Call for Proposals

14th Annual Conference on Excellence in Teaching & Learning

Improving Teaching & Learning Through Feedback

May 5, 2020

4-H Center, The Ohio State University

Download a copy of the Call for Proposals as a PDF.


THE PROPOSAL DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO February 5, 2020.

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The purpose of the conference is to provide a venue for members of The Ohio State University community to share innovative, interesting, evidence-based ideas for the improvement of teaching effectiveness and student learning outcomes. Last year, we were pleased to host approximately 250 attendees from across the university. We look forward to continuing to host this robust interdisciplinary exchange of pedagogical theory and classroom practice again in 2020.

Topics and Categories for Proposals

We invite proposals from members of the Ohio State teaching community for presentations on any topics related to enhancing the quality and effectiveness of university teaching and student learning at Ohio State. Proposals may be interdisciplinary or specific to a single discipline or group of disciplines. We recommend addressing this year’s conference theme, Improving Teaching & Learning Through Feedback.

Presentation Formats for Sessions

You may select one of two formats for your presentation:

  • A 50-minute Individual Session, in which you engage the participants in an interactive discussion about your topic. We expect that session presenters will also exemplify excellent teaching through the instructional methods used during the session.An 8-minute Lightning Round Teaching Tip Presentation is a fast-paced, dynamic session in which participants can get new ideas to use in their classrooms right away. Presenters can share teaching tips, assessment ideas, a class activity – anything that you do that makes for a great “nugget” of knowledge for your fellow teachers. Each speaker will have a maximum of 8 minutes to present and should provide one handout. This structure is similar to a Pecha Kucha presentation or Innovate’s Faculty Showcase. (You can see an example of the Innovate presentations here.)

Proposal Guidelines

The format for the proposal is as follows. This is all delineated in the online submission form.

50 Minute Individual Session:

  • Session Title
  • Presenters: Name(s), Academic Unit(s), and Email Address(es)
  • Specific learning outcomes for the session (i.e., “Participants will…”)
  • Abstract: Summarize the purpose/value and content of your session as well as any evidence (scholarship, assessments) to support your claims. Also, briefly address how your session connects to the theme of the conference. The abstract will serve as the description used to help participants decide which sessions to attend and should be worded as such. Please write in the third person. Limit: 200 words.

If your Individual Session proposal is accepted, you will be asked to provide the following information:

  • Identify at least one teaching method you will demonstrate during your session.
  • Describe the agenda of your session. Inclusion of an approximate timeline is encouraged.

Lightning Round Teaching Tip Presentation:

  • Lightning Round Title
  • Presenter: Name, Academic Unit, Email Address
  • Primary learning objective for your Lightning Round
  • Abstract: Briefly describe what you will do in your presentation. Include the context in which you have used this activity or tip and any evidence (scholarship, assessments) to support your claims. Also, briefly address how your proposal connects with the theme of the conference. The abstract will serve as the description used to help participants decide which sessions to attend and should be worded as such. Please write in the third-person. Limit: 100 words

Proposal Submission

All proposals must be submitted using this online form (link to come). Please read proposal guidelines and submission information carefully in order to avoid delays and to give proposals the best opportunity for acceptance.

All proposals will go through a blind, peer-reviewed process by the Academy of Teaching Executive Council.

Preference will be given to proposals that address the theme of the conference.

Theme and Recommendations for Topics

This year’s conference theme, Improving Teaching & Learning Through Feedback, addresses the many ways that various forms of feedback give shape to our roles as instructors, students, and instructional support staff, among others. Surveys, evaluations, peer observations, formal grades, informal comments, self-assessments, and aggregated data—these are just some of the tools we utilize in our mission to improve the educational experience at Ohio State. What are some of the tried-and-tested ways that we utilize feedback? How can we reimagine these instruments to use in new, more effective ways?

Here are some suggested ideas of focus for session proposals. Proposals should ideally concentrate on areas where feedback is used to inform pedagogical practice. Topics might include:

  • Teacher-oriented feedback: What are some helpful yet unanticipated ways of incorporating feedback from students (e.g., SEIs, discursive evaluations) into our course planning? How might we reimagine feedback opportunities such as peer observations of professional mentoring relationships to be more effective?
  • Student-oriented feedback: When should instructors provide formal or informal feedback to students to ensure deep, productive learning? What alternatives to traditional grading might we use to motivate student success?
  • Program-oriented feedback: How can feedback from programmatic assessments be used to rework courses at the individual level? How does discussion surrounding the implementation of the new GE lead to new course designs?
  • New directions: How are new tools and technologies helping us imagine new forms of and uses for feedback?

Important Dates and Deadlines

12/09/2019 Submission of proposals period opens
1/21/2020 Submission of proposals period ends (DEADLINE EXTENDED: February 5, 2020)
2/21/2020 Proposal decision notifications sent out (approximate)
3/17/2020 Deadline for presenters to confirm participation and submit finalized abstracts for the conference program and Academy of Teaching website
5/5/20120 Conference takes place

Evaluation of Proposals

Each proposal will be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers who will recommend one of three options:

  1. Acceptance of the proposal
  2. Revision of the proposal
  3. Proposal is not accepted

Reviewers will also provide comments for improvement, suggestions for recommended revisions, or why proposals might not be accepted. Comments will be given to the individual who submitted the proposal.

Reviewers will examine and evaluate proposals in the following areas:

  • Clear connection between the title of the session and its content (titles should be less than 10 words, compelling enough to attract an interdisciplinary audience, and align with session content)
  • Significance and relevance of the theme for this conference
  • Clarity and value of the outcomes for the session

Acceptance of Proposals

Decisions on the acceptance status of a proposal for presentation at the Academy of Teaching Conference on Excellence in Teaching and Learning will be communicated to the primary presenter via e-mail on or around February 21, 2020.

Presenters of accepted proposals must confirm their attendance to the conference organizer by March 17, 2020.

Presenters are asked to fully participate in the entire conference and attend sessions and events as much as their schedules allow.

Important reminders:

  • If your proposal does not meet the submission requirements stated above, we cannot accept it. Please follow the instructions carefully!
  • Your proposed session should be conducive to dialogue and audience engagement.
  • If accepted, your abstract will be posted on the Academy of Teaching website. Please remember to word your abstract with this in mind.

Please email Ben McCorkle (mccorkle.12@osu.edu) if you would like to request coaching on your proposal or ask any questions.

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