NCCCFA
Submissions
Fall 2026 Issue Theme:
“An Essential Investment: Centering Students in the Future of Work”
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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.
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Articles for the statewide journal focus on research, reflective inquiry, program analysis, and collaborative innovation across the state. Submissions should contribute meaningful insight to ongoing conversations about student success, equity, workforce preparation, and institutional improvement.
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Submission strands may explore, but are not limited to:​
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Teaching Innovation for the Future of Work
How are faculty redesigning courses to cultivate adaptability, communication, critical thinking, digital fluency, and professional identity? How are emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, being integrated in ways that enhance workforce readiness?
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Centering Student Voice and Belonging
How do teaching practices affirm students’ lived experiences and aspirations? What models elevate student voice in curriculum design, reflection, or co-authorship?
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Aligning Curriculum, Pathways, and Workforce Needs
How are programs aligning curriculum with employer expectations while maintaining disciplinary rigor? What innovations in dual enrollment, work-based learning, stackable credentials, or pathway design are shaping students’ transitions into careers?
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Access, Belonging, and Economic Mobility in Practice
How are instructional and institutional practices expanding opportunity and demonstrating measurable impact for diverse student populations?
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Submission Guidelines
The North Carolina Community College Journal of Teaching Innovation (NCCJTI) publishes practitioner scholarship and research focused on teaching, learning, leadership, and institutional innovation within North Carolina’s community colleges.
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The Journal serves as a statewide venue for reflective, evidence-informed inquiry grounded in professional practice. We seek manuscripts that move beyond description to examine impact and contribute insight beyond a single classroom or campus.
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Our goal is to cultivate and share scholarship that strengthens student success, belonging and access, workforce preparation, and institutional effectiveness across the North Carolina Community College System.
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The Journal uses a collegial, developmental peer review process designed to support authors in strengthening promising work and connecting practice to broader scholarship.
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Fall 2026 Issue Theme: “An Essential Investment: Centering Students in the Future of Work”
​
The Fall 2026 issue aligns with the North Carolina Community College System Conference and will explore how teaching and learning serve as foundational investments in student success, access and belonging, and workforce preparation.
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Submission Process and Timeline (Fall 2026 Issue)
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For this issue, the Journal is introducing a proposal process to support authors and strengthen alignment with the theme.
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Proposal Submission:
Submit a 300–500 word proposal outlining your topic, guiding question or problem, and anticipated contribution.
Proposal Deadline: March 31, 2026
Proposal Decision Notification: May 1, 2026
*Full Manuscript Deadline: June 15, 2026
Publication Date: October 1, 2026
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Articles for the statewide journal focus on research, reflective inquiry, program analysis, and collaborative innovation across the state. Submissions should contribute meaningful insight to ongoing conversations about student success, equity, workforce preparation, and institutional improvement.
​
*Full manuscripts submitted without a prior proposal will be considered; however, proposal submission is strongly encouraged. Submissions should be prepared according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), Seventh Edition, including title page, abstract, keywords, in-text citations, pagination, headings, tables, figures, and reference list. Title page, references, tables, and figures are not included in the word count.
Authors are encouraged to review the Journal’s Vision, Mission, and Scope before submitting.
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Submission Length Guidelines
Research Papers: 3000–6000 words
Book Reviews: 1000–1500 words
Opinion Pieces: 500–700 words
Graduate Research: 1000–2000 words