Call for Proposals

The Teaching Professor newsletter and Magna Publications invite presentation, panel discussions, and interactive poster session proposals for the sixth annual Teaching Professor Conference. The goal of the conference is to produce substantive work so that teaching professors can improve practice and add legitimacy to their role as teacher scholars.

The Teaching Professor Conference offers seven topical areas, presented as multiple concurrent sessions and poster sessions for the various roles and concerns of teaching professors. We invite submissions for 75-minute presentations and panel discussions focusing on the agenda of “Educate. Engage. Inspire.” Your submission may fall within one of the topical areas listed here; however we welcome compelling ideas that may not be addressed in these topical areas.

Appropriate topics address those aspects of teaching and learning relevant in many contexts: grading, academic integrity, writing assignments for large courses, classroom management techniques, ways of involving undergraduates in research projects, dealing with students who aren’t motivated or won’t come to class prepared, problem-based learning approaches, cooperative and collaborative learning activities, and service learning, to name but a few. Also appropriate at The Teaching Professor Conference are topics relating to instructional health and well-being: departmental policies and practices conducive to teaching; innovative teaching awards; ways to keep teaching fresh and invigorated; scholarship on the subject of teaching; and even the thoughtful reflections that have been used to explore and understand an individual aspect of teaching like the development of a particular style, the evolution of a teaching philosophy, or the recognition of the importance of teaching for understanding.

Teaching Professor Conference participants want to be engaged and involved in the sessions they attend. They prize discussion and the opportunity to exchange ideas with other participants. Activities that demonstrate or otherwise illustrate what is being proposed should be a part of every session. In addition to the relevance of the topic, reviewers will be looking for evidence in the proposal that the session will be interactive with participants engaged in activities other than just listening. The goal is to use these sessions to model the kind teaching methods we are committed to using in class.

Participants of this event come from a range of academic disciplines and institutions. We are limited in the number of sessions we can offer so please indicate on your submission form if you are interested in presenting your topic as a poster session if it isn’t accepted as a regular session.

Click here for Topical Areas

All speakers will be required to submit accompanying handouts in advance of conference and are responsible for duplication of handouts for conference participants.

Hurry! The deadline for submitting a proposal is October 27, 2008. Confirmation of accepted proposals will be sent by December 15, 2008.

If you have any questions, email tpconference@magnapubs.com