How-to Guidance

Context: What is a conference?

Academic conferences like the CWCA/ACCR's serve as opportunities for scholars from a range of institutions to engage in mutual exchange of knowledge. Often what is presented is ahead of what is published, which lags behind.

Conferences also serve as important opportunities for building connections.

The CWCA/ACCR conference is for the Canadian community of writing centre scholars and practitioners. Sessions often include critical reflections of innovative programming or approaches; reports on research studies about student writers or the teaching of writing; and engagements with theory/research especially in application to writing centre practice.

The CWCA/ACCR aspires to make the conference an inclusive site of mutual exchange and community building among all community members regardless of their positioning within/around higher education or their scholarly experience. Proposals are welcome from student, staff, and faculty tutors; language, learning, and writing scholars, teachers, and practitioners; as well as program administrators, designers, and coordinators.

Components of a Proposal

with examples!

Title

The proposal title should clearly state what the session will be about and why it's significant. In some cases titles hint at the nature of the session (research presentation, workshop, roundtable session).

Examples:

Group tutoring in synchronous sessions: A study of discussion engagement in Zoom (research presentation)
Starting a decentralized student writing group program (research presentation)
Beyond “write every day”: Designing alternatives to Dissertation Boot Camp delivery models (workshop)
Writing Centres and Students with Disabilities: Sharing Strategies for Inclusion and Adapting Learning Environments (roundtable session)

Abstract

The abstract should speak directly to the parts of the proposal and your final session. Remember this will become the description of your session in the conference program. What is it about your session that will appeal to attendees?

Abstracts typically follow this structure (with lots of variation...):

the main issue or theme of the session
the driving question or point of the session
a short description of what will be presented (research presentation) or discussed (roundtable) or created (workshop)
connection to relevant theory, scholarship, or literature

Examples:

Synchronous tutoring for student groups seems to dissuade student writers' participation (Rumba, 2020; Hoover, 2022). How do we encourage student writers to actively engage in these sessions? In an REB study, we found a significant increase in student writer participation when using Zoom polls, in both group discussion as well as in return writing centre usage by group members. This was especially the case when using feedback for "active rewriting and rethinking and resubmitting" (Dyson, 2020) processes in polling. The session includes study links and polling activities materials.

How can writing centres support graduate dissertation writers beyond the Bootcamp model? Dissertation writers need sustained writing support to combat isolation, build confidence, agency, and empowerment throughout the recursive writing process of complex projects (Guitario, 2019; Lee & Golde, 2013). In this session we lead participants in exercises to generate designs for sustained dissertation writing support (weekly for 1 term or more) in or across on-campus in-person models as well as online synchronous and asynchronous approaches. We outline the main features and benefits of sustained support for graduate writers and provide access to literature that will help participants fund it.

Detailed Description

In this section, you're invited to expand each section of the abstract for the benefit of conference proposal reviewers. It's often helpful to write the abstract first, as it helps to direct the description and keep it focused.

Use the sections of the abstract to build out your description as follows"

Abstract: the main issue or theme of the session
- Description: Elaborate on this issue. Where is it evident? Who does it impact/affect? Why is it significant or important to discuss?
Abstract: the driving question or point of the session
- Description: Elaborate on this driving question or point. Why ask it? How does it guide your methods/approach to the study or session?
Abstract: a short description of what will be presented (research presentation) or discussed (roundtable) or created (workshop)
- Description: Spill the tea! What information will you share at the session? These are your results or central insights. If you're proposing a more open-ended session, layout the goals of the session and how will you get there? Describe the activities or questions you'll use.
Abstract: connection to relevant theory, scholarship, or literature
- Description: Explain how this literature is relevant and how it will come into play in the session. You might consider moving this up to the outset of the description as this engagement with literature might help you identify the problem or gap that your session is probing.

Example:

How can writing centres support graduate dissertation writers beyond the Bootcamp model? Dissertation bootcamps are typically week-long events aimed at helping graduate students begin or gain momentum on their dissertation project. They are often scheduled during the summer months when graduate students have fewer teaching responsibilities (and when writing centres have lighter schedules!). Bootcamps offer a range of supports, including goal-setting and guided writing activities, 1:1 consultations, peer mentorship, workshops (study habits, scheduling, professionalization), and, of course, focused writing (Lee & Golde, 2013) in a short, intensive span of time.

The need for writing centres to provide sustained writing support for dissertation writers has become increasingly evident (Clarke, 2019), especially in light of the pandemic (Gildee, 2022). Dissertation writers need sustained writing support to combat isolation, build confidence, agency, and empowerment throughout the recursive writing process of complex projects (Guitario, 2019; Lee & Golde, 2006). Sustained support programs are characterized by regular, frequent support delivered over an extended period of time (e.g., weekly sessions offered for a full semester or academic year).

This amount of support requires investment of resources that are often not available for graduate students, whom do not typically generate much money for institutions (Harper, 2016). Creative approaches to designing sustained support for graduate writers is necessary, especially if it is to operate without serious investment of financial resources as well as address the range of needs of graduate students, from community engagement through writerly development.

In this session we lead participants in exercises to generate designs for sustained dissertation writing support (weekly for 1 term or more) in or across on-campus in-person models as well as online synchronous and asynchronous approaches. We outline the main features and benefits of sustained support for graduate writers and provide access to literature that will help participants fund it.

Session Type

Identify the type of session you will deliver. When prompted, provide an explanation of why the affordances of this session type are appropriate.

Check the CFP for detailed information about invited session types. Not all conferences invite the same types of sessions.

Carefully consider the most appropriate session type for your topic and goals. Your participants will attend with certain expectations of the experience. You don't want to let them down!

Reviewers may sometimes accept your proposal but as a different session type than the one you proposed. This can happen to accommodate conference scheduling or to reflect a more appropriate session type for your proposed topic and described session.

Choose a discussion roundtable-type session if your goal is to collaboratively generate ideas, critical questions or perspectives.

Choose a workshop-type session if your goal is to engage participants in activity-based problem-solving.

Choose a research presentation-type session if your goal is to inform participants on innovative understandings or perspectives, describe a program or initiative, or present findings.

Example:

Session Type: Workshop

Explanation: This workshop will allow for collaborative problem solving in response to a complex issue. We will lead participants in exercises to generate designs for sustained dissertation writing support (weekly for 1 term or more) in or across on-campus in-person models as well as online synchronous and asynchronous approaches. By working together from differing view points and local contexts, participants will begin the process of designing inclusive and innovative support programming.

References

Supply all references using the stipulated citation style (or just be consistent). You want to make sure that there are at least one or two cited works that you've engaged with to formulate your topic, guiding questions, and/or session type.

Suggested readings (aka resources not mentioned within the abstract or detailed description) can also be helpful to include. They show that you are prepared to provide your audience or participants with connections to available literature.

Example Proposal (complete)

Title: Beyond “write every day”: Designing alternatives to Dissertation Boot Camp delivery models

Abstract:

How can writing centres support graduate dissertation writers beyond the Bootcamp model? Dissertation writers need sustained writing support to combat isolation, build confidence, agency, and empowerment throughout the recursive writing process of complex projects (Guitario, 2019; Lee & Golde, 2013). In this session we lead participants in exercises to generate designs for sustained dissertation writing support (weekly for 1 term or more) in or across on-campus in-person models as well as online synchronous and asynchronous approaches. We outline the main features and benefits of sustained support for graduate writers and provide access to literature that will help participants fund it.

Description:

How can writing centres support graduate dissertation writers beyond the Bootcamp model? Dissertation bootcamps are typically week-long events aimed at helping graduate students begin or gain momentum on their dissertation project. They are often scheduled during the summer months when graduate students have fewer teaching responsibilities (and when writing centres have lighter schedules!). Bootcamps offer a range of supports, including goal-setting and guided writing activities, 1:1 consultations, peer mentorship, workshops (study habits, scheduling, professionalization), and, of course, focused writing (Lee & Golde, 2013) in a short, intensive span of time.

The need for writing centres to provide sustained writing support for dissertation writers has become increasingly evident (Clarke, 2019), especially in light of the pandemic (Gildee, 2022). Dissertation writers need sustained writing support to combat isolation, build confidence, agency, and empowerment throughout the recursive writing process of complex projects (Guitario, 2019; Lee & Golde, 2006). Sustained support programs are characterized by regular, frequent support delivered over an extended period of time (e.g., weekly sessions offered for a full semester or academic year).

This amount of support requires investment of resources that are often not available for graduate students, whom do not typically generate much money for institutions (Harper, 2016). Creative approaches to designing sustained support for graduate writers is necessary, especially if it is to operate without serious investment of financial resources as well as address the range of needs of graduate students, from community engagement through writerly development.

In this session we lead participants in exercises to generate designs for sustained dissertation writing support (weekly for 1 term or more) in or across on-campus in-person models as well as online synchronous and asynchronous approaches. We outline the main features and benefits of sustained support for graduate writers and provide access to literature that will help participants fund it.

Session Type: Workshop

This workshop will allow for collaborative problem solving in response to a complex issue. We will lead participants in exercises to generate designs for sustained dissertation writing support (weekly for 1 term or more) in or across on-campus in-person models as well as online synchronous and asynchronous approaches. By working together from differing view points and local contexts, participants will begin the process of designing inclusive and innovative support programming.

References:

Boice, R. (1990). Professors as writers: A self-help guide to productive writing. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press.

Clarke, A. (2019). What they need. Journal of Graduate Learning, 25(2), 25-38.

Gildee, Z. (31 February 2021). Pandemic hits graduate students hard. Chronicle of Higher Education, [link]

Guitaro, G. (2019). Writing the dissertation with confidence. The Writing Lab Newsletter, 42(7-8), 5-10.

Harper, S. (2016). Funding (or not) Education. Education Incorporated, 18(1), 75-90.

Lee, S. & Golde, C. (2013). Completing the dissertation and beyond: Writing centers and

dissertation boot camps. The Writing Lab Newsletter, 37(7-8), 1-5.

Sword, H. (2017). Air & Light & Time & Space: How Successful Academics Write. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.