Theme: Leading Change in Teaching and Learning: Vision, Influence, Action
Submission Deadline: Extended to March 2, 2015

The purpose of the ninth annual University of Windsor-Oakland University Teaching and Learning Conference is to celebrate and recognize educational leadership on the ground: to explore the kinds of projects educators undertake every day, as they try to improve teaching and learning in their own contexts and communities. The Conference provides a forum for participants to network with emerging and established educational leaders, and to learn knowledge and skills that can help them carry out successful leadership projects. How can you be an educational leader through innovation and best practices in your own classroom and beyond, serve as a model for your colleagues, and bring about change?

Although research on leading educational change has been limited in North American contexts, there is clear evidence internationally that embedded, or distributed, leadership is important to institutional improvement. Innovation and change often happen because people in a variety of roles and networks, make collaborative commitments to solving problems and to seeing initiatives come to fruition. Building effective programs to support these leaders and to bring together their networks appears to be a valuable lever in systemic capacity building and knowledge transfer (Holt et al., 2010 cited in Wright et al., 2014). Distributed leadership is “a leadership approach in which individuals who trust and respect each other’s contributions collaborate together to achieve identifiable goals. It occurs as a result of an open culture within and across an institution. It is an approach in which reflective practice is an integral part of enabling action to be critiqued, challenged and developed through cycles of planning, action, reflection and re-planning” (Jones et al., 2014).

The conference will showcase projects and initiatives that reflect vision, influence and action to enhance teaching and learning. Examples might include:

Among the threads which will be explored on both days are:

Vision

• Addressing long-standing or emerging teaching and learning issues
• Anticipating future effective teaching and assessment strategies
• Turning teaching problems into opportunities
• Re-envisioning the educational purpose of a program or department
• Establishing a collective vision

Influence

• Building or enhancing networks or communities of practice
• Supporting change and innovation
• Involving students in positive change
• Advocacy, development and implementation of policies
• Modeling good practice and mentoring
• Promoting adoption of new teaching and learning approaches, methodologies or technologies
• Advocating for, modeling, expanding and implementing scholarly teaching
• Inspiring collective action for program sustainability
• Changing people’s thinking or beliefs about teaching or learning
• Building capacity and resilience in others

Action

• Leading new pedagogical and assessment projects
• Leading community outreach projects to create pathways for students into higher education, and into the workforce
• Incorporating new goals into curricula, i.e., employability initiatives
• Leading multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and trans-disciplinary development efforts
• Strategic course, curriculum, and/or program development and refinement
• Developing, promoting, implementing evidence-based teaching practices
• Managing the challenges of change
• Creating new initiatives, learning communities, communities of practice
• Coordinating community-based learning and projects
• Coordinating teaching teams such as GA’s or instructors across sections

While this annual conference is an initiative of the University of Windsor and Oakland University, we welcome the participation of individuals from other post-secondary institutions. We particularly encourage joint applications from individuals at different universities.

Pre-Conference Forum: Teaching and Learning Leadership in Higher Education

This year a new Pre-Conference Forum will be held on May 12, 2015. The Forum will explore the development, roles, challenges, and insights of developing and experienced educational leaders, through facilitated, engaging, and interactive sessions.

Types of Conference Proposals

You may submit proposals for 90-minute workshops, 40-minute concurrent sessions, and poster presentations.

Proposals should address the conference theme and feature at least one of the following attributes:

Concurrent Sessions (40 minutes)

Concurrent sessions explore innovative practices and programs or discuss applied research findings. Interaction and participant engagement are key elements of these conference sessions, though there may be elements of more traditional presentations as well. Proposals should be submitted using out online system, and include:

1. Names, positions, institutional affiliations, and contact information for the presenter(s). The person who submits the proposal will be the key contact. Indicate whether each presenter is attending the conference.
2. Session title.
3. Session abstract (not to exceed 150 words) outlining the objectives, content, and format for the session. Word your abstract with the needs of the participants in mind. This abstract will appear in the conference program.
4. A descriptive outline – seen only by reviewers – of what you will cover in your session including:
   1. two to four goals that you hope your session will accomplish;
   2. how your session will encourage participant engagement and interaction (discussion, video, group activities, etc.);
   3. relevant research and scholarship that you will draw upon in your session;
   4. insights about leading change in teaching and learning; and
   5. how your session relates to the conference theme.
5. Audiovisual requirements.

Workshops (90 minutes)

Workshops engage participants fully in active learning to develop ideas, relate research results, and innovative practices to their own contexts. Interaction and participant engagement are especially essential to a workshop, so elements of a traditional presentation should be kept to an absolute minimum. Proposals should be submitted using our online system, and include:

1. Names, positions, institutional affiliations, and contact information for the presenter(s). The person who submits the proposal will be the key contact. Indicate whether each presenter is attending the conference.
2. Workshop title.
3. Workshop abstract (not to exceed 150 words) outlining the objectives, content, and format for the session. Word your abstract with the needs of the participants in mind. This abstract will appear in the conference program.
4. A descriptive outline – seen only by reviewers – of what you will cover in your session including:
   1. two to four goals that you hope your session will accomplish;
   2. how your session will encourage participant engagement and interaction (discussion, video, group activities, etc.);
   3. relevant research and scholarship that you will draw upon in your session;
   4. insights about leading change in teaching and learning; and
   5. how your session relates to the conference theme.
5. Audiovisual requirements.

Interactive Poster Session

Posters are a vibrant way to showcase research findings, innovative practices, and programs. To emphasize the value and importance of posters as a way to disseminate information, network with others interested in similar topics, and access rich feedback, a prestigious international award will be presented for the best poster. The poster session will take place in conjunction with a reception. Although posters should be self-explanatory, presenters must be in attendance during the time allocated to the poster presentation. We strongly encourage interactive, creative, and innovative approaches to poster presentations.

Two options will be available for poster sessions:

1. Pedagogical strategies: Showcase a specific teaching strategy. This could be a single activity that implements a teaching strategy or meets a common challenge within teaching such as group work, active learning, problem-based learning, class communities, etc.
2. Research, theory, program, or assessment posters: This is the more customary content for posters, which might summarize a research study, a new theory or model or describe a program or assessment.

Proposals should include:

1. Names, positions, institutional affiliations, and contact information for the presenter(s). The person who submits the proposal will be the key contact. Indicate whether each presenter is attending the conference.
2. Poster option (see above for A or B).
3. Poster title.
4. Poster abstract (not to exceed 150 words) outlining the objectives, content, and format for the poster. This abstract will appear in the conference program.
5. A descriptive outline – seen only by reviewers – of what you will cover in your poster including:
1. two to four goals that you hope your poster will accomplish;
2. how your session will encourage participant engagement;
3. relevant research and scholarship that you will draw upon; and
4. how your session relates to the conference theme.
6. Digital or print poster format.

Submission of Proposals

Submission Deadline: Extended to March 2, 2015

Registration for Oakland University and University Windsor students, faculty and staff is waived by each University's provosts.

The peer review process will include feedback and, possibly, specific suggestions for each submission. Submitters will be notified by March 20, 2015 of the selection of sessions for the May 2015 Conference. You may be asked to take such feedback into account, and to revise and resubmit your proposal before a final decision is made. If you are not available in March to participate in this integral part of the selection process, please let us know in advance.

If you have questions regarding the proposal process, please contact the conference Co-Chairs:

Erika Kustra kustraed@uwindsor.ca
Judy Ableser ableser@oakland.edu