CALL FOR PROPOSALS

2009 POD Network Conference
October 28th - November 1st
Houston, Texas USA

• Session Types

• Topic_Areas

• Submission Process

• Robert J. Menges Award

• Guidelines

You are enthusiastically invited to be a part of the 34th annual POD conference in Houston, Texas, October 28 – November 1, 2009. Please join us in exploring the theme of
Welcoming Change: Generations and Regeneration.

Texas has experienced dramatic changes over its long history. Generations of Texans—First Nations peoples, and immigrants—have lived under colonial Spain, French Louisiana, Mexico, and as citizens of an independent republic until 1845 when Texas joined the Union as the Lone Star State. As the world changes with every new generation, we recognize the need for growth and face the challenges of renewal. We see this in Texas, a state where the familiar sights of oil derricks are rapidly being joined and even replaced by wind turbines. The City of Houston is a diverse coastal metropolis. It boasts the third largest urban Hispanic population in the United States, the biggest South Asian community, a thriving Vietnamese population, and is a home for people speaking over 90 different languages. Research and innovation thrive in Houston, recognized for its vibrant medical research and NASA’s Johnson Space Center. While a city of commerce and industry, Houston also has an astounding arts community with fabulous museums and galleries. The city has also faced the challenges of renewal several times, most recently Houstonians have come together to rebuild after the destruction brought by Hurricane Ike last year.

Our conference theme embraces the changes our different generations see across the nation, on our home campuses, and in our students; themes that include, but are not limited to:

Generational differences
Emerging technologies
Embracing learner-centered teaching paradigms
Sustainability issues
Reinvigorating established teaching and learning centers
Creating new centers and integrating them into campus culture
Facing the challenges of downsizing and limited budgets

While known for bluebonnets, longhorn cattle, Buddy Holly, and Tejano music, Texans are especially known for their warm hospitality.  In fact, Texas derives its name from the Caddo First Nations people in east Texas; they used the term ‘tayshas’, meaning friend or ally.  It is thus in a friendly spirit of change and regeneration that we look forward to hosting the 2009 POD Conference, where we can greet old friends and meet new colleagues.  Join us in Houston as we move forward: Welcoming Change: Generations and Regeneration. 

Kevin Barry, Conference Co-Chair
Debra Fowler, Conference Co-Chair
Shaun Longstreet, Program Co-Chair
Suzanne Tapp, Program Co-Chair

Proposals may be submitted online beginning March 10th on the POD website at http://podnetwork.org/pod and will be due by 5 PM (Pacific Time) April 6th, 2009. Proposals will be evaluated using a blind review process.

Session Types

POD welcomes proposals for a wide variety of sessions featuring best practices, new resources, innovative approaches, discussion of critical issues, presentation of research, and work-in-progress. As scholars, we value work that is systematically designed, implemented, and assessed so that the bases for our conclusions are clear. We want participants to leave each session with ideas about how to apply, extend, or adapt what they have learned.

Pre-conference Workshops

Pre-conference workshops emphasize learning-by-doing. Participants explore topics in some depth through reflection, hands-on activities, and discussion.  In the workshop description, please include an outline of the types of learning activities and interaction you are planning.  The vast majority of pre-conference sessions are 3 hours in length. The 6-hour sessions are reserved for proposals that clearly justify the need for the longer session. Audio-visual equipment can be requested.

Please indicate the maximum number of participants and any special room set-up you might need.  Computer laboratories are not available and laptops cannot be provided for presenters.

Pre-conference workshops will occur in the morning and afternoon of Wednesday, October 28. The workshops are advertised in the conference registration materials and may include a nominal materials fee, where justified (e.g., for a book actually used in the session). We will notify you of pre-registration numbers before the conference and request that you be prepared for on-site registrants as well.

Concurrent Sessions

A. 75-minute interactive sessions 

These sessions combine brief presentations or panel discussions with methods that engage all participants. POD has a long-standing tradition of interactive, collegial sessions – not of lecturing or reading papers to passive audiences. Session leaders are encouraged to incorporate meaningful activities as appropriate, selecting from a variety of methods such as presentation, demonstration, discussion, application, feedback, group and individual work, and role playing. Use your creativity to model exemplary teaching!

Audio-visual equipment can be requested for 75-minute interactive sessions.

B. 75-minute roundtable discussions

Roundtable discussions provide an opportunity for various kinds of interactions, such as discussion of a concept, approach, program, issue, case study, or reading, in a smaller group setting (10-15 people). This format is ideal for getting to know people who may be facing similar issues to you, for exploring new ideas, and sharing practices.  No audio-visual equipment is available for roundtable sessions.

C. Poster presentations

Poster sessions continue to grow in importance at POD conferences. They provide an ideal format for presenting your research, program, or work-in-progress in a context where you can engage in many one-on-one discussions with colleagues. The poster format features the visual as a conversation starter, with the big ideas in large print. Handouts can be used to provide more details. Feel free to use graphics or objects, where appropriate. POD presenters come from a wide variety of backgrounds and present many styles of posters.

No audio-visual equipment is provided, but you may request to be located near a power outlet if you want to bring your own computer. Each presenter will have table space and a bulletin board. 

(Note: In contrast to the Poster Session, the Resource Fair provides an open venue for sharing materials and ideas from your work. The fair is open and non-reviewed. Information about the Resource Fair will be available later in the spring.)

Topic Areas

The following topics represent areas of interest to POD members identified from past conferences presentations, listserv discussions, 2008 POD conference feedback, faculty development literature, and more. 

Proposers will be asked to identify a primary topic and (if desired) a second, affiliated topic.  Proposers will also identify particular populations likely to benefit or have interest in the proposed session.

This year, based on feedback from the 2008 conference, we are asking proposers, after selecting their topic area(s), to then identify their target audience(s):

• Seasoned faculty developers

• New/recent faculty developers (5 years or less)

• Large colleges and universities

• Community colleges

• Small colleges

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities

• Faculty (conference attendees who are faculty and also part-time developers)

• International POD participants

• Technology, technology integration specialists

• Administrators

• Other (please identify):

* The topics, intended audience, and abstract of the session will be listed in the conference program to give participants as much information as possible when making decisions about which sessions to attend.

Submission Process

Components of the proposal
(Remember: Blind-review process-guidelines below)

• Contact information

• Session title (no more than 10 words)

• Session abstract (no more than 100 words)

• Designation of up to two topic areas.

• Choice of session type

  • Rank your top three choices in order of preference with 1 being your top choice.

  • Be sure that there is a fit between what you intend to accomplish and the type of session you choose

• Session description (no more than 500 words)

1.    Provide a conceptual framework for your work, e.g., theoretical or empirical basis, goals, implementation, research findings, and assessment.

2.    State expected outcomes for session participants.

3.    Outline the session activities and plan for interaction. Please model exemplary teaching and learning practices. (Poster presentations excepted)

4.    For poster presentations, focus on the manner in which you plan to present your work rather than on the type of interaction you anticipate.

5.    Tie your proposal in with the overall conference theme of Welcoming Change: Generations and Regenerations.

6.    Where appropriate, integrate critical reflection related to diversity.

• References (no more than 150 words. You do not need to remove your name if you authored a text in the references; however, if you refer to the text in the description above, do not state that you are the author.

• Audio visual request (for pre-conference workshops and 75-minute interactive sessions only). Describe how you plan to use the technology you have requested. We are unable to supply laptop computers, presenters must bring their own laptop.

• Please check the self-nomination box if you wish to be considered for the Robert J. Menges Honored Presentation Award. Research-based proposals may be eligible for this award, as described below. 

Robert J. Menges Honored Presentation Award

Proposal authors are asked to indicate whether they would like to have their proposal considered for the criteria of the Robert J. Menges Honored Presentation Award, as listed below.

1.    A session from the 75-minute interactive or roundtable session proposals is chosen to represent the best of sound and rigorous research in an area appropriate to the POD mission, and

2.    The substance of the session proposal and the research upon which it is based reflect a spirit of nurturing and caring for others, the promotion of professional and personal development, and evidence of serious scholarship in the deepest and most humane sense.

For more details, go to http://podnetwork.org/grants_awards/robert_menges.htm.

Guidelines

Eligibility

All are welcome to submit a proposal. Once a session is accepted, each presenter and co-presenter must agree to be a member of POD and a paid registrant at the conference.

Number of proposals per person

You may propose only one pre-conference workshop as either the primary or other presenter.

In addition, you may propose up to two concurrent sessions. For concurrent session proposals, you may be primary presenter for only one (for a maximum of 2 concurrent session proposals). Posters and roundtables are included in this two-session limit.

Blind-review process

All proposals are blind-reviewed by peers. Please replace names of people and institutions with Xs in the title, abstract and session description. The only identification should be in the contact information. Proposals that identify people or institutions will be rejected automatically in the review process. If the proposal is accepted, you will have the opportunity to edit the title and abstract to include names and institutions.

POD conference practice related to the sale of materials and the solicitation of consulting work

POD’s statement of “Ethical Guidelines for Educational Developers” emphasizes the importance of allowing “no personal or private interests to conflict or appear to conflict with professional duties or clients' needs” (section 2h, http://podnetwork.org/faculty_development/ethicalguidelines.htm).

To avoid the possibility of a conflict of interest, POD does not permit in any conference session the sale of materials or the solicitation of consulting work.

Session presenters are permitted to use materials they have created and to refer to consulting work that they do, but these may not be offered for sale during the session. Pre-conference workshops may receive permission to charge an additional fee for materials (such as books), to be collected with the conference registration fee.

Because POD recognizes and values the expertise of its members, the conference schedule includes the Vendor Exhibit, a specific time when materials can be sold and consultation work can be solicited.

Questions about this conference practice should be addressed to the Executive Director or the Conference Chairs.

To Submit a Proposal

To submit a proposal, when the submission site is opened on March 10th, 2009, go to: http://podnetwork.org/pod

The call for proposals closes at 5 PM (Pacific Time) April 6th, 2009.

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