Writing a proposal for a NACADA Regional Conference can be a rewarding experience. It allows members to reflect on their practice and how their experiences could positively impact our community. Think about your unique skill sets - is there something you might like to present with the advising membership?
If you haven’t written a proposal before, that’s okay.
Region 2’s got you covered. A Proposal Writing Webinar will be presented by Gavin Farber, 2018 Proposals Chair, and Andrew Millin, 2018 Selection Chair, on Monday, November 27, 2017 from 12:00pm-1:00pm. Gavin and Andrew, along with other key players in the 2018 Regional Conferece, will answer any questions you might have about this process. Please RSVP to the Facebook event. The video will be posted on our blog after the session as well.
If you are looking to extend the conversation later that day, join us for a Proposals Meet & Greet at the City Tap House University City in Philadelphia, PA from 7:00pm-9:00pm. Please RSVP on Facebook!
Look over these step-by-step tips that make the process easy and painless.
1. Be aware of the deadline dates and give yourself plenty of time write and revise your proposal. There is nothing worse than having a great proposal and submitting a day late.
2. Know the formats being offered:
Pre-Conference Workshops are 2-5 hours in length. Presenters should plan for lecture, small and large group activities. Should be hands-on and issue specific. (Deadline is December 1, 2017.)
Concurrent sessions (Paper or topics presentations) discuss current issues in advising. They normally 60 minutes in length (with some of that time allotted for Q&A) and make up the main conference schedule.
Roundtable discussions present enough on a topic being debated in the profession to spark the conversation. Facilitate the conversation to allow for varied ideas and positions to emerge. The goal here is not consensus, but dialogue.
Panel discussions are designed to explain and involve various presenters from different institutions looking at the same topics from different angles.
Poster sessions allow you to present your idea in a poster-format and lets conference participants to ask questions.
(Deadline for all Concurrent, Roundtable, Panel and Poster Sessions will be January 2, 2018).
3. Know your audience and who is attending the conference. From graduate students through administration, know whom you would like to speak and target your proposal to appeal to that population. (I.e. NACADA’s Advising Communities).
4. Develop your presentation from the inside out. What do you want people to understand, consider, debate and think about at the end of your presentation?
5. Know the rubric upon which your proposal will be evaluated: (graded 1-5)
a. Interest – Would there be a high level of interest in the program?
b. Application – Would these ideas be adaptable to other institutions?
c. Clarity – Are the abstract and the purpose of the program well-articulated?
d. Creativity – With this topic introduce new ideas, approaches, or concepts?
e. Relevance – Is the topic relevant to current topic issues?
f. Research – Grounded in research where applicable.
6. Diversity – NACADA brings together people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Be sure that your proposal recognizes our differences while addressing common issues.
7. Show your passion and energy around the topic. Make sure your abstract reflects the importance of this topic and the impact it has on student success. An abstract is less than 130 words to summarize your proposal. This would be the description printed the conference publication.
8. Be clear with your outcomes. Let people know what they will take away from your presentation.
9. Use more than one presentation strategy. Many of us want to be active learners and offer our insights when given the opportunity.
10. Be proud of your scholarship. Whether you are applying a colleague’s research and sharing the programmatic results, or conducting the research personally, be proud of the work that you have completed and know that your friends in NACADA are anxious to support you in your work.
Writing a regional conference proposal can lead to new professional opportunities to present and share your thoughts with the NACADA community. Think about how this experience might follow in your professional goals. Your presentation could assist in offering a new dialogue within our learning community and lead us to a better understanding of the critical issues affecting our students.
6. Diversity – NACADA brings together people of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Be sure that your proposal recognizes our differences while addressing common issues.
7. Show your passion and energy around the topic. Make sure your abstract reflects the importance of this topic and the impact it has on student success. An abstract is less than 130 words to summarize your proposal. This would be the description printed the conference publication.
8. Be clear with your outcomes. Let people know what they will take away from your presentation.
9. Use more than one presentation strategy. Many of us want to be active learners and offer our insights when given the opportunity.
10. Be proud of your scholarship. Whether you are applying a colleague’s research and sharing the programmatic results, or conducting the research personally, be proud of the work that you have completed and know that your friends in NACADA are anxious to support you in your work.
Writing a regional conference proposal can lead to new professional opportunities to present and share your thoughts with the NACADA community. Think about how this experience might follow in your professional goals. Your presentation could assist in offering a new dialogue within our learning community and lead us to a better understanding of the critical issues affecting our students.
No comments:
Post a Comment