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Innovations in Education Conference

Overview

Join us for the 2024 Innovations in Education Conference, a virtual event hosted by McMaster University, taking place on December 5th and 6th, 2024.  

At the MacPherson Institute, we are committed to creating learning communities that emphasize respect, belonging, and student wellness by integrating equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility into all aspects of education. Our conference theme, Creating Belonging Through Inclusive and Accessible Learning Experiences, encourages the development of strategies that foster a sense of belonging and inclusivity, ensuring everyone feels valued and supported. We especially invite and welcome students to play an active role in this conference by submitting proposals and sharing their unique perspectives.  

This fully virtual, two-day event aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas, experiences, and best practices among educators, researchers, administrators, students and other stakeholders. By utilizing a variety of formats including short papers, poster presentations, panel discussions, and interactive workshops, we will critically explore key considerations for implementing these strategies. This includes addressing diverse student needs, managing technology integration, adopting new policies, fostering student engagement, and promoting equity and accessibility in education. 

Thursday, December 5th and Friday, December 6th

Location: Zoom Events Platform (online)
Programming: Both days will be fully online and include a variety of presentations, talks, and workshops. 

Ticket Costs:

  • $50 for general admission (access to both days)
  • Free for students with valid student ID (access to both days) 

Registration will open on October 1, 2024. 

Additional Helpful Resources 

Questions? 

Connect with us via email: Claire Leighton, leightoc@mcmaster.ca 

Introduction to Zoom Events 

During the conference, Zoom Events will be the hub of activities. The virtual lobby will open one week in advance of the conference and attendees can join the lobby by clicking the event link hub and clicking “Join Lobby.” From here you can create a profile for yourself and start building an itinerary of events you want to attend.  

Sessions 

  • View the entire schedule of activities by clicking the “Sessions” tab.  

Speakers 

  • Learn more about all of the speakers for the 2024 Innovations in Education Conference

Itinerary 

  • Create your own itinerary by opening the “Sessions” tab. 
  • Use the “Filter” function to sort sessions. 
  • Add sessions to your itinerary using the bookmark sessions button. 
  • Once you have built your itinerary, you can view your whole schedule by selecting the “Itinerary” tab in the navigation bar at the top of your screen. 

Exhibitors 

  • Learn more about our conference sponsors.

Important Notes

  • Attendees must register with their own Zoom account and use the same account to join the event.  
  • We recommend opening Zoom prior to the conference and completing any recommended software upgrades or updates to prevent issues accessing the conference.  
  • If you’re able, the easiest way to connect is through single sign on (SSO) – click the SSO key icon and then enter your company domain – likely university.zoom.us – the system will connect you.  
  • For more information: 
  • Getting started as a Zoom Events Attendee  
  • If you encounter any technical issues during the conference, please contact  
  • Claire Leighton (leightoc@mcmaster.ca) or mi@mcmaster.ca (this email will be actively monitored throughout the conference). 

We appreciate your support in testing your conference access before the start of the conference. We have performed extensive testing on the platform and expect a smooth conference program; however, technical difficulties are always a risk. We ask for your patience and understanding as we work quickly to provide assistance to both presenters and attendees who may experience difficulties during the event.  

The Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation & Excellence in Teaching is excited to announce it is now accepting submissions for its 2024 Innovations in Education Conference. The conference will be a two-day event hosted virtually using Zoom Events on December 5th and 6th. 

We invite proposals for research or scholarly projects from individuals or teams of scholars that explore one or more of the conference subthemes below: 

  • How can we empower students as co-creators in shaping educational environments that foster respect, belonging, and inclusivity within learning communities? 
  • What approaches can be developed to address diverse student needs and support equity, accessibility, and personalized learning experiences? 
  • How can interdisciplinary approaches enhance equity and inclusion in educational settings?
  • What strategies can be used to integrate technology effectively to support diverse learners and foster inclusive teaching practices? 
  • How can we develop and implement policies and practices that ensure equitable and accessible education for all learners?
  • How can we measure and assess the impact of inclusive practices on student success and well-being?
  • In what ways can students be engaged as leaders in creating and sustaining inclusive and accessible learning environments?

Proposals should consider how these issues are interpreted, understood, enacted, and investigated within educational research and/or the scholarship of teaching and learning. Presenters should be prepared to present virtually on either December 5th or 6th.  

Proposals can take the form of the following types of participation:

  1. Brief Research Presentations (30 min): We invite submissions for research presentations offering a concise format to communicate research results, or work in progress.  These sessions are a total of 30 minutes, where presenters will choose how to allocate their time between presenting and engaging with the audience through questions or discussion prompts.  
  2. Pecha Kucha Style Poster Presentation (3 min presentations): Pecha Kucha is a dynamic presentation format designed to deliver concise and engaging talks.  The format will consist of 6 slides that advance every 30 seconds, resulting in a total presentation time of 3 minutes. This fast-paced style encourages presenters to communicate their ideas clearly and effectively. 
  3. Panel Discussions (50 min panel discussion + 10 min for questions): We invite submissions for panel discussions focusing on fostering dialogue and exchanging ideas on pressing topics. A panel discussion should include a moderator and 3-5 panelists who are experts or stakeholders in the subject area. Submissions should propose a specific topic, potential panelists, and key questions to be addressed. We encourage proposals that stimulate engagement, collaboration, and innovative thinking, offering a platform for generating new ideas and solutions. Audience interaction is a vital component, with time allocated for questions and discussions at the end of the session. 
  4. Interactive Workshops (60 min): We invite submissions for workshops designed to provide participants with hands-on, interactive learning experiences. Workshops should focus on skill development, innovative methodologies, or in-depth exploration of specific topics. We welcome proposals that outline clear objectives, interactive elements, and expected outcomes, encouraging active involvement and practical application of ideas among participants.

Individuals are free to submit more than one proposal but should be the first author on only one proposal. Work in progress is welcomed! 

Submission Process

The deadline for submissions is 11:59pm EDT on Sunday, September 29th, 2024. Compete the online proposal form.  

All proposals must include the following:  

  1. Submission Title 
  2. Submission Type [drop down menu]
  3.  Indicate conference subtheme with which the abstract is aligned [drop down menu]
  4.  Author name(s), title(s), & contact information. Please indicate student authors with (*). 
  5.  A brief abstract (no more than 350 words) that indicates the focus and objectives of the session. 
  6.  List of 3-5 references to support the proposal description.
  7.  An indication of technical support(s) and/or accommodation required for the session in order to best support your ability to present at the conference. Please note that we will do our best to meet your needs but cannot guarantee that all requests will be met.

Note that the abstract review committee may accept your proposal as submitted, suggest edits to your proposal, or accept your proposal in an alternative format type, depending on the number/types of submissions. 

All proposals will be peer-reviewed, with reviewers taking the following criteria into consideration: 

  1. Alignment: the session does at least one of the following: 
    1. Makes a unique contribution to teaching & learning related to at least one of the conferences subthemes 
    2. Considers how subtheme questions are integrated and interpreted within teaching and learning literature and experiences
  2. Format 
    1. The content/objective(s) of the session are clearly stated 
    2. The session can be achieved within the proposed format  
    3. The interactive component has the potential to stimulate thinking and discussion 

Conflict of Interest 

During the review process, the review team will do their best to eliminate or reduce conflicts of interest while evaluating proposals. 

How to Submit a Proposal
Additional Submission Information

 

  • By submitting an abstract, you agree to register for and to participate in the conference if your submission is accepted.   
  • By submitting, you are also giving the 2024 Innovations in Education Conference planning committee permission to publish the submission information, if accepted, in promotional materials related to the event.  
  • The abstract you submit will be the one included in the final conference program. No editorial changes will be made.
  • The cost to attend this year’s conference is $50.00 for general admission. Students: please email mi@mcmaster.ca to request a promo code for a $50 discount, offered on a first come first served basis.

Call for Proposal Reviewers

We also invite faculty, instructors, staff, and students to volunteer to review abstracts (350 words) for the Innovations in Education conference. As a reviewer, you are also able to submit a proposal for a conference session. The review team will do their best to reduce or eliminate any conflicts of interest for those who volunteer to review and are also submitting a proposal. Abstracts will be available online on or before Tuesday, October 8th, and you will be required to complete your reviews by Wednesday, October 30th, at 5:00pm.   

If you are willing to serve as a reviewer, please complete the online Call for Reviewers form by Friday, September 20, at 5:00PM.  The form will ask for your institutional affiliation. This information will appear in the conference program and on the website.   

 If you have questions about the review process, please email: mi@mcmaster.ca