Call for Proposals

2014 Annual Conference of the Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication (CPTSC)

September 25-27, 2014

Conference Theme: Contexts and Connections: Considering Situational Factors Affecting the Structure and the Nature of Programs

Conference Location:University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO

Overview

The structure of our programs—the courses they contain, the sequence in which these courses are offered, the requirements for our programs, and who teaches our courses and who makes curricular decisions—all depend on the local institutional contexts in which these programs operate. Likewise, where our programs are housed and the connections they have to other entities on campus and in the community add another layer of context to consider. Moreover, greater social, political, and economic contexts can affect—both positively and negatively—the nature and the structure of programs. As a result of such connections, an understanding of the dynamic and interconnected nature of contexts is essential to identifying and addressing factors that can influence programs in the field. The 2014 annual conference of CPTSC seeks to explore the factors of context and connections that can affect our programs.

The program committee wishes to invite proposals for presentations that examine how aspects of context and connections – including curricular, programmatic, institutional, disciplinary, social, political, or economic contexts – might be used as a mechanism for thinking about and facilitating program development and program revision. Such factors may be local or global in nature, may influence and be influenced by trends in industry or society, and may result from or drive scholarly research in the discipline. We welcome a variety of perspectives and approaches—historical, pragmatic, empirical, or theoretical—that address the conference theme.

Possible Topic Areas

Suggested topic areas for proposals include, but are not limited to, how different contexts and connections affect current and future aspects of

Program and curriculum development

Program identity and branding or marketing our programs

Recruitment and retention strategies (for both students and faculty) for our programs

Assessment practices and program evaluation

Industry-academy relationships in programmatic contexts

Interdisciplinary and intra-institutional collaborations that can benefit programs

Strategic partnerships that can facilitate program development and sustainability

Online approaches to developing and delivering classes and programs

Service learning and community outreach practices and approaches in relation to programs

Theoretical foundations for our research on programs and programmatic issues

Publishing practices affecting the faculty teaching in our programs

Professional development opportunities for faculty and students in our programs

Administrative practice related to our programs

Social forces to consider in relation to the development and sustainability of programs

Local, national, and global developments affecting our programs

Effective engagement with diversity in our programs and practices

The CPTSC conference emphasizes discussion and a focus on programmatic issues. The audience includes people from new and established programs and anyone with programmatic interests in technical, professional, and scientific communication. We welcome participants – administrators, faculty, and students – from secondary, community college, or university levels, as well as representatives of industry and non-profit or governmental organizations.

Presentation Formats

Proposals may be submitted for the following kinds of presentations:

Individual Presentations: A 5-minute presentations given by an individual speaker

Panel Presentation: A session in which 3-6 individuals each has 5 minutes to examine different aspects of a central topic, theme, or focus of the overall panel.

Poster Session: Posters will be on display throughout the conference, and poster creators will present and discuss their posters at a dedicated session during the conference.

Submission Guidelines

Interested individuals should submit

A 250-300 word proposal for individual or for poster presentations

A 500-600 word proposal for panel presentations

All proposals should include the following information:

The title of the proposed presentation

The kind of presentation (i.e., individual presentation, panel presentation, or poster presentation)

The submitter’s name, affiliation, and contact email

The topic or the focus of the proposed presentation

A summary of the approach or research method used to examine the proposed presentation topic

A summary of what attendees can “take away” from the presentation to apply to or use within the context of their own organizations or programs

The programmatic issue addressed or examined in the proposed presentation, panel, or poster

For panel presentations, each member of the proposed panel should submit both her or his name and affiliation and a summary of what she or he plans to present (based on the above guidelines) during her or his segment of the panel session.

All proposals should be submitted as .rtf or .doc files attached to an email message sent to

CPTSC2014@gmail.com

The subject line of the related email should read “CPTSC 2014 Conference Proposal.” All proposals will be peer reviewed.

Note: While individuals may submit more than one proposal for consideration, each accepted presenter may give only one presentation at the conference.

Submission Deadlines

Early Submission Deadline – Proposals received on or before 16 May 2014 will be considered “early submissions” and will receive expedited review and consideration for the conference.

Regular Submission Deadline – Proposals received on or before 7 July 2014 will be considered a“regular submission” and will undergo a slightly longer review process.

Questions

Individuals who have questions or who wish to discuss proposal ideas are encouraged to contact the 2014 Conference Program Committee at CPTSC2014@gmail.com