ATE Principal Investigators Conference

Call for Sessions
Submission Deadline: Monday, August 30, 2021

To submit a session, please click here.

ATE Projects and Centers are invited to submit proposals to conduct Birds of a Feather, High Impact Workshops, Spotlight, Demonstration, and Synergy Sessions as part of the agenda for the 2021 ATE Conference. This Call for Sessions includes submission information for both the in-person and virtual component of this year’s hybrid event.

Proposal Submission Information

Session guidelines and detailed information for submitting proposals can be found below. All proposals must be submitted using the online form. The deadline for submissions is Monday, August 30. Participants will be notified about the proposals that have been accepted for the conference and the session schedule by Friday, September 17.

Conference Theme: ATE 2021: Broadening Impact through Innovation

This year’s hybrid event will focus on the critical importance of preparing students with STEM technical and employability skills—and the vital role community colleges and the ATE program play in preparing a highly-skilled U.S. workforce in a current- and post-pandemic economy. ATE Projects and Centers nationwide pivoted in response to the pandemic and developed strategies to successfully run their programs and engage students, partners, and stakeholders in online environments. Now, ATE Projects and Centers are pivoting once again in balancing a return to in-person learning while in many cases maintaining virtual components. It is this type of innovation, flexibility, and leadership that drives the ATE community in continually addressing and shaping the current and future needs of STEM technician education while working to help prepare and ensure a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce.

Session Guidelines and Criteria

Session proposals should follow the criteria and guidelines outlined below—with preference given to submissions that include promising practices for successfully broadening impact through innovation with an emphasis on strategies for addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Sessions will be selected based on their alignment with the conference theme and the ability of session leaders to:

  • Share case studies, experiences, promising strategies, and lessons learned that demonstrate evidence-based project or center impact in one of the topic areas identified by the session tracks provided below.

  • Focus on learning experiences and promising strategies that are common or relevant across disciplines and different project areas.

  • Engage participants in interactive learning activities and provide take-away resources that can be used and/or implemented in their own work.

  • Demonstrate collaboration among ATE Projects or Centers with strong preference given to session proposals that can speak to broadening impact and that involve more than one project or center in a presenting role.

Please note that sessions submitted in response to this Call for Sessions should not be used as a venue to conduct a general report out on grant activities. All Projects and Centers are required to participate in a Virtual ATE Connects session where they will have the opportunity to engage in the general sharing of information, resources, and materials related to their programs; network and message with participants; and explore the community. The Virtual ATE Connects session is separate from this Call for Sessions process.

Session Tracks
In keeping with the conference theme, individuals proposing sessions for the 2021 ATE Conference are encouraged to submit under one of the following five tracks.

  • Track 1. Broadening Innovation through Impact
    Examples of topics include: virtual teaching/learning strategies; undergraduate research; competency-based learning; work-based learning; credit for prior work experience; alternative forms of credentials including micro-credentials; internships; apprenticeships; bridge programs; addressing emerging career fields/technologies; career pathways; professional and faculty development; leadership development; and mentoring programs.

  • Track 2. Engaging Students for STEM Success in a Current & Post-Pandemic Environment
    Examples of topics include: addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion gaps; strategies for recruiting and retaining underrepresented students; interactions with secondary school CTE programs; dual enrollment; career awareness/outreach; working with guidance counselors and career coaches; and direct student interaction with industry.

  • Track 3. Initiating & Maintaining Partnerships in a Time of Hybrid Communication
    Examples of topics include: creating, maintaining, and leveraging partnerships with business and industry, college administrators, secondary schools, funders, local/state government, and/or the community; addressing workforce development needs through collaboration with business/industry; and outreach to external constituents.

  • Track 4. Advancing Innovation through STEM Research & Evaluation
    Examples of topics include: strategies for conducting institutional and educational research; partnering with four-year colleges on student learning outcomes; strategies for assessment; strategies for capturing reliable impact data; and evaluation.

  • Track 5. Getting Back on Track through Proven Practices in Grants Management &
    Program Administration
    Examples of topics in this category include: strategies for project and fiscal management; sustaining and scaling programs; preparing annual reports; and dealing effectively with unforeseen and/or unavoidable project changes.

Session Formats

Proposals submitted under any of the five conference tracks must follow one of the formats described below. Please note that all sessions types will be considered and offered as part of the agenda for the in-person conference.

For placement on the agenda for the conference’s virtual component, AACC will consider Spotlight and Demonstration sessions if indicated in response to this Call for Sessions. Spotlight and Demonstration sessions scheduled for virtual delivery will be pre-recorded in collaboration with AACC’s Virtual ATE Conference production team and aired at a specified date/time with live presenter chat.

Participants can indicate preference for consideration of their Demonstration, Spotlight, or Synergy session proposal for the in-person event, virtual component, or both when completing their submission.

Session Formats for In-Person or Virtual Event

Demonstration Sessions
Session Length:  30 minutes
Maximum Number of Presenters: 2
Delivery & Scheduling: In-person or Virtual; scheduling on Thursday, October 21 between
2:00 – 5:00 p.m. EDT
AV for In-Person Session: Rooms will be equipped with a laptop, data projector, & screen.

Demonstrations are formal presentations that show how to use or apply a pedagogical tool or concept. The proposal should describe how the presenter will walk attendees through a clear, step-by-step explanation of the concept or tool, how it compares to other teaching and learning tools, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it can best be applied or implemented. Presenters should be experts on the concepts or tools they are presenting. Note: Demonstration sessions are not intended as a report out of project or center outcomes but serve as a venue to explain a pedagogical tool or concept.

Spotlight Sessions
Session Length: 50 minutes
Maximum Number of Presenters: 3         

Session Facilitator: 1
Delivery & Scheduling: In-person or virtual; scheduling Thursday, October 21 between 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT.
AV for In-Person Session: Rooms will be equipped with a laptop, data projector & screen.

A Spotlight session should involve at least two, but no more than three presenters and a facilitator who will present thought-provoking questions to the panelists and coordinate presentations in addressing the session topic. Preference will be given to sessions that involve presenters who represent different projects and centers. Spotlight session proposals that focus solely on a general report out of a project’s or center’s activities will not be selected. Spotlight sessions should share proven strategies and lessons learned in accordance with the session criteria.

Synergy Sessions
Session Length: 50 minutes
Maximum Number of Facilitators: 3

Format Options:  In-person or virtual; scheduling on Thursday, October 21 between 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT.
AV for In-Person Session: Rooms will be equipped with a laptop, data projector & screen.

The Synergy session format offers a venue for ATE grantees to network, share insights, and explore ways to collaborate around areas of similar interest. Synergy session leaders serve as facilitators of interactive, substantive discussions that share promising practices and lessons learned with other members of the ATE community. Proposals should explain the overall context surrounding the anticipated discussion, as related to the conference track, and clearly identify the intended audience. Synergy session proposals should also reflect the capacity to generate new ideas and questions from conference participants as a means of making the session stimulating and meaningful. 

Session Formats for In-Person Event

Birds of a Feather Sessions
Session Length: 60 minutes
Maximum Number of Presenters: 2 people
Delivery & Scheduling: In-person; scheduling on Friday, October 22 between 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT.
AV for In-Person Session: Rooms will be equipped with a laptop, data projector, & screen.

Birds of a Feather sessions are informal gatherings of like-minded individuals who wish to discuss a certain topic without a pre-planned agenda. Birds of a Feather sessions allow groups to meet and discuss issues relating to regular conference sessions and common challenges. The meetings can be used to gather the people you have been working remotely with on a project, as well as potential new collaborators, into a space to conduct a deep dive on a topic.

Breakfast Roundtables
Session Length: 60 minutes
Maximum Number of Moderators: 1
Delivery & Scheduling: In-person; scheduling on Thursday, October 21 or Friday, October 22 from 7:45 – 8:45 a.m. EDT.
AV for In-Person Session: No AV is provided for breakfast roundtables. Moderators typically bring handouts or take-aways for participants.  

Breakfast roundtables provide forums for informal discussion of a specific topic among small groups. Attendance is first-come, first-served and limited to a maximum of 6 people, including the moderator seated around one round table.

High Impact Practice Workshops
Session Length: 2 hours with a 10-minute break
Maximum Number of Presenters: 5 people
Delivery & Scheduling: In-person; scheduling on Friday, October 22 between 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. EDT
AV for In-Person Session: Rooms will be equipped with a laptop, data projector & screen

High impact practice workshops are multi-presenter/facilitator sessions designed to address targeted areas of need within the ATE community, such as those identified through the conference tracks, including but not limited to addressing challenges in student recruitment/retention; stakeholder engagement; diversity, equity, and inclusion; virtual/hybrid teaching and learning practices; and the implementation of pedagogical or technological tools to keep pace with industry demand. High impact practice workshops should focus on content that is relevant and applicable across STEM disciplines. Session proposals should identify the area of need or challenge to address, outline proven practices to be shared, include 3-4 learning objectives, and provide key takeaways for session participants. A short bio for presenters will also be required to demonstrate their experience in leading workshops.

Session Collaboration
AACC provides information on its conference website to assist ATE Projects and Centers with identifying potential session collaborators and similar projects—such as searching through ATE Central or the NSF awards database. AACC reserves the right to identify similar session proposals and ask those submitting to work together on conducting a session, as well as to change the presentation type as needed to adhere to session guidelines.

How to Submit a Session Proposal
Session proposals must be submitted through the submission form by the deadline of August 30, 2021.

Required information for all session proposals includes:

A. Submitting project or center grant number

B. Submitting project or center grant title

C. Contact information for all presenters/facilitators

D. Session Title – limited to 70 characters

E. Session Description/Program Abstract – limited to 600 characters

F. Session Outline – An outline to include a session agenda, 2-3 participant learning outcomes, 2-3 discussion questions if submitting a High Impact Workshop, Spotlight, or a Synergy session, and any resources/materials that could be shared.

G. Presenter Bios – A brief statement on the presenter’s background and expertise on the concept, topic, or tool they are presenting – limited to 500 characters for Demonstration sessions and High Impact Workshops.

To download the Call for Sessions in PDF format, please click here.