2008 Service-Learning Conference
Call for Proposals

Deadline - November 16, 2007

We invite faculty, scholars, administrators, community partners and students who are involved in service-learning research, instruction and practice to submit presentation proposals for this annual gathering.  Conference participants will include learners and educators from the constituencies.  Participant familiarity with service-learning ranges from beginner to advanced.

We highly recommend that you read the conference goals, themes and selection criteria, and guidelines below before proceeding.

Download the 2008 workshop proposal form here.

Conference Goals

• Provide or enhance practical service-learning skills and deepen understanding of participants at all levels of familiarity
• Explore diverse perspectives on service-learning theory and practice
• Highlight current research on the topic
• Broaden the conversation to explore the structures and practices necessary for creating an engaged campus
• Provide opportunities for informal and interactive conference sessions
• Honor and celebrate the legacy of Robert L. Sigmon  by honoring practitioners for outstanding practice in the field.

Conference Themes

• Nuts-and-Bolts Workshop
• Programmatic Practice Session
• Research and Theory Session

Nuts-and-Bolts Workshops provide new to advanced service-learning and civic engagement practitioners "how to" information and resources for any aspect of service-learning and civic engagement work, including curricular to co-curricular courses, curriculum, projects, and programs, along with capacity-building and institutionalization efforts. Some examples include: how to integrate service-learning into a student leadership program, how to develop a risk management policy community-campus partnerships, and how to develop service-learning projects for residence hall programs. Presenters are encouraged to choose a presentation style (i.e., lecture, hands-on activities, panel presentation) that ensures clear delivery of the information, provide ample time for questions and answers, and provide participants with materials to take away from the session.

Programmatic Practice Sessions provide new to advanced service-learning and civic engagement practitioners "best practices" information and resources for any aspect of service-learning and civic engagement work, including curricular to co-curricular courses, curriculum, projects, and programs, along with capacity-building and institutionalization efforts. Some examples include: models for integrating service-learning within academic departments, case studies of Faculty Fellow programs to increase faculty leadership in service-learning, and lessons learned from integrating service-learning within a student leadership program. Presenters are encouraged to choose a presentation style (i.e., roundtable discussions, panel presentations, case studies) that ensures clear delivery of the information, provide ample time for dialogue, and provide participants with materials to take away from the session.

Research and Theory Sessions provide provide new to advanced service-learning and civic engagement practitioners "research and theory" information and resources for any aspect of service-learning and civic engagement work, including curricular to co-curricular courses, curriculum, projects, and programs, along with capacity-building and institutionalization efforts. Some examples include: campus-based research on the relationship between service-learning and retention rates, evolving theories of leadership in community development, and national trends in student service and engagement. Presenters are encouraged to choose a presentation style (i.e. paper presentation, roundtable discussion) that ensures clear delivery of the information, provide ample time for dialogue, and provide participants with materials to take away from the session.

Proposal Selection Criteria

The NC Campus Compact Service-Learning Conference is soliciting proposals for more than 30 presentations  in four concurrent sessions. Nuts-and-bolts, programmatic practice, and research and theory presentation types comprise general concurrent sessions. All concurrent sessions will be 60 minutes in duration. All proposals, which include a 75 word abstract and a 300 word proposal summary, will be peer-reviewed according to the following criteria:

Contribution to Knowledge of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (60%)
Indicate how your presentation will build on or facilitate application of existing ideas and/or research in the field.

Opportunities for Active Learning (20%)
Demonstrate how you plan to involve your audience in your session and discuss the techniques you will employ to encourage active participation. Indicate what presentation style(s) you plan to use (i.e. roundtable discussions, paper presentations, panel presentations, etc).

Incorporation of Diverse Perspectives (20%)
Consider multiple points of view as you plan your proposal. Broaden the focus of your presentation to accommodate the diversity of constituents in the field, including community partners and leaders, students, and diverse higher education staff/administrators.

Submission Guidelines

The deadline for submitting proposals is November 16, 2007. To view a list of workshops from the 2007 conference, click here to download the program booklet.

If you would like to discuss a proposal idea, please contact:

Leslie Garvin
Assistant Director
NC Campus Compact
lgarvin@elon.edu
(336) 278-7278