We invite scholars interested in learning community scholarship to join the culminating conversation of the 2017-2019 Elon University Center for Engaged Learning Research Seminar on Residential Learning Communities as a High Impact Practice.

Download a printer-friendly (PDF) copy of the call for proposals.

Proposals will be accepted July 9-December 21, 2018. | Begin your submission | Submission tips

The conference will feature multi-institutional research conducted through the Seminar, which focuses specifically on examining those undergraduate learning communities that have a residential component—a type of learning community that we are referring to as “residential learning communities,” or “RLCs.” Ultimately, the goal of these multi-institutional research projects is to better understand – within and across types of RLCs – what makes these experiences high-impact practices for students, how institutions might promote effective organizational structures to support these endeavors, how institutions might scale up access to them, how faculty and staff can contribute to their high-quality while balancing other job responsibilities, and how RLCs shape and are shaped by institutional culture. We invite other scholars to join the culminating conversation about these inquiry projects and to share their own research related to one of the following themes:

  • Key characteristics of residential learning communities
  • Student outcomes of residential learning communities
  • Faculty and staff experiences in residential learning communities
  • Degree of cross-divisional collaboration in residential learning communities
  • Transferability of learning community research to residential learning communities

To submit a proposal, provide the following information through the online submission form by December 21, 2018:

  • Name, professional title, and contact information for all participants
  • Presentation title
  • Abstract identifying the focus of your research, its significance in relation to the extant literature, and its connection to one of the conference themes
    • Maximum word count for individual and poster presentations: 300 words.
    • Maximum word count for panel presentations: 500 words.
  • Presentation type
    • Poster (presented during a 60-minute poster session)
    • Individual Presentation
      Short, interactive presentations by one or two speakers, sharing and discussing research
      (15 minutes with 5 minutes Q & A; 3 short presentations will be grouped for a 60-minute timeslot)
    • Panel Presentation
      Longer, interactive group presentations by three or more speakers, sharing and discussing related research projects/findings
      (60 minutes total, with at least 10-15 minutes for discussion included in the 60 minutes)

Proposals are due Friday, December 21, 2018.

Following a double-blind peer review, we will send decision notifications by January 15, 2019.

Download a printer-friendly (PDF) copy of the call for proposals.