Initial Publication Date: September 12, 2018
Call for Proposals
The deadline for proposals has passed.
This conference will bring together researchers, faculty, change agents, administrators, and policymakers to focus on transforming undergraduate education. We will address critical questions related to institutional change in higher education and foster connections between researchers and change agents across fields. There will be opportunities for cross-disciplinary discussion and collaboration as we work together to bring about institutional change and to define the future of this work.
We invite submissions of both early and mature projects that focus on all aspects of institutional change, including change outcomes, change processes, and contexts of change. We encourage submissions from groups as well as individuals (see session formats for more information about proposal types). Please consider working with colleagues to create a thematic symposium or workshop.
We invite submissions related to topics such as:
- Institutional change and transformation
- Impact and outcomes of change efforts
- Examinations of change processes
- Change strategies and tactics
- Assessing and measuring change
- Motivations for change
- Planning and developing change initiatives
- Identification and development of change agents
- Change efforts that benefit underrepresented students
We are also particularly interested in projects related to the work of our current ASCN working groups:
- Working Group 1 - Guiding Theories of Change
- Working Group 2 - Costs and Benefits of Change
- Working Group 3 - Change Leaders
- Working Group 4 - Demonstrating the Impact of Change
- Working Group 5 - Equity and Inclusion
- Working Group 6 - Aligning Incentives with Systemic Change
Proposal Guidelines:
- Proposals must be submitted by November 11, 2018 at 11:59pm EST
- Presenting authors must register for and attend the conference
- Abstracts for all session proposals are limited to 300 words (or less)
Author and Convener Information
Session Formats:
For more information about each session format, see below. The review criteria below should also be helpful as you develop your proposal.
The conference intentions and processes that are referenced in the questions below can be found here:
Intentions and Processes
The Transforming Institutions Conference's diversity of presentations, workshops, panel discussions, and plenary presentations is designed to address important topics in institutional change and transformation by:
- bringing together researchers, change agents, administrators, and policymakers to focus on transforming undergraduate education;
- inviting and incorporating diverse participation, drawing from a wide range of disciplines;
- creating a space where people can see how their work interacts and overlaps across disciplines;
- encouraging discussion in order to identify key questions regarding change in higher education;
- featuring both early and mature projects, which may focus on outcomes as well as processes and contexts of change;
- creating an opportunity for team formation and development, encouraging team builders to consider levels of power and buy-in as needed for change;
- providing space for discussion, engagement, and network development.
Poster Presentation
Posters provide opportunities for engagement in deep conversation about projects. We encourage posters on any of the topics listed above. Poster projects can be research-driven or focused on a program or activity implemented as part of a change process. Your proposal will include:
- Poster Title
- Poster Authors
- Poster Abstract (300 words)
- How will your poster address the intentions and processes for this conference? (150 words)
Pre-Conference Workshop
These workshops will allow participants to engage deeply in a given topic, and you may choose between 1.5 or 3 hour sessions for your workshop. Pre-conference workshops are expected to be highly interactive with attention given to what is known about adult learning processes. For these submissions, we require detailed information on the structure of the workshop, audience engagement, and learning outcomes. Your proposal will include:
- Workshop Title
- Workshop Leaders
- Workshop Abstract (300 words)
- How will your workshop address the intentions and processes for this conference? (150 words)
- How will your workshop promote audience engagement, reflection, and discussion? (150 words)
- What is the tentative format/program of your workshop? (200 words)
25-minute Presentation
These sessions are intended for individuals or teams who wish to present their work in a shorter presentation. Such proposals might focus on a single change project or initiative, ideas for new projects, theory-driven projects, and assessments of change outcomes, among other topics. You may decide how best to use the 25 minutes allotted; a typical format would be a 15-20 minute presentation followed by 5-10 minutes for questions. However, you may choose to structure your time differently. Your proposal will include:
- Presentation Title
- Presentation Authors
- Presentation Abstract (300 words)
- How will your presentation address the intentions and processes for this conference? (150 words)
Thematic Symposium
These sessions are intended for teams or networks of related projects, as defined by you when submitting the proposal. Symposia can last either 60 or 90 minutes, and we encourage you to consider how that time can best be used to present your work. We expect that these proposals will have a clear focus (e.g., on a topic, project, initiative, or question facing systemic change research, etc.) as well as an intended audience. In your submission, we require detailed information about the content of your symposium as well as intended outcomes. Possible approaches include:
- a series of short, related talks from a group or network
- a panel or round-table discussion on a certain topic or project
- a more interactive workshop that engages the audience in reflection and discussion
- a facilitated discussion on a certain topic or question, etc.
Your proposal will include:
- Symposium Title
- Symposium Authors
- Symposium Abstract (300 words)
- How will your symposium address the intentions and processes for this conference? (150 words)
- How will your symposium promote audience engagement, reflection, and discussion? (150 words)
- What is the tentative format/program of your symposium? (200 words)
Review Criteria:
This information is intended to be helpful for you and your team as you craft your proposal. All proposals will be evaluated by a team of reviewers, using a Likert scale. They will consider:
- Is the proposed session appropriate for this conference in terms of theme and focus?
- Is the proposed session grounded in and informed by research and theory?
- Does the proposal provide a sufficient overview of the topic or question that will be explored?
- Is the proposal complete, with appropriately detailed responses to all questions?
- To what extent will the proposal provide an opportunity for cross-disciplinary interaction or discussion?
- What is the potential for the proposed session to have a broader impact by advancing our understanding of systemic change in higher education?
Questions?
If you have any questions about the proposal submission process, please contact Kate White (kate.white at wmich.edu).
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