Conferences

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ISSOTL 2008:  "Celebrating Connections: Learning, Teaching, Scholarship"
October 16-19 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

We are excited to welcome proposals for the 2008 International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (ISSOTL) Conference! Together, ISSOTL, the University of Alberta and Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta, invite you to share your passion about inquiring into and understanding teaching and its relationship to student learning with scholars from across the globe.  We invite you to make connections, engage in discussion, reflect, and share your discoveries.

The International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning presents us with a unique opportunity to bring together scholars from around the world, so we can better explore the interconnections between teaching, learning and scholarship. Together, we invite you to share in the wisdom and insights that have been gained through your own research and inquiry.   This conference then is not only a celebration of connections, but a celebration of the people that make these connections happen. Together, we hope to take the scholarship of teaching and learning to new heights of recognized excellence.  To this end, we need your active involvement, your collaboration and support, and a renewed and deepened commitment to excellence in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Presentation Themes

During the 2008 Conference, we invite you to explore the connections between groups, disciplines, processes, organizational strategies, ideas, and innovations.

Proposals can be submitted in which scholars from across the disciplines can report on their scholarly inquiries into teaching and learning within and across their disciplines. As well, scholarly and critical accounts of the idea of the scholarship of teaching and learning will be welcomed.

In relation to the theme of the conference (Celebrating Connections) proposals can be submitted related to one or more of the following four topic areas (example questions are included for each area):

1. Connecting with Each Other

• How can we become better connected to our learners? Who are our learners? Are our learners changing? If so, how can we remain connected? How do we engage learners?
• How can we foster connections within and across various disciplines? How can we foster cross-disciplinary conversations?  How can we build communities of practice?
• How can we better connect the people who are central to the scholarship of
  teaching and learning to each other (E.g. Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, etc.)?
• How can we connect and collaborate with graduate students about teaching as a form of scholarship?
• How can we become better connected to our local, national and international
  communities (E.g. Fostering community involvement, outreach, technology, service learning, public engagement)?

2. Connecting through Process, Strategies & Policy 

• What evidence is there of successful processes that support faculty in their efforts to embrace the scholarship of teaching and learning?
• What evidence is there of how our universities, colleges, classrooms, and learning spaces can be structured to foster connection among learners?
• How can the scholarship of teaching and learning inform institutional, local, and national policies?

3. Connecting through Ideas, Discoveries, Inquiry & Innovation

• What emerging ideas, discoveries and areas of inquiry can help inform and foster the enhancement of teaching and student learning?
• Where is theory currently being actively connected to practice?  How can we integrate research and discovery into our teaching practices?
• What insights have been gained through our experience in disciplinary and trans-disciplinary learning that can help inform the scholarship of teaching and learning?
• How can technology be used to enhance the scholarship of teaching and learning?  What are effective pedagogies and instructional strategies that can be used to
  integrate technology into educational practices?

4. Connecting with Our Past & Thinking about Our Future

• What evidence of success do we have of our previous efforts to improve the quality of our teaching and learning environments and our students’ learning?
• Critically reflecting on your own experience, is the scholarship of teaching and learning now beginning to receive the recognition it deserves on college and university campuses?
• What have been your greatest successes with respect to fostering the scholarship of teaching and learning? How can these best be celebrated?
• What are the most significant challenges still facing the scholarship of teaching and learning? How can these challenges begin to be addressed?
• Where are the areas of opportunity with respect to fostering the scholarship of teaching and learning on college and university campuses?  Who are the driving forces? How can we begin to explore these areas of opportunity?
• What are our ultimate goals with respect to fostering scholarship of teaching and learning?  What are our markers of success? How will we know when we’ve reached these?

Types of Presentations

Single Paper ~ Presentation & Dialogue

We welcome proposal submissions for single paper presentations.  We hope to encourage as much critical dialogue among conference participants and presenters as possible. When presenting, please ensure that the organization of your presentation allows and gives adequate time for discussion.  Each presentation will have a maximum of 30 minutes (including time for questions and discussion).  The programme committee will group single presentations into sessions of 2 with a total presentation time of 60
minutes; or sessions of 3 with a total time of 90 minutes.  There will be a designated facilitator/chair.

International Panel Submissions 

We invite organized international panel submissions.  The goal is to provide panelists and audience with the opportunity to exchange perspectives, engage in discussion and learn from each other’s uniquely global experiences. International panels are encouraged to have two or more countries represented per panel.

International panel submissions require:

• 2 or 3 panel members/presenters representing two or more countries
• Facilitator ~ Facilitates panel discussion. Cannot be a presenter.
• Panel organizer ~ Submits proposal. A presenter or facilitator may serve as the panel organizer. 

Proposals must include an abstract, which provides: (1) a description of the central topic being discussed and its relevance and (2) a brief outline/description of each perspective being represented.  The total presentation time for a panel of 2 presenters is 60 minutes; for a panel of 3 presenters, 90 minutes (including time for questions and discussion).

Workshop/Working Session 

We invite proposal submission for workshop/working sessions.  A workshop of 90 minutes long focuses on interactive development and exploration of ideas (rather than on presentations).  The proposal should identify the workshop “leader” and where appropriate, co-facilitator(s) (maximum 3 presenters in total).  It is expected that workshops should ensure active participation and engagement by the audience.

Poster 

A designated session will enable poster presenters to share their scholarly work in person.  The poster session allows a more interactive forum for communication and collaborative discussion.  The poster presenter must be present during the period assigned for discussion.

Criteria for Proposals

The criteria by which all proposals will be assessed are provided below and should be used to guide the development of your submission.  The criteria draw on feedback from the earlier ISSOTL conference reports and from criteria used by the MountainRise Journal, and the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

1. Goals and Preparation

• Are the goals of your inquiry clear?

• Have you identified important question(s) in the field?

• Have you demonstrated an understanding of existing scholarship in the field?

2. Methods

• Have you selected/developed methods appropriate to your goals?

3. Outcomes

• Is there evidence that your goals have been achieved?

• Have you demonstrated how your work has contributed to an understanding of, or practice in, the field?

• Have you considered how your work opens up additional areas for further investigation?

4. Reflective Critique

• Have you offered a critical evaluation of your work?

5. Audience Engagement

• Will there be opportunities for active audience engagement throughout your session?

Each proposal will be reviewed by three international scholars.  The proposals will be rated: Accept or Reject. The committee’s decision will be final.  The program committee may edit submissions with respect to both length and grammar.

More About Your Hosts

University of Alberta (U of A)

Founded in 1908, the U of A is Alberta’s oldest and largest research university. With an enrolment of over 36,000, it is among the five largest universities in Canada. The main campus covers 50 city blocks with over 90 buildings directly across the North Saskatchewan River from downtown Edmonton.  The U of A is home to the Faculties of Arts, Science, Engineering, Medicine and Dentistry, Law, Education, Agriculture, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Business, and Physical Education as well as Pharmacology and special programs such as the Campus Saint-Jean and the Faculty of Native Studies.

Grant MacEwan College

With an enrollment of over 11,000 students, MacEwan is Alberta’s largest college. Its main campus comprises 5 city blocks in downtown Edmonton. Three satellite campuses are located throughout the city.  MacEwan describes itself as a comprehensive college offering a mix of certificate, diploma, university transfer, applied and baccalaureate degree programs. Major faculties include the Performing Arts, Business, Arts and Science, Health and Community Studies.

Edmonton, Alberta

Edmonton is the capital of Alberta, a Canadian province. It is the northernmost North American city with a metropolitan population over one million. Covering an area larger than Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto or Montreal, Edmonton has one of the lowest population densities in North America (about 9.4% that of New York City). Edmonton is a cultural, government and educational centre. It plays host to a year round slate of world-class festivals, earning it the title of “The Festival City”. It is home to North America’s largest mall and Canada’s largest historic park.

International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

This will be ISSOTL’s 5^th international conference and the second to be held in Canada. The International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning serves faculty members, staff, and students who care about teaching and learning as serious intellectual work. The goal of the Society is to foster inquiry and disseminate findings about what improves and articulates post-secondary learning and teaching. 

We look forward to receiving your proposal!

Future ISSOTL Conferences

Past ISSOTL Conferences

2007:  "Locating Learning: Integrative Dimensions in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning" in Sydney, Australia (July 2-5, 2007)

• Conference Proceedings

2006: "Making a Greater Difference: Connecting to Transformational Agendas" in Washington, DC, USA (November 9-12)

• Conference Proceedings: Plenary Reports, Abstracts, and Syntheses of Sessions

2005   "Commitment, Community, and Collaboration" in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada  (October 14-16)

• Conference Proceedings

2004 "The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Perspectives, Intersections, and Directions" in Bloomington, Indiana, USA (October 21-24)

• Conference Proceedings