Bluenotes GLOBAL 2020 Call for Presentations

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS

Submission Due: June 19, 2020 | End of Business Day (in your local timezone)

In collaboration with the University of Louisville, Explorance is moving Bluenotes GLOBAL Conference to virtual experience. Will you be joining your Blue community colleagues to connect and learn from one another? Are you interested in sharing your own Blue stories, particularly addressing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, with your like-minded colleagues to further develop Blue skills and knowledge and innovate together? We encourage you to submit your presentation proposal.

Suggestions for developing your presentation proposal, tips for preparing your presentation, and the submission form for your proposal can all be found on this page. We hope to ease your presentation proposal submission process, and look forward to working with you as needed to ensure that everyone who wishes to present has an opportunity to do so.

The Bluenotes GLOBAL Conference is all about Bluenotes community members connecting together, sharing best practices, and innovating together for learning and development. If you are interested in presenting at the Bluenotes GLOBAL Virtual Experience 2020, we encourage you to submit your proposals, while highlighting this year’s conference theme: Harnessing the power of feedback to advance transformation in teaching and learning or experience in managing the impact of COVID-19 on course evaluations and feedback processes in your institutions.

PRESENTATION PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

> Presentation Formats+

We welcome presentation proposals in either of the following formats.

Individual Presentation

A presentation session is 40 minute long, where typically presenters prepare a 30 minute long presentation or demonstration, with approximately 10 minutes left at the end of the presentation to allow for questions and answers.

Panel

Common types of panel presentations include several panelists participating in a discussion panel, a group discussion with the audience, or a “deep dive” into a specific topic with the audience. A panel is approximately 50 minute long.

> Suggested Topics+

While submissions on all topics related to the conference theme are welcome, these topics along the following presentation tracks are likely to prove interesting to conference attendees:

Faculty Research Grant Recipients – Sharing Research Findings
Faculty Engagement
Leadership and Analytics
Implementation Insights: Course Evaluations
Implementation Insights: General Feedback Processes

Presentation Track	Suggested Topics
Faculty Research Grant Recipients – Sharing Research Findings	Explorance has committed a total of $100,000 to be awarded to faculty in support of their research projects using assessment or course evaluation data. In this track, faculty research grant recipients will present the findings
Faculty Engagement	Faculty incorporation of student feedback into the cycle of continuous learning and improvement Faculty approaches to embedding student feedback tools into the learning process and the overall student learning experience Faculty uses of advanced Blue functionalities such as Question Personalization and the Instructor Feedback Dashboard Faculty engagement directly with students through live formative feedback mechanisms such as Bluepulse Impact of COVID-19
Leadership and Analytics	Approaches to using feedback data in the overall analytics strategy of your institution Ways to expand the use of course evaluation data to facilitate “closing the loop” and/or gaining buy-in for institutional changes Suggestions to engage faculty in creating a culture of continuous feedback and improve student feedback literacy Strategies used to increase student participation in course evaluation completion Uses of analytics to identify and address possible inherent biases related to diversity Strategies to manage changes to the course evaluation process such as the implementation of grade pathways or revisions to the instrument Impact of COVID-19
Implementation Insights: Course Evaluations	User-led live demonstrations of use of features in Blue Evaluation (such as Question Bank, Question Personalization, Relational Demographics) and modules (such as Response Rate Monitoring, Blue Text Analytics, DIG, Instructor Feedback Dashboard) Experience in preparing your institution to implement Blue (such as determining data structures, addressing data integrity issues, creating relational demographic files, reviewing reporting needs at various levels, or optimizing the structure of Blue projects) Discussion of barriers and/or opportunities that were identified during the implementation of Blue and lessons learned Institutional case studies of Blue Evaluation, DIG, Blue Text Analytics, or Instructor Feedback Dashboard implementations Impact of COVID-19
Implementation Insights: General Feedback Processes	User-led live demonstrations of use of BlueX, Bluepulse, Blue 360, Blue Surveys Uses of Blue outside of the classroom (such as collecting feedback on services provided by administrative offices at your university) Discussions of barriers and/or opportunities encountered during the implementation of Blue Surveys, Blue 360, Bluepulse, or BlueX Suggestions for universities beginning the journey of implementing Blue Surveys, Blue 360, Bluepulse, or BlueX, and using student feedback data, i.e., “lessons learned” Impact of COVID-19

> How to Submit Your Presentation Proposal+

You can submit your presentation proposal by clicking the “Submit your Presentation Proposal” button on this page.

Have the following information prepared to submit your presentation proposal:

Presentation track to which you’d like to submit your presentation proposal
Presentation or Panel title and abstract (the abstract should be approximately 100-150 words)
Presenter or Panelists names, email addresses, job titles, and institutions

Example of a presentation title and abstract:

Title: How to Transform Your Course Evaluations Process to be More Forward Looking
Abstract: Course evaluations are often the main source of student feedback about their educational experience. However, interpreting the results properly can prove challenging. In this session, we will examine the power of contextual information in telling comprehensive course evaluation analytics stories for instructors and academic leaders. We will highlight the role of data and survey instruments in helping to craft rich stories, as well as review the potential challenges in assimilating these concepts into the process for continuous improvement.

We want to ensure everyone who wishes to present has an opportunity to do so. We will work with potential presenters, as needed. In addition, 10% discount will be provided to the presenters’ conference registration fees. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Yeona Jang at yjang@explorance.com.

> DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING PRESENTATION PROPOSALS+

We would appreciate if your presentation proposals are submitted by end of business on June 19, 2020, in your local timezone. Earlier submissions are encouraged as they will appear sooner in the conference program. Your participation in presenting at the conference is greatly appreciated by your fellow Bluenotes community members.

> SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR YOUR PRESENTATION: DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE+

Support will be provided to facilitate the planning and delivery of your presentation at the Bluenotes GLOBAL 2020 Virtual Experience. The following are some points to consider in advance to prepare for your presentation.

Explorer will contact you in advance to schedule a pre-session check call (such as connectivity and interactive features available to presenters)
You may use any presentation template that is consistent with your institutional branding policies. Alternatively, a Bluenotes GLOBAL presentation template is available for you to jump start: Download

> TIPS FOR PREPARING A PRESENTATION+

Presentation Aspects	Recommendations
Amount of text on each slide	Try to limit verbiage to no more than six lines per slide.
Amount of information per slide	Try to restrict the context to one main idea per slide.
Text size	When possible, use text that is at least 24 pt to ensure those far away from the screen can easily read the content.
Number of slides	Aim to present only the ideas necessary to share your experience. It is recommended that a 40-minute presentation have approximately 25-30 slides.
Color palette choice	Use dark colors like black and blue with light-colored backgrounds, and light colors like yellow and white with dark-colored backgrounds.
Speed of presentation	It is understandable that you may be nervous when presenting. This sometimes causes presenters to speak too quickly or transition between slides too rapidly. Try to make a conscious effort to pause after advancing to your next slide.

For any questions on presentation submission, contact Yeona Jang (yjang@explorance.com)