Call for Proposals

Conference Presentation Opportunities and Tracks

The Eighth Annual Conference on Teaching and Learning offers three kinds of presentation opportunities: 75-minute interactive workshops, 35-minute presentations, and a poster session. The conference asks that presenters select one (or more) of three tracks when submitting their proposals:

How and what students learn. What are our students learning? What factors may influence how they learn? What is important for students to learn?
Pedagogy to empower student learning. What teaching strategies and approaches can empower our students to learn? What can we do to shift from instructor-centered approaches towards student-centered approaches? How do we encourage students to take ownership of their own learning?
Assessing student learning. How might we measure what students are learning in our courses? How can we be sure our assessments are authentic?

We will also publish digital proceedings of the conference; therefore, presenters will have the opportunity to submit presentation materials for a digital archive of conference proceedings.

Interactive Workshops (75 minutes)

A central focus of our conference is interactive workshops; these workshops facilitate collaborative learning among conference attendees. Workshops actively engage participants in developing ideas, understanding and applying research, adapting innovative practices to their own contexts, and engaging in collaborative learning. Because interaction and participant engagement are especially essential to a workshop, elements of a traditional presentation should be kept to a minimum. Proposals should include the following:

Names, positions, institutional affiliations, and contact information for the presenter(s). The person who submits the proposal will be the key contact for the presentation.
Workshop title.
Proposal conference track(s).
Workshop abstract (not to exceed 150 words). Your abstract should outline the objectives, content, and format for the session including key goals and participant take-aways. Word your abstract with the needs of the participants in mind. Your abstract will appear in the conference program.
Workshop proposal. For the workshop proposal, please provide a short description based on each of these items:
1. Provide an outline of what will occur in your session and what you will be presenting (relevant literature, original research, etc.).
2. List two to four learning outcomes for your workshop.
3. Describe how your learning outcomes will be addressed.
4. Discuss how the workshop relates to the conference theme and selected track(s).
5. Highlight how you will encourage participant engagement and interaction.
In the registration form, you will have the opportunity to indicate technology you will need for your workshop, if any.

Workshop proposals will be selected on the following criteria: learning outcomes, addressing conference theme/track, participant engagement, meaningful content, and including relevant literature.

Presentations (35-minute presentations)

Presentations explore innovative practices and programs or discuss applied research findings related to student learning, pedagogy, and assessment. Presentations will be offered in 35-minute blocks (25 minutes for presentations; 10 minutes for questions/participant interaction). Interaction and participant engagement are key elements of these conference sessions, though there may be elements of more traditional presentations as well. Proposals should include:

Names, positions, institutional affiliations, and contact information for the presenter(s). The person who submits the proposal will be the key contact.
Presentation title.
Presentation abstract (not to exceed 150 words) Your abstract should outline the objectives, content, and format for the session including key goals and participant take-aways. Word your abstract with the needs of the participants in mind. Your abstract will appear in the conference program.
Presentation proposal. For the session proposal, please provide a short description based on each of these items:
1. Provide a description of what you will cover in your session.
2. Provide a discussion of the relevant scholarship/research that you will draw upon for your session.
3. List two to four learning outcomes for your session.
4. Describe how your learning outcomes will be addressed and how the session relates to the conference theme and selected track(s).
In the registration form, you will have the opportunity to select options for session technology (such as projectors).

Presentation proposals will be selected on the following criteria: learning outcomes, addressing conference theme/track, participant engagement, meaningful content, and addressing relevant literature.

Interactive Poster Presentation

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. 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 encourage interactive, creative, and innovative approaches to poster presentations. A prestigious international award will be presented for the best poster.

In addition to a traditional poster session, we will also feature Instructional Fair posters, in which faculty showcase a specific teaching strategy. This could be a single activity that implements a pedagogy or meets a common challenge within teaching such as group work, active learning, problem-based learning, class communities, etc.

Please note that we will be providing poster boards for participants who request them; digital poster presentations are also encouraged, but participants must supply their own technology. In addition to your poster, you will be responsible to supply a handout to participants (100 copies recommended).

Two options will be available for poster sessions:

Instructional fair: Pedagogical strategies to empower students to learn
Traditional poster: Research, program, or assessment posters

Proposals should include:

Name, positions, institutional affiliations, and contact information for the presenter(s). The person who submits the proposal will be the key contact.
Poster title.
Poster option (see above).
Poster abstract (not to exceed 150 words) outlining the objectives and content of the poster. Word your abstract with the needs of the participants in mind. This abstract will appear in the conference program.
Poster proposal. For the poster proposal, please provide a short description based on each of these items:
1. Provide a description of what you will cover in your poster.
2. Describe the relevant scholarship/research that you will draw upon.
3. Discuss what participants will learn/gain from your poster.
4. List two to four learning outcomes for your poster.
5. Describe how your learning outcomes will be addressed.
6. Describe how the poster relates to the conference theme and selected track(s).
Digital or print poster format.

Posters will be selected on the following criteria: learning outcomes, addressing conference theme/track, participant engagement, meaningful content, and addressing relevant literature.

Submission of Proposals

Submission open: December 7, 2013
Deadline for submission: February 17, 2014

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

Submitters will be notified by March 15th of the selection of sessions for the May 2014 Conference. We look forward to receiving your submission.

If you have questions regarding the proposal process, please contact:
Dr. Judith Ableser, Ph.D. - ableser@oakland.edu
Chair, Eighth Annual International Conference on Teaching and Learning
or
Dr. Erika Kustra, Ph.D. - kustraed@uwindsor.ca
Chair, Eighth Annual International Conference on Teaching and Learning