Abstracts/Contributions

Click here for the 2021 SoTL Conference abstract book!

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GENERAL INFORMATION

The 2021 SU SoTL virtual conference offers a space for academics to reflect, showcase, and share innovative practices stemming from the current unique circumstances they are teaching in (i.e. teaching remotely due to COVID-19).

Stellenbosch University staff members are invited to submit abstracts/contributions through which they reflect on their teaching, learning and assessment, share what they have learnt and how it will impact their future teaching.

You may want to share your experiences of trying out something new or innovative in your teaching or assessment practice. Did it work or not? Perhaps you’ve conducted a large-scale needs analysis related to your teaching, or you’ve discovered something interesting while analyzing the results of your students’ assessment. Have you explored a teaching-related aspect in collaboration with other colleagues in your department or faculty, or even across disciplinary boundaries? Have you conducted research on your teaching or assessment? Or perhaps you have some new ideas that you would like to discuss.

Come and share your results, innovative practices and reflections with us in a presentation or, so that we can all learn together and make teaching and learning at SU the best it can be.
You can submit abstracts/contributions in the research, innovation or reflection tracks, or perhaps even a poster. Please see the details below.

WRITING THE ABSTRACT

Have a look at Creating a research space (the CARS model), which provides an overview of steps to follow when doing educational research – this could assist you in writing your abstract. You may also contact the CTL Advisor in your faculty for assistance.

The abstract should consist of 300 words minimum and 350 words maximum. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 03 September 2021.

ETHICAL CLEARANCE

Please note that the primary investigator is responsible for obtaining the necessary (1) ethical clearance and/or (2) institutional permission and to ensure adherence to the (3) Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Click here for more information.

STREAMS

Abstracts may be submitted in the following streams:

  • Academic and digital literacies
  • Co-curriculum
  • Educational Leadership
  • Emergency Remote Teaching
  • Evaluation
  • Feedback
  • Focus on first-years
  • Graduate attributes
  • Innovative teaching
  • Innovative assessment
  • Interdisciplinary teaching
  • Mentoring and tutoring
  • Multilingualism
  • Postgraduate teaching
  • Programme review and renewal
  • Reflection
  • Social impact
  • Social justice in teaching and learning
  • Student success factors
  • Student support (CARe)
  • Technology in education
  • Transforming the curriculum

CRITERIA FOR THE ABSTRACTS/CONTRIBUTIONS

RESEARCH

INNOVATION

REFLECTION
  • Background, rationale, purpose
  • Background, context, purpose
  • Background, context, purpose including reference to the use of a reflective framework
  • Research question(s)
  • Particular interest/focus of presentation
  • What was done?
  • Theoretical framing and literature review
  • Description of work done
  • Why did you do it?
  • Methods
  • Links to similar work
  • What were the results?
  •  Implications:   How the work adds to the field, relevance for other contexts, additional areas for further research
  • Implications: Take-home messages, e.g. might be relevant or useful in another context, or opens additional areas for further exploration/research
  • How did you feel and what were the lessons learned?
  • Originality or significance of research
  • Value to fellow practitioners
  • Significance of the work and how it will influence your future teaching
  • Results or conclusions from findings
  • Conclusions
  • See below (recommended readings)

Recommended reading of “Reflection“:

  1. Gibbs_reflective-cycle-template
  2. Rolfe 2001_Reflective Model
  3. Mezirow Reflection
  4. Schön Reflection

Find the following list for further readings:

    • Ashwin, P., D. Boud, K. Coate, F. Hallet, E. Keane, K. Krause, B. Leibowitz, I. Maclaren, J. McArthur, V. McCune and M. Tooher. 2015. Reflective teaching in higher education. London: Bloomsbury.
    • Biesta G. 2019. How Have You Been? On Existential Reflection and Thoughtful Teaching. In: Webster R., Whelen J. (Eds.), Rethinking Reflection and Ethics for Teachers. Singapore: Springer.
    • Dewey, J. 1986. How we think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the educative process. In: Boydston, J. A. (Ed.), The later works of John Dewey, Volume 8: 1933. (pp. 105-352). Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. (Original work published 1933)

The title of the presentation must be no longer than 10 words.

GENERAL CRITERIA

  • The abstract/contribution must be between 300 and 350 words.
  • The abstract/contribution must be language edited before it is submitted.
  • Abstracts should contain in-text references (author date), but a reference list is not required.
  • The abstract/contribution should be understandable to a broad spectrum of readers.
  • The abstract/contribution must be submitted by 03 September 2021.
  • This document contains information about how the SoTL prize winners are determined plus the criteria used by the judging panel.

ALLOCATED TIME FOR PRESENTATIONS

Research Innovation Reflection
Presentation time 20 minutes 20 minutes 15 minutes
Q&A 5 minutes 5 minutes 5 minutes

ENQUIRIES

E-mail us at sotl@sun.ac.za