HomeConferences & Think Tanks2020 Conference on Engaged Learning Call for Proposals Share: [Download PDF Version of Call for Proposals] The annual Conference on Engaged Learning showcases cutting-edge research on engaged learning. Each annual conference features multi-institutional research from a specific Center for Engaged Learning research seminar, invites research updates from past seminar participants and conference presenters, and encourages contributions from other scholars and practitioners studying engaged learning practices. We invite scholars interested in capstone experiences and other engaged learning topics to join the culminating conversation of the 2018-2020 Research Seminar on Capstone Experiences at the 2020 Conference on Engaged Learning at Elon University, June 21-22, 2020. Themes We invite proposals related to one of the following themes: Capstone Experiences Over the last 30 years, many undergraduate institutions have placed a greater emphasis on the development of the capstone experience as a high-impact practice. Although these experiences existed much earlier (Atchinson, 1993; Levine, 1975; Gardner, J., & Van der Veer, G. 1998; Wagenaar, 1993), a call by the Boyer Commission (1998) to reinforce the capstone experience as an integral component of a “new model of educating at the undergraduate research universities” was instrumental in clarifying the value and purpose of the capstone (p. 16). Since then, universities have committed to this culminating concept and developed unique opportunities for their students to demonstrate learning. The capstone experience has taken on many forms, including internships, senior-level courses, service learning projects, undergraduate research, and portfolios. The capstone has also grown beyond discipline-specific majors (usually in the form of a senior-level course or experience within the major) to university supported, multi-discipline experiences used as the final piece of the general education requirement (NSSE, 2014). The successful implementation of these experiences led the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) to label the capstone as one of several “high impact practices” that encourage transformative learning (Kuh, 2008). Although there is an ever-growing body of literature on the many successful strategies and outcomes of the capstone experience, valid questions and concerns still remain (Kinzie, 2013). What is the landscape of contemporary capstone experiences (CEs) and what will be important to the future of effective CEs?What is the articulation between CEs and work, civic, and personal life for students, for faculty goals, for institutional missions?What are shared and varied structures and characteristics of CEs for different student groups? Previous Center for Engaged Learning Research Seminar and Conference Topics We invite scholars and practitioners studying the following engaged learning topics to extend our previous conference conversations on: Global Learning, Study Abroad, and Off-Campus Domestic StudyMentored Undergraduate ResearchResidential/Living Learning CommunitiesTeaching Democratic ThinkingTransfer of Writing Knowledge and Practices Cross-Cutting Questions about Engaged Learning We also invite proposals that share research on cross-cutting questions about engaged learning, including but not limited to: scaling up access to engaged learning experiences; attending to diversity, inclusion, and equity across high-impact practices; and supporting students’ integration of learning across multiple high-impact practices for engaged learning. Proposal Guidelines To submit a proposal, provide the following information through the online submission form by January 6, 2020: Name, professional title, and contact information for all participantsPresentation titleAbstract identifying the focus of your research, its significance in relation to the extant literature, and its connection to one of the conference themesMaximum word count for Ignite, individual, and poster presentations: 300 words.Maximum word count for panel presentations and workshops: 500 words.Presentation typePosterPosters offer visual conversation starters about completed research or work-in-progress.(Presented during a 60-minute poster session & reception)Ignite PresentationIgnite presentations use 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds, resulting in a 5 minute presentation. Ignite presentations are an ideal way to share work-in-progress to spark conversation or to share research-informed practices to foster engaged learning. Ignite presentations will be combined during a 60-minute session, with time for Q & A for all speakers at the end of the session.(5 minutes, plus Q & A during a 60-minute session)Individual PresentationShort, interactive presentations by one or two speakers, sharing and discussing research.(30 minutes total, with at least 10 minutes for discussion and Q & A; 2 individual presentations will be grouped for a 60-minute time slot)Panel PresentationLonger, 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)Pre-Conference WorkshopExtended workshops by three or more facilitators, sharing strategies for implementing evidence-/research-informed practices. Pre-conference workshops should be highly interactive. Proposals should indicate what learning outcomes the workshop will support and how facilitators will engage participants in interactive activities throughout the extended time.(3 hours total, with a 15-minute break)Concurrent Session WorkshopWorkshops by three or more facilitators, sharing strategies for implementing evidence-/research-informed practices. Proposals should indicate what learning outcomes the workshop will support and how facilitators will engage participants in interactive activities.(60 minutes) Proposals were due by Monday, January 6, 2020, and currently are under review. Following a double-blind peer review, we will send decision notifications by January 27, 2020.
