Proposal Submission

Due date: June 15, 2008

Please read the information below to learn how to format and submit your proposal.

Topics and Categories for Proposals:

We invite proposals for paper presentations on any topics related to enhancing the quality and effectiveness of college teaching and student learning. Proposals may be interdisciplinary or specific to one or a group of disciplines, but must demonstrate excellence in at least one of the following categories:

Research: Reports important results from own experience or research; describes problem clearly; gives context and references; provides baseline data; explains what researcher has done and why; and provides results.
Integration: Integrates research of others in a meaningful way; compares or contrasts theories; critiques results; and provides context for future exploration.
Application: Describes and assesses exemplary practice, informed by theory and the literature.
Innovation: Proposes innovation of theory, approach, or process of teaching and learning; provides original and creative ideas based on results of research by self or others; and outlines proposed strategy for testing effectiveness of ideas.
Inspiration: Provides inspiration for teaching excellence; combines personal values, insight, and experience to communicate enthusiasm and dedication to outstanding teaching.

At this time, you need submit only a proposal and an abstract, not a completed paper. After the conference, you are invited to develop your proposal into a full manuscript for submission to the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, an international, refereed journal (see the Call for Manuscripts). You need not submit your paper until you have received feedback on your session at or after the conference.

How to Write a Good Proposal

In order to be accepted, your proposal should contain the following information:

Describe your project clearly and put it in context, for example, types of students involved, place in the curriculum.
Include results of your project or innovation if available. If outcomes are not yet available, indicate when they will be (by the time of the session?).
Include references for background information. Use APA format for in-text citations and the reference list.
Describe how the session will be conducted. Indicate how it will be organized and how participants will be involved.

Presentation Formats for Sessions at the Conference:

You will be assigned one of four formats for the presentation of your paper:

A 40-minute individual session, in which you briefly summarize your paper and follow up with discussion.
- Click here for guidelines pertaining to 40-minute concurrent sessions.
A panel discussion of approximately one hour, in which two or three papers submitted by different authors are grouped by topic, with each author having 10 minutes or so to summarize his or her work and relate it to the other papers. Discussion follows. If you are assigned to a panel, we will give you the names and e-mail addresses of the panelists with whom you are teamed, and you should read their proposals on the website before the session.
- Click here for guidelines pertaining to panel discussions.
The all-conference interactive (poster) session, in which you will have table space and audiovisual equipment as you requested on your proposal cover sheet to display your paper, handouts, overheads, videos, etc., in a large room with other presenters. During this one-hour session, conference participants can discuss your ideas and results with you.
- Click here for guidelines pertaining to interactive poster sessions.
A Conference dinner session (one hour). This is a new format for 2007 in which you conduct your session during either the Friday night or Saturday night Conference dinnertime period at a round table with a group of six or seven participants who have pre-registered for your session. You may bring a laptop (it must run on battery power; there will be no A/C access) and handouts. Upon your request we will provide a flipchart. Dinner presenters then may eat dinner together afterwards.
- Click here for guidelines pertaining to dinner sessions.

Proposal Formatting Information:

Format your paper proposal according to the instructions below, as this enables us to format all proposals uniformly for publication on the website.

Your proposal must be double-spaced and prepared in 12 pt. Arial font, and may not exceed 1000 words, including references and appendixes, with 1-inch (or 2.5 cm) margins. Use APA style for citations and references.

At the top of the first page of your proposal, type the title of your paper and your name, department, institution, and location in Lower Case with Initial Capitals, as in the example below. If there is more than one author, list each person separately:

Computer-Assisted Instruction in Music Theory

Jane Doe
Music

Miami University
Oxford, OH

John Doe
Art
Kent State University
Kent, OH

OR:

Jane Doe
John Doe
History
Miami University
Oxford, OH

In addition to your proposal, in a separate file, you must include an abstract of no more than 100 words set in 12 pt. Arial font. Format requirements for your abstract are the same as for your proposal (i.e., your proposal title, your name, etc., must also appear at the top of the abstract). Submit the proposal cover sheet, your abstract, and proposal online (see below).

Notification of Acceptance:

We will notify the primary presenter via e-mail by August 31, 2008, as to whether your proposal has been accepted, and if so, the presentation format you have been assigned.

NOTE: We will make every effort to assign you the presentation format you indicate on the submission form. Because of time and space constraints, however, it may be necessary to assign you a different format. We will send you specific information about your presentation format later. All presenters (including copresenters) whose proposals are accepted are expected to participate in the entire conference (Friday morning through Sunday noon) and should plan to be available to present at any session time during the conference.

If contact information changes for you or any other members of your presentation group, please notify us as soon as possible.

Important Reminders:

Due Date: June 15, 2008
If your proposal does not meet the submission requirements stated above, we cannot accept it. Please follow the instructions carefully!
Do not submit a completed paper, only a proposal (1,000 words maximum) and an abstract (100 words maximum).
Design your session to encourage dialogue: Do not just read your paper aloud.
Your paper proposal will be posted on the Conference website. Thus, you should assume that the participants at your session may have read it.
Presenters are expected to join in the Conference spirit by interacting with other presenters and attendees during the entire weekend.

Note: Submitting a proposal does not register you for the conference. All presenters, including any copresenters, must register for the conference. Unfortunately, there are no funds to cover registration, travel, or lodging expenses for paper presenters. The registration due date is October 1, 2008, but early registration is recommended because of limited space.