Call for Proposals: 2025 Celebration of Teaching and Learning Conference

Online Submission Deadline: Sunday, October 20, 11:59 p.m.

The 2025 Celebration of Teaching and Learning conference will occur on Friday, February 7, 2025, at the Student Activity Center (SAC) on the Belknap Campus. This annual, university-wide teaching conference seeks to advance teaching and learning at all levels by sharing innovative strategies, highlighting emerging practices/technologies and disseminating the scholarship of teaching and learning.

You are invited to join the conversation by submitting a proposal to share the important work that is being done in the classroom, online and beyond to advance the university’s educational mission.

We are seeking proposals that describe teaching and learning efforts by UofL faculty, staff and students that are thoughtfully designed, implemented and evaluated. Proposals should invite session attendees to consider how they might apply, extend or adapt the presented ideas. Proposals will be blind reviewed according to specific review criteria by a program review committee comprised of faculty and staff representatives from across the institution.

The submission deadline is Sunday, October 20, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Tracks

Track designations will be used as “tags” on the program to make searching for session types easier for participants. During proposal submission, please assign a track to your session from the list below:

• Innovations to Support Teaching and Learning
• Student Engagement Strategies and Serving the Whole Student
• Teaching in the Health Professions and STEM-H
• Fostering Equity in Teaching and Learning

Session Types

Please choose one of the two session types below for your proposed presentation:

• Interactive Sessions:

  60-minute interactive sessions are designed to engage participants in active learning through meaningful interaction between the presenter and attendees. Sessions should incorporate various interactive techniques such as group discussions, hands-on activities, or collaborative problem-solving exercises. Presenters are encouraged to create a dynamic and participatory environment that fosters deep engagement with the session content and facilitates the exchange of ideas and experiences among participants.

• Spotlight Sessions:

  Our 25-minute Spotlight Presentations provide an opportunity for presenters to spotlight insights, research findings, or innovative practices in a concise format. These sessions focus on delivering key information and will include only minimal interaction between presenters and attendees.

Modality Focus

As part of the proposal process, please share whether the strategy or approach you are addressing in your proposed session is focused on face-to-face classrooms, online classrooms, or whether it could be applied to both modalities.

Components of the Proposal

As you prepare your proposal, please ensure that you are planning for the components below and that your activities align with the session type.

1. Current Contact Information for Main Presenter
2. The Names, Terminal Degree, and Department for the Main Presenter and all Co-Presenters
3. Session Title (10 words or less)
4. Abstract (no more than 100 words)
5. Session Description (no more than 400 words)
6. References (no more than 200 words)
7. Session Type
8. Planned Audience Interaction Elements for Interactive Sessions (Not Required for Spotlight Sessions)
9. Preferred Track Designation
10. Modality Focus
11. Special AV Needs

Submit Your Proposal

• Review Rubric

  Each proposal will be reviewed by a minimum of two review committee members, with reviewers using the following criteria:

  4 = EXCELLENT (There are no concerns or questions with the item.)

  3 = GOOD (There are concerns or questions about the item that should be addressed if accepted for the conference.)

  2 = FAIR (There are concerns or questions about the item that should be addressed if accepted for the conference.)

  1 = POOR (There are significant concerns or questions about the item which must be addressed if accepted for the conference.)

  N/A* (Please note that a score of N/A will NOT get factored into or diminish a proposal’s final score.)

  Session Description

  1. _____ Based on the description of session and activities provided, the session is likely to accomplish the outcomes stated in the proposal.

  Interactivity/Engagement

  2. _____ The session will be conducted in appropriate ways for fostering participant engagement.

  Applicability

  3. _____The material is likely to be applicable to other disciplinary/instructional contexts; it is not highly discipline or presenter-specific.

  Scholarly Practice

  4. _____The proposal takes a scholarly approach to practice. That is, the material to be presented incorporates previous research, theory, evidence and/or assessment.

  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

  5. _____The proposal supports and advances institutional goals related to fostering an inclusive campus environment.

  Innovation

  6. _____The session will offer fresh ideas and/or describe innovative or creative practices.

  Final Recommendation

  • Accept
  • Accept with Reservations
  • Reject

  In addition to addressing each rubric criterion, reviewers will be encouraged to provide comments and feedback that explain the rationale behind their scoring and offer constructive feedback for improvement.

  Conference organizers rank proposals based on a variety of factors including numeric scores, final recommendations and reviewer comments to rank proposals to determine acceptances.