CoTL Proposals

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Call for Proposals

  CoTL Proposal Submission has CLOSED  


All proposals for presentation at CoTL are peer-reviewed by at least 2 reviewers. It is important to ensure that proposals are aligned with the conference theme and are likely to be of interest to the conference participants who are primarily faculty and instructional staff at regional institutions mentioned above.

This year, we are weaving in-person and virtual options together on both days of the conference. When submitting a proposal, please indicate if you prefer to present in-person or online. Virtual presentations will be shared with our in-person and virtual audience via Zoom in one room in the student center. Virtual presenters and participants will be able to view other virtual presenters and the keynote speakers.


Presentation Guidelines

▼   Interactive Workshops

Interactive sessions are designed to give the audience an opportunity to try out a technique, engage in group work around some interesting teaching and learning topic, or learn about and practice or technology.

The In-Person Interactive Workshop is 45 minutes of workshop time and 5 minutes of Q&A.

The Virtual Interactive Workshop is 40 minutes of workshop time and 5 minutes of Q&A.

Best Practices:

  • Please design your workshop so that there is time for participants to ask questions and answers at the end.
  • Include at least two engagement activities. These might include small group discussions, audience polling questions, think-pair-share activities, or other techniques that allow the audience to engage with your content.
  • Be intentional about welcoming and including all participants. Design and facilitate activities in which all participants can participate.

Logistics: Each interactive workshop will have a moderator who will keep track of time. You will also have access to a computer and a projector.

▼   Research Talks

The In-Person Research Talk is designed to allow for a 15-minute presentation of a research study that is completed or in progress, with 5 minutes of question and answer.

The Virtual Research Talk is slightly shorter to allow for online attention spans at 10 minutes of presentation time and 5 minutes of question and answer time.

We welcome studies that investigate a “teaching question,” a particular teaching practice that you have tried in your class, or another theme related to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. We also welcome studies related to student academic success, documented uses of a new tech tool, or an exploration of the student, faculty, or staff experience on an institutional or classroom level.

Best Practices:

  • Please design your talk so that there is time for participants to ask questions and answers at the end. We recommend aiming for 5 to 10 minutes of questions.
  • While this is a research talk, including one or two audience questions will increase engagement.
  • Be intentional about welcoming and including all participants. Design questions in which all participants can participate.

Logistics: Each research talk will have a moderator who will keep track of time. You will also have access to a computer and a projector.

▼   Panel Discussions

Panel discussions allow for multiple presenters to engage with each other and the audience. Panel discussions should include at least one moderator who poses questions following a main theme that each of the panel speakers have experienced.

The In-Person Panel is 50 minutes with Q&A built in throughout the discussion.

The Virtual Panel is slightly shorter to allow for online attention spans at 45 minutes.

Best Practices:

  • Please make sure the audience has time to ask questions and interact with the panel members.
  • Be intentional about welcoming and including all participants. Design questions in which all participants can participate.

Logistics: Each panel will have a room moderator who will keep track of time. Panels should identify a separate panel moderator. In person panels will have access to a computer and a projector.

▼   Roundtables

The aim of a Roundtable Discussion is to explore a particular issue, event, question, program, or other topics related to the conference theme. Facilitators will provide discussion prompts that may seek advice, feedback, or ask participants to share their experiences.

The In-Person Roundtable is 50 minutes with Q&A built in throughout the discussion.

The Virtual Roundtable is slightly shorter to allow for online attention spans at 45 minutes.

Best Practices:

  • Please aim for a brief 5-10 minute overview of the target topics and 40 to 35 minutes of group discussion.
  • Be intentional about welcoming and including all participants. Design questions in which all participants can participate.
  • Consider sharing community discussion norms
▼   Poster Presentations

In Person (Day 1)

There will be a designated poster session for in-person presentations.

Logistics: Please submit your poster as a 36"x48" PDF. You may wish to use this template for your poster. Please download the template and add your material.


Online (Day 2)
Our Virtual Exhibit Hall (VEH) is a 3D digital environment that visually replicates the experience of walking through an exhibit hall to view individual presentations. Attendees will enter the VEH in a virtual lobby in which they will find several clearly labeled, clickable doors, leading to a virtual poster hall. Next to each poster will be a clickable icon that plays a brief (1-2 minute) video recording explaining the project.

Logistics: Attendees will be able to view the VEH and all presentations at their leisure.

▼   Propose another presentation type for the in-person or virtual space

Please propose a presentation type that you would like for either the in-person or virtual space. For instance, you might have a workshop that works better in the virtual space. You can include the presentation description in your uploaded proposal or session narrative.

 

General Guidelines

All proposals must be submitted through the conference submission portal and will include:

  • Title of proposal (10 words or less)

  • Name of all presenters (all must register)

  • Session Abstract (150 words or less):
    Your session abstract will appear in the conference program. It should include a description of your topic, its alignment with the conference theme, and the general presentation plan, including your engagement activities and session outcomes/objectives.

  • Session Narrative (300 words or less):
    In contrast to the abstract, your session narrative will provide conference reviewers deeper insight into the details of your proposed presentation. The narrative will not be shared in the conference program. Please include the following information: 
    1. the issue being addressed by the work presented and how it is unique and/or contributing to scholarship in this area
    2. how the proposal aligns with the conference theme of Relevance, Reflection, & Relationships
    3. an audience engagement plan (required for Workshops and Virtual Roundtables, recommended for Panels, not necessary with Posters)
    4. how the proposal will be relevant to CoTL attendees from regional institutions of higher education

 Evaluation criteria for all submissions include:

  • Topic impacts Scholarship of Teaching and Learning or educational practices
  • Topic aligns and supports the conference themes/goals
  • Proposal includes an engagement plan (required for Workshops and Virtual Roundtables, recommended for Panels, not necessary with Posters)

Classification of Proposals

During the proposal submission process, you will be asked to classify your proposal via the categories listed below. Please consider which category best fits your proposal theme (e.g., undergraduate or graduate instructional innovation; data-informed success initiative for faculty or staff). 

Proposal Target Population
(i) Undergraduate, (ii) Graduate, (iii) Either, (iv) Faculty/Staff
 
Discipline
(i) STEM/CS, (ii) Business, (iii) Arts/Humanities, (iv) Health Sciences, (v) Social Sciences, (vi) Education, (vii) Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary, (viii) Any/General