FAQs: Submitting Proposals
If you have additional questions, we encourage you to contact Stearns Center (stearns@gmu.edu). If you wish to discuss your proposal content ideas before submitting a proposal, please contact Conference Program Coordinator, Dr. Crystal Anderson (cander8@gmu.edu).
What’s the format for the proposal?
Session proposals are submitted via a Microsoft Form. Proposals for all sessions include an abstract and a description of additional criteria specific to each session. We encourage you to consult the Session Proposal Guide for details about each session proposal type and review criteria.
What are the requirements to be a presenter?
We ask that the lead presenter be a current instructor or staff member at Mason. Co-presenters should be related to the instructor’s work but do not need to be affiliated with Mason. In the past, this has included other instructors, administrators/staff, graduate student instructors of record, graduate student teaching assistants, undergraduate students, government/non-profit employees, etc.
I’m a graduate student. Can I present?
Yes. We do ask that the lead presenter be a current instructor of record at Mason. However, there may be situations where it is appropriate for a graduate teaching assistant to be the lead presenter. Graduate students working with faculty on curriculum development or teaching are encouraged to present as a lead or co-presenters.
Can my undergraduate students be presenters?
Yes. We do ask that the lead presenter be a current instructor of record at Mason. However, there are situations where it is appropriate for an undergraduate student to be a presenter. Undergraduate students serving as Learning Assistants or Teaching Assistants or working with faculty on curriculum development or teaching are encouraged to present as co-presenters. Also, students are encouraged to co-present if they have participated in the teaching strategies or activities the instructor presents.
My teaching idea or activity isn’t long enough for a whole session—should I still propose it?
Yes! We have created different kinds of sessions with you in mind:
- Teaching Talks, which are 10-minute individual presentations via Zoom on a teaching strategy, innovation, technique, tool or SOTL research
- On Demand Resources, which are teaching artifacts from courses. These include, but are not limited to, assignments, in-class activities, lecture notes/slide decks, syllabi and other supplementary teaching materials.
Still not sure which session type is the best fit for you? See the Session Proposal Guide for details and samples of proposals or reach out to Conference Director, Crystal Anderson (cander8@gmu.edu), to discuss your idea.
I have an idea, but it’s “nothing new or what I’d call innovative.” Will anyone be interested? Should I submit my idea?
Yes! What’s not new to you may be new to someone else. We seek to meet the teaching practice needs of all instructors, from someone new to teaching to an experienced instructor who has been formally trained in educational theory and practice. We also encourage proposals that are built on evidence-based practices. Innovation doesn’t mean having to reinvent the wheel. If you have an “oldie, but goodie” idea, we want to hear those, too.
I have a tip/strategy for my class, but would people outside of my discipline be interested?
Yes! If it’s something that is helping your students learn, it is likely something that is adaptable to other contexts. We seek proposals that are situated in a context (your class) but could be applied or adapted to a variety of disciplines. If you need help or ideas on how to “translate” your activity or present your idea in a way that is applicable across disciplines, we encourage you to ask Crystal Anderson (cander8@gmu.edu).
Can I have an extension/more time to complete and submit my proposal?
We strongly encourage you to submit your proposal on time to guarantee that it is considered and reviewed by the selection committee. Presenters will have three five weeks to submit proposals (deadline extended to March 15, 2024). Late proposals will not be considered.
I have a couple different session ideas. Can I submit more than one proposal?
Yes! There is no limit to the number of session proposals you can submit, but acceptance may be impacted by the needs of the program. The review committee may recommend a different session than the one you proposed. Interactive Sessions are the most selective session type. There is no limit to serving as a co-presenter on multiple sessions. However, please consider scheduling realities may impact your ability to serve as a co-presenter on multiple sessions. Teaching Talks and On Demand Resources are great second or third session proposal ideas to submit as lead presenter.
How do I submit my proposal?
Sorry, the deadline for proposals has already passed. Thank you to everyone who submitted proposals!
When are proposals due?
The extended deadline for proposals was Friday, March 15, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
How will my proposal be reviewed?
Proposals will be reviewed via a double-blind process by 3 reviewers (Mason instructors, administrative faculty, staff, and/or graduate students, in addition to Stearns Center staff) with attention to the following criteria:
- Topic: The abstract describes the strategy, innovation, technique, tool, research question or curricular initiative.
- Audience: The abstract describes the participants who would benefit the most from the session. Potential audiences include instructors from certain disciplines, those who teach in online, hybrid or face-to-face modalities, those who teach graduate or undergraduate courses, or types of instructors, such as adjunct, term, tenure-line, administrative or professional faculty or staff.
- Takeaway: The abstract describes the knowledge or skills participants will learn from the session.
- Engagement (for Interactive Sessions only): The proposal describes a specific interactive activity that the presenter will include in the session beyond the question-and-answer period.
- Pedagogy (for Teaching Talks only): The proposal explains how the topic relates to the presenters teaching practice and goals.
- Annotation/Reflection (for On Demand Resources only): This proposal explains the context and reasons for the use of the teaching artifact in class. This could include how it is aligned with the course’s student learning outcomes or how it relates to a student’s life beyond the course.
When will I find out if my proposal was selected?
We will notify proposers by email in late April or early May. We ask that authors of selected proposals confirm their intent to present by mid-May via an online form included in the acceptance email.
Proposal Reviews
If you have additional questions, we encourage you to contact the Conference Director, Crystal Anderson (cander8@gmu.edu) or send an inquiry to stearns@gmu.edu with the subject line “2024 ITL”).
I have or am submitting a proposal, can I still serve as a reviewer?
Yes! On the Request for Reviewers form, you can indicate that you have submitted a proposal. You will not be assigned your own proposal to review.
Proposals this year consist of a 250-word abstract and a response to a session-specific question. Typically, we ask people to review 6-10 proposals, and it takes about 1-2 hours to complete. The more volunteers we have, the fewer proposals we will ask you to review–so please help spread the word. You will be asked to review no more than 10 proposals. Proposal reviews will be submitted through an online form. Note: Proposals will not include identifying presenter information, and proposers will receive your review comments without your name attached (double-blind).
How do I submit my reviews?
You will submit your reviews via our online form (the link will be shared via email). We recommend writing your comments in a Word document and then copying and pasting them into the online form.
Can I have more time to do my reviews?
If you find yourself needing more time to complete your reviews, please contact the Stearns Center with the subject line “2024 ITL Reviewer.” We may be able to grant an extension of a day or two, but due to the tightness of our notification schedule for presenters, we are unable to grant extensions beyond that.
Reviewers rank each criterion (topic, audience, takeaway in addition a session-specific criterion) on a scale of 1-5 (1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest). You can provide comments/suggestions and make an overall recommendation (accept, offer a different session option, non-acceptance). Proposals (presenter information removed) will be reviewed by 3 reviewers (Mason instructors, administrative faculty, staff, and/or graduate students, in addition to Stearns Center staff) with attention to the following criteria:
- Topic: The abstract describes the strategy, innovation, technique, tool, research question or curricular initiative.
- Audience: The abstract describes the participants who would benefit the most from the session. Potential audiences include instructors from certain disciplines, those who teach in online, hybrid or face-to-face modalities, those who teach graduate or undergraduate courses, or types of instructors, such as adjunct, term, tenure-line, administrative or professional faculty or staff.
- Takeaway: The abstract describes the knowledge or skills participants will learn from the session.
- Engagement (for Interactive Sessions only): The proposal describes a specific interactive activity that the presenter will include in the session beyond the question-and-answer period.
- Pedagogy (for Teaching Talks only): The proposal explains how the topic relates to the presenters teaching practice and goals.
- Annotation/Reflection (for On Demand Resources only): This proposal explains the context and reasons for the use of the teaching artifact in class. This could include how it is aligned with the course’s student learning outcomes or how it relates to a student’s life beyond the course.