Call for Proposals

The theme of the 2023 Symposium is Expeditions in SoTL. We hope to use this symposium to engage deeply with ideas of SoTL journeys, setbacks, and pathways for growth. With this in mind, we are offering three different formats for engaging in discussions: i) oral presentation, ii) roundtable discussions, and iii) poster presentation.

Proposals are encouraged from students, faculty, administrators, or community members committed to the systematic scholarly inquiry into aspects of teaching and learning in a higher education setting. We encourage proposals that demonstrate collaborations with students, with other instructors and among multiple disciplines and contexts.

When considering your proposal, please review the three session formats we offer and choose one of the conference tracks. See Submissions for details on what needs to be submitted for each format.

Formats

Oral Presentation (40 mins): If you are ready to disseminate your research, or parts thereof, consider an oral presentation. Whether a single presenter or a research team, you will have access to a mid-sized room with seating for attendees, and a visual projection system. This session will be 40 mins in total (30 mins presentation + 10 mins for questions).

Roundtable discussions (3 x 20 min): We are bringing back the popular roundtable discussion format, where presenters will be seated at a table (low tech) to more informally share their projects. This is especially suitable for work-in-progress, calls for collaboration, or those newer to SoTL. Multiple roundtables will run simultaneously in a larger room, and you’ll have the opportunity to share with three small audiences during the session.

Posters and Pinot or Punch: The poster session is a long-standing and popular tradition of the Symposium. Presenters are invited to go public with their ideas during an evening event with refreshments and hors d'oeuvres. What do you want to share? And how do you wish to engage with attendees at the event? Interactive and creative posters are encouraged but not required (think stickies, QR codes, opening flaps). Most important is that you have ideas to share and you’re looking for direct feedback through conversation.

Conference tracks

We invite proposals that match one of the Conference tracks (see below) from individuals or teams of scholars.

• Research on teaching and learning – Active and complete SoTL projects such as investigations of innovative pedagogies, student learning, or other aspects of post-secondary teaching and learning.
• Student SoTL Scholars – an opportunity to highlight and discuss the process of becoming a student scholar engaging in SoTL.
• Challenging ways of being, knowing, and doing - Discussions of critical issues in SoTL, such as social justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, decolonization, and Indigenization.
• Translation and transformations of practice - The application of SoTL to current and future teaching and learning practices.
• Theories and methods of SoTL - Conceptual issues, methodological approaches, students-as-partners approaches, and/or thought provoking questions about SoTL as a field.

Submissions

Scholarship must be at the center of all successful proposals. Proposals that focus on course or program design or ‘how-to’ strategies must describe how they will advance SoTL knowledge and/or practice, and refer to current literature. The following is required for all submission formats:

• names, affiliations, and contact email addresses for each presenter
• session title
• identify at least one conference track
• maximum 150-word brief abstract for the Symposium Program to be published as-is
• maximum 300-word full description for review purposes

All proposals will be double-blind reviewed by at least two experienced SoTL practitioners for relevance, fit to conference track, quality, and (when appropriate) audience engagement. While they are reviewing the session description, they will be considering the following questions and criteria:

• Does the session description identify and explain how the content relates to important question(s) related to SoTL that would be of interest to SoTL practitioners?
• How well does the session description align with the chosen conference track(s)?
• Does the session description demonstrate an understanding of SoTL issues and/or existing scholarship in the field?
• Does the session include a relevant bibliography of up to 4 references?
• Is the anticipated outcome for attendees at the session articulated?