|
Session formats for which proposals to present can be submitted include:
Concurrent Sessions
Poster Sessions
Roundtable Discussions
All proposals to present at STEMtech should
feature a successful practice, program, or key issue with a strong focus
on (a) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines
in general education and workforce training, or (b) the use of technology
across the institution.
Roundtable discussions and poster sessions should be selected if you prefer a setting where there is time to answer questions, discuss implications, and compare findings with other participants. Concurrent sessions tend to favor formal presentations in which the audience listens to what the presenter has to say, even though the presenter should encourage audience participation and entertain questions.
Since more proposals are received than there is space available to hold sessions, proposals that are accepted are expected to be compelling and appealing to a large number of participants. Given meeting space restrictions, proposals for roundtable discussions and poster sessions are more likely to be accepted than proposals for concurrent sessions, provided they include a title and description that make it clear the session will take advantage of the highly-interactive opportunities these formats provide.
Concurrent
Concurrent sessions tend to favor formal presentations in which the audience listens to what the presenter has to say, even though the presenter should encourage audience participation and entertain questions. Concurrent sessions are traditional one-hour concurrent sessions that form
the core of conference offerings. Concurrent sessions are set theater
style with a head table and chairs at the front of the room and
are intended for an audience of approximately 50-100 people. A maximum
of three speakers per concurrent session is recommended. Room assignments
are made at the discretion of the conference organizers. Special
room setup requests cannot be accommodated due to the limited time
between sessions. Presenters are expected to use active learning
techniques to engage audiences, to distribute materials, and to
respond to follow-up requests for more information. Lecture-only
presentations are strongly discouraged.
Sample Concurrent Session Titles and Descriptions
Designing Sustainability Courses and
Curriculum
St. Louis Community College offers a preparation course for the Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited professional exam
and a course that addresses green building technologies and LEED certification
for buildings. Plans include creating more courses in environmental
design and developing an interdisciplinary Green Technologies Certificate
of Specialization.
A Model for Collaboration: CERET's
Renewable Energy Technologies Certificate
The Consortium for Education in Renewable Energy Technologies' (CERET)
certificates in renewable energy provide students with the knowledge
needed for careers in energy management and renewable energy technology.
Included are online and onsite courses featuring seasoned renewable
energy instructors. Colleges can use this model to develop their own
programs.
Developing Shared Online Materials
to Teach the Research Paper
Addressing the need for shared online materials that maximize
the effectiveness of classroom instruction, English and library faculty
developed eight interactive PowerPoint modules following one student's
approach to writing research papers. Participants learn about the collaborative
development process, see a demonstration of the Research Paper Project,
and review assessment data.
Partnering for Success: Can Higher
Education Manage IT Any Longer?
With the pressure to provide secure and reliable technology
environments, many institutions are turning to outsourcing. The Community
College of Southern Nevada (CCSN) hired SunGard Collegis to manage its
technology infrastructure and assist with creating online programs.
Learn how this partnership has progressed and what the future looks
like for CCSN.
Increasing the STEM Pipeline: Building
Seamless Pathways to STEM Careers
Learn how to fund and build a system designed to increase the number
and success of students aspiring to STEM careers. Discussed are strategies
designed to recruit and motivate students, engage them in STEM programs,
transition them from one educational institution to another, and support
them along their journey.
Developmental Mathematics in a Web
2.0 World
Mathematics remains a daunting challenge to college success for traditional
and adult students. How might new media, technologies, and alternative
learning modalities expand upon effective practices for reaching these
students? How might free web-based resources help support these efforts?
Join us as we brainstorm new possibilities for the future.
Nursing + Technology = Electronic Medical
Record
The presenter shares how one community college merged nursing documentation
and IT skills into an oncampus electronic documentation system useful
in preparing students for a healthcare environment requiring an increasing
knowledge and use of IT. Highlighted is how the electronic documentation
system created for the nursing program is used.
Changing Trends in Student Services:
An Online Approach
The information age, globalization, and changing demographics
have caused a shift in the focus of Student Support Services. To address
this rapidly changing environment, systems and processes were developed
to dramatically change the delivery of services to students. Learn about
developing and assessing comprehensive, flexible, and convenient online
student services.
OpenCape: Bringing Internet Backbone
to Underserved Regions
OpenCape began as an effort to create more and cheaper options to meet
present and future wireless broadband needs. Traditional vendors were
too few or too expensive. The network addresses day-to-day operations
and emergencies and offers public and commercial service. This presentation
will interest participants from rural and underserved regions.
Poster
Sessions
Poster sessions should be selected if you prefer a setting where there is time to answer questions, discuss implications, and compare findings with other participants. Poster session presentations take the form of an exhibit and are delivered
primarily through the use of graphs, diagrams, pictures, data, and narrative
text on bulletin boards. During their assigned one-hour time periods, poster session
presenters share information and answer questions about the displayed
topic; presenters are encouraged to have ample handout materials available. Conference participants are free to move from one display to another.
Poster sessions are equipped with a six-foot draped table, two chairs,
and a four-foot by eight-foot self-standing bulletin board. Bulletin
boards are covered with fabric and require the use of long pins or Velcro
to attach display materials. Presenters must arrange for their own display
materials. Please note that neither electricity nor
an internet connection is available in the poster session area. Poster
sessions cannot accommodate equipment other than a presenter-provided
battery-operated laptop computer.
Sample Poster Session Titles and Descriptions
Ready, Set, Click!
Clickers are designed to elicit student participation in classrooms.
This Poster Session, through the use of charts and graphs, demonstrates
how clicker questions in a for-credit information literacy course are
used to enhance class activities. In addition, the benefits and drawbacks
of the personal response systems are displayed and discussed.
Use of a Scanning Electron Microscope
in Teaching Physical Geology
Illustrated is how images from a scanning electron microscope were used
to demonstrate the link between the macroscopic and microscopic in geology.
Images of students learning to use the instrument and student testimonials
are displayed. This Poster Session will interest instructors teaching
undergraduate geology and earth science.
Integrating a Data Warehouse and Web
Development Strategy
Imagine intranet and internet access to a data warehouse running parallel
with legacy databases. Two approaches demonstrate how data are easily
and securely displayed using a web browser. One solution focused on
an intranet and the second solution developed for a consortium of community
colleges uses a customized web portal.
Show What You Know: Portfolios as Tools
for Assessment
This Poster Session features why portfolios are a perfect classroom
assessment tool. Using Architecture and Interior Design as a model,
displayed is the successful evolution of requiring portfolio assessment
for graduates transferring or seeking employment. Come discover how
you can transform portfolios into an effective basic skills assessment
tool.
From STEM to Stern: Developing Long-Term
Employer-Education Partnerships
This Poster Session highlights a NSF project partnership between two
community colleges in Washington and the Community College Research
Center at Columbia University. Employer data collected from executives,
hiring managers, and technical leads and strategies for placing community
college graduates in the new world of work are displayed.
Roundtable
Discussions
Roundtable discussions should be selected if you prefer a setting where there is time to answer questions, discuss implications, and compare findings with other participants. Roundtable
discussions afford a personal and interactive one-hour setting for exploring
key issues related to each of the conference tracks. Roundtable discussion
leaders are expected to facilitate substantive discussions or small
group activities. Although designed for less than 12 participants, roundtable
discussion participation can exceed 20 or more individuals. Numerous
roundtable discussions take place simultaneously in the same ballroom.
Facilitators are encouraged to have ample handout materials available. Please note that neither electricity nor an internet
connection is available for roundtable discussions. Roundtable discussions
cannot accommodate equipment other than a presenter-provided battery-operated
laptop computer. Flipcharts for roundtable discussions will be available
if requested prior to the conference.
Sample Roundtable Discussion Titles and
Descriptions
Catching the BioWave: Aligning Your
Curriculum to Changing Economic Conditions
Discuss how an Industrial Systems Technology Program quickly responded
to changing economic conditions to provide a growing biotechnology industry
with highly skilled workers. Participants explore how to incorporate
cutting-edge technology into an existing program to assist displaced
workers from manufacturing and agriculture sectors.
Development of a Multidisciplinary
Nanotechnology Curriculum
Participants discuss developing a consortium-built nanotechnology curriculum
that initially focuses on basic science, then progresses to nanotechnology
training relevant to biotechnology, agriculture, energy, medicine, and
electronics. The curriculum, developed by K-12, two-year, and university
educators, involves classroom work, lab exercises and internships at
nanotechnology companies and facilities.
From Spaghetti to Simplicity: An Enterprise
Network Transformation
Discuss the transformation of an enterprise network from a tangled web
of spaghetti connections to a highly available, high-speed gigabit mesh
network. Participants explore the design, procurement, implementation,
and operational phases of transforming a network that supports over
60,000 students and 6,000 faculty members and staff.
Student Digital Clinical Documentation:
88 Percent Reduction in Paper Files
Health career educators whose students participate in clinical rotations
consider the following questions: Can the paper in a student’s
clinical file really be reduced by 88 percent? How can a PDA or smart
phone help track students’ clinical education? How do we get started?
A Cost and Benefit Analysis of E-Books
Educators just beginning to consider what an e-book can do for them
and their students explore the features and benefits of this technology
that brings interactivity, flexibility, and up-to-date data to traditional
print textbooks. Participants discuss how this technology saves dollars
and energy in support of a green environment.
Partnering With High Schools to Fill
the STEM Pipeline
Explore how one college and its high school partners launched the Running
Start Academy to provide high school students with an advanced STEM
education on the college’s campus to address the shortage of qualified
workers STEM fields without drawing funds away from public schools.
|
