure it and situate it within broader conversations.

When we publish practitioner scholarship, we strengthen not only our own practice, but the intellectual capacity of our entire system.

The Journal is one place we can do that together.

The Call for Proposals is now live for the Fall 2026 issue of the North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation.

Theme: “An Essential Investment: Centering Students in the Future of Work.”

If you’ve redesigned a course, tried a new approach, gathered student feedback, analyzed outcomes, or wrestled with a persistent challenge — you may already be doing practitioner scholarship.
We’re looking for articles that move beyond “here’s what I did” to “here’s what I learned and why it matters.”

Proposal deadline: April 15
Full manuscripts due: June 15
Publication: October 1

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not a researcher,” this might still be for you.
Details here: https://www.ncccfa.org/ncccjti
—
Elizabeth Braun
Editor-in-Chief, NCCCJTI

The Journal is also expanding its editorial team. If you are interested in serving as a reviewer or editor, I would welcome a brief conversation.

NCCCJTI The homepage of North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation

A quick update about the Journal for this year.

In 2026, we’ll publish one carefully curated issue, tied to the North Carolina Community College System Conference in October.

Rather than rushing multiple editions, we’re focusing on one strong issue that strengthens our review process and clarifies what practitioner scholarship looks like in our system.

The issue theme will align with the conference:

“An Essential Investment: Centering Students in the Future of Work.”

I’m excited about the conversations this can open — especially around how teaching and learning shape workforce readiness in ways we don’t always name.

More details coming soon.

I want to share a little more about where I hope the Journal is headed.

In community colleges, we are constantly innovating. We adjust syllabi. We rethink assignments. We redesign programs. We respond to students in real time.

But we don’t always stop to examine what that innovation means — or to share it beyond our own campus.

Practitioner scholarship is simply this: taking our practice seriously enough to study it a little, reflect on it, connect it to research, and share what we learn.

It doesn’t require a massive study. It requires curiosity and structure.

I’d love to see the Journal become the place where practical innovation across our system gets shared thoughtfully and intentionally.
—
Elizabeth Braun
Editor-in-Chief, NCCCJTI

I’m honored to step into the role of Editor-in-Chief of the North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation.

I am Dr. Elizabeth Braun, and I teach at Catawba Valley Community College, where my work has long centered on teaching, learning, and institutional leadership. I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this Journal at the system level.

Before looking ahead, I want to acknowledge the vision of the founding editor, Dr. Josh Howell, and the sustained leadership that followed under Dr. Grant Jolliff. Their work established a statewide platform for sharing teaching innovation across North Carolina’s community colleges.

As I step into this role, I am not seeking to reinvent the Journal. I am seeking to strengthen and clarify its purpose.

My goal is to position the Journal as a leading venue for practitioner scholarship in our system — work that moves beyond describing innovation to examining its impact on student learning, equity, workforce preparation, and institutional effectiveness.

In the coming weeks, I’ll share more about the direction of the Journal and invite faculty and staff across the state to contribute to its next chapter.

Teaching is intellectual work. It deserves to be examined, documented, and shared.