Call for Proposals

Update: Proposal submission has closed as of March 7, 2022.

If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. - Sir Isaac Newton

It was 25 years ago when the Presidents and Chancellors of Illinois public universities called for the development of an Inter-institutional Faculty Summer Institute on Learning Technologies. Since that time, many have championed the pedagogically sound incorporation of educational technologies into the higher education space. Along with incorporating evidence-based research and best practices into instruction, other areas have seen change to improve the higher education experience.

Improvements are made based upon the work completed by those who came before us. This year’s FSI is meant to honor our past as we look towards how higher education has progressed over the quarter century and how it continues to adapt.

This year's theme recognizes that many dedicated professionals in a variety of ways have supported improvements in higher education over the years. Successful proposals might focus upon:

practices which emphasize active learning approaches
support for diverse populations of students, faculty, and staff
thoughtful, adaptive use of technologies
assessing and improving student and faculty experiences
methods to support faculty and staff
learning experiences which reach across courses and curriculums
integrating alumni into the learning experience

Successful proposals will have a solid foundation in established pedagogies, research-supported practices, and/or professional experience. All submissions should enumerate clear learning outcomes for participants. Pre-conference workshop and concurrent session proposals should identify ways of using active learning techniques in the presentation of the materials.

New Format

To reflect new methods of instruction that many have had to incorporate at their institutions, FSI plans to include a hyflex model for some identified sessions. We define hyflex as “…the instructional approach that combines face-to-face (F2F) and online learning…”

Reference
Educause. (2020, July). 7 Things You Should Know About the Hyflex Course Model. https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2020/7/eli7173.pdf

Incorporating the hyflex model allows for participation for those who are not able to attend FSI in person.

The FSI Programming Committee will determine which proposals may best fit the hyflex model and approach those presenters for further discussion. Additional support in running hyflex sessions will be available on site.

Please note that currently FSI looks to include hyflex sessions for in person presenters at the conference. Participants can be either in person or virtual.

Types of Proposals

Pre-Conference Workshops

Pre-Conference Workshops should provide significant professional development opportunities centered on a specific topic or skillset.

These specialized workshops will run the day before the conference officially begins and have an additional registration fee.

Include in your narrative:

skills or prior knowledge participants need to get the most out of your interactive session.
work products that participants will develop by the end of the workshop.

You will be asked to select the room setup that best suits your presentation: classroom (long tables and chairs), theater (chairs only), or banquet (round tables and chairs). You may also leave it up to the committee to decide.

We are continuing the "bring your own device" (BYOD) model. BYOD means that participants wishing to enhance their engagement in the conference sessions are encouraged to bring their own devices (laptops, tablets, phones) preloaded with apps/software recommended by presenters and listed in the session descriptions. No computer labs will be available.

All Mac and tablet users must bring their own HDMI or VGA adapter for the projector. Basic HDMI and VGA connections for PCs will be provided.

Facilitated Sessions

Facilitated sessions are 45 minutes in length and encourage discussions around specific topics. A limited number of 90-minute (double) sessions will be accepted for more in-depth topics.

Include in your narrative:

skills or prior knowledge participants need to get the most out of your session.
any software or apps participants need to fully interact with your session.
key session take aways that participants can bring back to their institutions.

You will be asked to select the room setup that best suits your session: classroom (long tables and chairs), theater (chairs only), or banquet (round tables and chairs). You may also leave it up to the committee to decide.

All Mac and tablet users must bring their own HDMI or VGA adapter and cables. Basic HDMI and VGA connections for PCs will be provided.

Roundtable Session

Roundtable sessions are guided, small-group discussions which focus on a particular topic.

Proposals for roundtable topics should include a list of guiding questions or reference materials which will be used to encourage conversation.

The roundtable session will include break points in which participants will be invited to get up and move to other tables, where they can form new groups and join in new conversations.

Poster presenters accepted to FSI may be invited to facilitate a roundtable session about their poster topic.

Panel Session

Panel sessions are guided discussions which focus on a particular topic. A small group of presenters, with ideally a group lead, converse around the topic. At some point in the discussion, audience members are encouraged to ask questions of the panel.

Proposals for panel topics should include a list of guiding discussion points or reference materials which will be used to encourage conversation.

Interview with An Expert (Fireside Chat) Session

Interview with an expert sessions are guided discussions which focus on a particular topic. An interviewer asks questions of an interviewee, who is an expert in the identified topic. At some point in the interview, audience members are encouraged to ask questions of the expert.

Proposals for interview sessions should include a list of guiding questions or reference materials which will be used to encourage conversation.

Technology Demonstration

While technology demonstrations have traditionally been a part of the poster session at FSI, this year, organizers are soliciting proposals for stand alone, preferably hands-on, technology demonstrations.

These displays could either be part of a single session and/or set up as kiosks where attendees could stop by and gain hands-on experiences.

Like all FSI proposals, these technology demonstrations must have specific learning outcomes for participants and must be tied to significant research-based or experientially informed pedagogies.

The number of technology demonstrations accepted will be limited by available space at the convention site.

Poster

FSI welcomes either digital or paper format posters describing relevant research, teaching with technology innovations, or effective program developments at your institution. Poster presenters are required to meet format, size, and technology specifics listed below, and to make available a digital or printed 1-page summary of poster highlights.

Paper (or fabric) format no greater than 48” x 36” or 36" x 48". Printing costs average $40-$100. Laminating is desirable, but not required.

Posters may be printed using Excel to tile your picture, piecing together the 8-1/2” x 11” pieces, and mounting them on paper or cardboard.

A digital poster presentation would consist of a web page with a mix of content (such as videos, interactive lectures, slideshows, photo albums, short games, or other elements). Technologies include web design software; screen capture or lecture capture software; presentation software; image authoring and editing tools; interactive learning object authoring tools; open-source wikis, and others. Digital poster presenters are responsible for bring their own display devices. Power is available on site.

Presenters should also provide a digitally available or printed 1-page summary of poster highlights for attendees to view.

Deadlines

For those who wish to run a pre-conference workshop, we ask for your submissions by Friday, February 4, 2022.

All other proposal formats must have submissions in by Friday, March 4, 2022.

If you have any trouble with the submission form, please contact Michelle Marquart.