CALL FOR PROPOSALS
FOR THE 26TH ANNUAL ASSESSMENT, TEACHING & LEARNING CONFERENCE
Proposals due by: January 29th, 2016
The Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) Assessment,
Teaching, and Learning (ATL) department welcomes your proposal for the 2016 Assessment,
Teaching & Learning Conference (ATLC). A joint effort of Washington State’s public higher
education community, the conference provides participants opportunities to share innovative
teaching and learning strategies. So that students might provide their perspectives on learning, we
encourage educators to co-present with current and/or former students. Registration fees are
reduced for student presenters.
Proposals welcome from:




Higher education faculty from all disciplines and methods of instruction
Higher education academic and student services administrators
Teaching/learning center directors and other staff who create professional learning
experiences and environments
Institutional researchers
Conference strands (strand descriptions below):






The Scholarship of Teaching & Learning
Institutional Assessment Informing Practice
eLearning and Instructional Technologies
College Readiness/Transitional Studies
Fostering 21st Century Leadership in Education
Voice
Requirement for Presenting







Submit proposal(s) in WORD format on Call for Proposal form via email.
Register and pay conference fee.
Arrange and pay for your own travel and lodging.
Agree to present on the day assigned.
 All 90-minute sessions will be on Thursday, May 5th, 2016
 All 60-minute sessions will be on Friday, May 6th, 2016
Contact Presenter responsible for notifying any co-presenters of the status of the proposal.
Provide clear and readable session handouts (including printouts of PowerPoint
presentations).
Provide electronic file of handouts & PowerPoint presentation to Jackie Eppler-Clark by
April 22, 2016.
Room Set-up & Audiovisual Equipment



Each breakout room will have classroom seating. Rooms rearranged during a session
should be returned to original set up before leaving session.
With advance notice, Internet access is available in session rooms for presenters.
Cost prohibits us from providing computers or projection devices. LAPTOP
COMPUTERS AND PROJECTION DEVICES ARE NOT PROVIDED. If your presentation
involves PowerPoint or other presentation software, you must provide your own computer
and projector. A screen to project on will be provided.
Acceptance
You will receive notification about the status of your proposal by February 26, 2016.
Registration Fees
All session presenters/facilitators at the conference are responsible for the appropriate conference
registration fees, travel, and hotel expenses. Please be sure all individuals in your proposal have
this information and are available to present on the day and time assigned (90-minute sessions will
be on Thursday, May 5; 60-minute sessions will be on Friday, May 6).
Dates to Remember


January 29th, 2016: Proposals due to Jackie Eppler-Clark on Call for Proposal form in
WORD format via email
February 26, 2016: Proposal status notification
Guidelines for a great presentation











The title and abstract of your presentation adequately and accurately describe the
presentation.
Focus on the pedagogy as well as the technology.
Reminder: Cost prohibits us from supplying computers or projection devices and
presenters are required to provide their own computers and projection equipment.
Screens will be provided.
Bring 50 handouts and business cards. If you recommend specific websites or publications,
include a list of URL's and a bibliography.
Provide data or practical applications to support theory.
Never read a paper—get your audience involved.
If you use PowerPoint, keep text lines to 5 or less per slide - provide talking points
When practical, demonstrate rather than talk.
When possible, make sessions interactive to keep your audience involved.
Be courteous to your fellow presenters and make sure you stay within your allotted time.
Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!
Timetable:
January 29, 2016
Submission Due Date for Proposals
February 26, 2016
Notification of Proposal Status
April 3, 2016
Deadline for Hotel Lodging Reservations
(to be guaranteed conference rate)
April 15, 2016
(to avoid late fee)
Conference Registration Due
April 22, 2016
Conference Registration Fees Due to SBCTC
Assessment, Teaching & Learning Conference
Strand Descriptions






The Scholarship of Teaching & Learning
Institutional Assessment Informing Practice
eLearning and Instructional Technologies
College Readiness/Transitional Studies
Fostering 21st Century Leadership in Education
Voice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is a "systematic and thoughtful investigation of student
learning for purposes of improving [teaching] practice and student success,” with a major focus on
making results public (like other scholarship) in order for others to critique and build upon. This
scholarship includes approaches to classroom assessment, as in many respects it mirrors the way
quality assessment work is seen as the critical link, or “zipper,” to use Pat Cross’ metaphor,
connecting teaching and deep learning. Topics might include:












Promoting the SoTL as a means of enhancing community between teachers and learners
Making the SoTL more visible and/or transparent to teachers, students, and the general
public
Integrating student voices in the SoTL to increase student engagement in their own learning
Investigating notions of “expertise” as they pertain to teaching and learning
Gathering and discussing actual student work as an evidentiary basis for determining
successful outcomes
Using case studies and/or problem-based learning to develop critical thinking and inquiry
skills
Translating research on how people learn into instructional practice
Sharing research projects in process with emphasis on methodology of defining a question,
gathering evidence and drawing conclusions from the evidence
Investigating the impact of new approaches to teaching and learning
Describing specific methodologies being used to collect evidence of student learning
Constructing evidence to convince others that “deep learning” is being achieved
Reflecting on the direction of the SoTL. What is most important in the next 5, 10, 20, 50
years?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Institutional Assessment Informing Practice
Faculty already make it a habit to regularly assess student learning within their own classrooms,
and know the power of this data to strengthen teaching and learning. However, what about
assessing student learning outcomes at the level of a course, program, or the entire college? With
the added challenges of scale and collective responsibility, it can be difficult to even collect
learning data at this level, let alone to actually use the data to strengthen programs. But despite its
challenges, outcomes assessment is both rewarding and imperative to fulfill our colleges’ missions
and strengthen student success and learning. This thread focuses on outcomes assessment at
the course, program, and college levels, and topics might include:













Connecting outcomes assessment with meaningful changes in institutional practice
Innovative outcomes assessment that transforms curriculum
Collaborating with institutional researchers to use data to improve teaching and learning
Student/faculty collaborations in outcomes assessment
Designing effective plans for assessing learning outcomes at a program level or discipline
Incorporating meaningful outcomes assessment work into ongoing accreditation efforts
Establishing effective continuous improvement models that result in institutional change and
improvement
Engaging a broad range of faculty (both full- and part-time) in the collective work needed to
assess college-wide learning outcomes
Using various self-assessment strategies to foster student reflection, explore perspectives
on college-wide learning outcomes, and “make learning visible”
Using alternative assessments to support the learning styles of diverse student populations
Outcomes assessment strategies for student learning communities and group work
Outcomes assessment for the First Year Experience
Assessing global competencies (i.e. college-wide abilities or general education outcomes)
across both academic and professional/technical programs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
eLearning and Instructional Technologies
This purpose of this thread seeks to provide educators with a collaborative forum to share
information and practical strategies for multi-modal instruction. Whether you teach face-to-face
(F2F), hybrid (HY), online (OL), Web Enhanced (WE), and/or a blend of modalities, this strand will
address effective strategies for learning with educational technology. Topics might include:
 Exploring ways of blending eLearning technologies to addresses the needs of learners
 Strategies for incorporating techniques for auditory, reflective, visual, and hands-on learners
in OL and/or HY courses
 Developing blended/hybrid learning environments
 Building "community" using various audio and visual tools in OL and HY courses
 Sharing classroom assessment techniques using educational technology
 Fostering student engagement using educational technologies other than discussion
boards—blogging, Twitter, wikis, and podcasting
 Getting started as an OL teacher, tips and tricks
 Developing opportunities for mentoring, training, and supporting future and current OL
teachers
 Observing online courses for design, delivery, and continuous improvement
 Revising and creating accessible instructional materials
 Designing for the QM principle of alignment
 Integrating technology into student and learning support services
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
College Readiness/Transitional Studies
Students enrolled in pre-college coursework face tremendous barriers. According to the
Community College Research Center (CCRC), “Less than one quarter of community college
students who enroll in developmental education complete a degree or certificate within eight years
of enrollment . . . it is necessary to significantly improve outcomes for underprepared community
college students.” Topics might include:

















Designing meaningful developmental reform
Bringing developmental education innovations to scale
Re-thinking the role and function of developmental education in the community college
Asking inquiry questions about how to better serve and give access to different populations
Interrogating the language we use to frame students in pre-college coursework—making the
shift from a deficit to a capacity mindset
Expanding the goals and pedagogy of developmental education beyond skills and knowledge
to the affective domain
Encouraging practices that build the identity of a student as a learner
Examining the impact of accelerating community college students’ progression through precollege coursework
Balancing the tensions between efficient and effective placement assessment
Designing courses and curriculum for meaningful alignment between college- and precollege level, as well as between high school and college
Exploring contextualized college transition strategies for learners
Integrating pedagogical strategies to address trauma
Supporting faculty to teach in new ways
Creating connections between classroom work, outside learning opportunities, and real life
issues
Models that partner student services and faculty to support student learning
Developing placement and assessment tools that reflect the many ways people learn and
convey that learning
Developing effective tutoring practices/programs/resources that address student retention
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fostering 21st Century Leadership in Education
The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), in its system
direction, outlines three broad goals to guide the system: economic demand, student success, and
innovation. “Accomplishment of these goals,” it states, “rests upon the shoulders of our faculty and
staff. They are essential to innovation in our colleges.” Innovating to meet economic demand and
to increase student success must necessarily take many forms, and it poses many challenges to
educators. How do we best support educators in this vital work? Fostering inclusive leadership in
our institutional practices, as well as within the classroom, may be the answer. As Ata Karim, in his
book Inclusive Leadership: Bridging Culture and Context, writes: “As our world grows more
complex, the leadership challenges will likely increase in complexity. As our society grows more
interdependent, the dilemmas associated with cultural differences will require resolution more
often. As our world becomes more crowded, the challenge of equity and justice will become more
important. How we lead will determine our collective future.” This thread may include topics such
as:
 Situating faculty as leaders in institutional development and instructional innovation
 Renaming “faculty development” as “professional learning”: rethinking the deficit paradigm
 Strengthening and sustaining faculty learning communities (FLCs) at the institutional and
state-wide level
 Exploring promising faculty hiring practices to reflect diverse student populations
 Self-awareness: identifying our multiple identities and world views
 Moving from awareness to competence: human relations skills for the 21st century
 Facilitating cross-cultural conversations in the classroom and across the institution
 Making cultural literacy a global outcome
 Exploring global dimensions of social justice in the curriculum
 Integrating service learning at the course or program level
 Designing instruction for the diverse classroom
 Incorporating the principles of Universal Design for Learners
 Teaching, advocating for, and learning from and about immigrant students, children of
immigrants, and refugees and their families
 Creating and improving access to multilingual resources on college campuses
 Integrating promising practices in culture-specific methods of delivery
 Assessing cultural literacy awareness, literacy and competency
 Using online technology to enhance cultural and communication competencies
 Addressing digital inequity (the digital divide)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Voice
Voice, at its core, is the practice of active listening. Voice is also about invitation: asking key
players to the table to create partnership, articulate ideas, listen in new ways, and practice
intentional citizenry—both on college campuses and within our communities. Finally, voice is a
dialogue—not a monologue. When students are invited and supported as stakeholders in
education, they practice using and experimenting with voice in a variety of important ways:
community advocacy, student groups, volunteer work, jobs on campus. Student voice at the
community college level equals sustained engagement at the academic level and enhanced
achievement. The opportunity to practice voice—and to be heard— motivates students to find their
own way of practicing agency and citizenry. While the UK, Australia, and New Zealand are the
leaders in research in this area, community college leaders in California and Washington are doing
innovative and leading-edge work to further develop this innovative shifting of the education
paradigm. Proposals in this area must include student presenters (audio, video and/or in person).
Topics might include:
 Centering Student Voice oriented activity in the classroom or at the campus level within the
range of the student voice spectrum as identified by Toshalis and Nakkulai:
o expression: volunteering opinions, creating art, celebrating, complaining,
praising, objecting
o consultation: being asked for their opinion, providing feedback, serving on a
focus group, completing a survey
o participation: attending meetings or events in which decisions are made, frequent
inclusion when issues are framed and actions planned
o partnership: formalized role in decision making, standard operations require (not
just invite) student involvement
o activism: identifying problems, generating solutions, organizing responses,
agitating and/or educating for change both in and outside of school contexts.
o leadership: (Co-)planning, making decisions and accepting significant
responsibility for outcomes, (co-) guiding group processes, (co-) conducting
activities
 Sharing strategies and practices that utilize high meaning content (content that matters, not
only to students’ civic and personal lives but to their philosophical and psychological
framework as well) in low stakes settings
 Cultivating theory, research, and practice around Voice in Washington State:
o crystalize a shared definition
o access more research (most of the research has emerged out of the UK,
Australia, and New Zealand, and is geared for a K-12 audience)
o begin publishing our own research
 Accessing student voices through field research strategies, multi-media, or other modalities
 Fostering student leaders/mentors to educate students and educators around voice practices
 Uncovering student voices as a source of qualitative data to better understand embedded
trends about student learning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i
To see the spectrum represented in visual form, please see “Motivation, Engagement, and Student Voice.”