Required Elements for All Conference Proposals

The increased emphasis on effective learning for conference participants means that proposal reviewers will be looking much more closely at certain elements in each proposal. All these elements will be required for proposal submission; reviewers will be rating proposals on how well these elements connect with and contribute to learning value for audiences.

Audiences Targeted at the NAFSA Conference

To ensure an effective learning experience for conference-goers, it is critical that you first identify the target audience for your topic. Generally, sessions and workshops that clearly target audiences, tightly focus on a topic, and actively engage participants are those most likely to be selected. Such opportunities, when executed well, also tend to receive higher participant evaluations.

As you are designing your proposal, keep adult learning principles and practices in mind. Conference participants are professionals in international education and expect session and workshop content that is highly relevant and practical. Making the link between theory/research and application to daily work is important. Regardless of how many years they have been in the field, participants will bring their own experience to your session or workshop and will expect you to honor and engage that experience.

The NAFSA annual conference attracts a wide variety of professionals in international education, and most can be grouped according to primary areas of expertise and roles. The goal of NAFSA's Annual Conference Committee is to provide an overall balance of sessions and workshops at the conference in which each of our target audiences will find value.

During the proposal submission process, you will be asked to identify to which of the following target audiences your content is directed. Please keep in mind that many of the roles outlined below include professionals both within and from outside the United States.

Area of Expertise	Target Audience Roles Include
Education Abroad	Program development staff; college/university-based education abroad advisers; directors of education abroad offices; overseas recruiting faculty and staff; faculty running education abroad programs; recruiters for outbound students; education abroad providers; education abroad advisers in secondary schools
International Education Leadership	Senior international officers (e.g., deans, association deans, vice provosts for international education); senior campus leaders (e.g., presidents, provosts, chief academic officers); mid-career professionals
International Student & Scholar Services	College/university-based international student advisers; international student advisers in secondary schools; campus and community programming staff; international scholar advisers; human resource professionals; immigration practitioners; front-line office staff
Teaching, Learning, & Scholarship	Faculty and professionals involved in intercultural/international education, internationalization, and theory-to-practice; graduate students/post-docs; researchers; intercultural trainers; and cross-cultural counselors.
Recruitment, Admissions, & Preparation	English-language teaching administrators; overseas educational advisers; recruiters for inbound students; admissions staff; credential evaluators; sponsoring programming agencies; registrars; international enrollment managers
General professional interest	Anyone attending the conference who works in international education or has an interest in the field; proposals of interest to more than one of the above target audiences
Other audiences that may attend the conference	Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in international development; immigration advocates; regional accrediting bodies; government representatives; other university officials/staff (conference sessions are not specifically targeted to them; however they may be in your audience)

Level of Audience Content Knowledge

Targeting your audience includes defining the level of audience experience in the topic area to which your content is directed. NAFSA conference sessions are now divided into three primary experience levels that apply across all target audience groups. You will select one level of content knowledge during the proposal submission process.

Level I: Assumes little or no knowledge of the topic covered (0-3 years topic experience)

Level II: Developed for those with general knowledge of the literature and professional practice in the topic covered (4-9 years topic experience)

Level III: Tailored for participants who have thorough knowledge of the literature and professional practices of the topic covered (10+ years topic experience)

Size/Type of Institution for Which Content is Best Suited

Some content is best-suited for a particular size or type of institution. You will be asked to choose one of the following categories as you submit your proposal:

• elementary or secondary school
• special focus institution/institute
• nongovernmental organization
• any size/type of institution

• community college
• undergraduate college or university
• graduate college or university
• noncampus service or program providers

Content Focus Areas

The Annual Conference Committee seeks proposals in specific content focus areas, since understanding in these areas is considered critical for success in today's international education environment. Besides identifying a target audience, developing and submitting your proposal includes deciding which focus area best describes your topic. The ACC will look for a wide variety of sessions in each of these areas, and preference will be given to proposals that most closely fit the parameters of the selected focus area.

Focus Areas for the 2009 NAFSA Annual Conference

Focus Area	Description
Advocacy	Strategies for articulating the value of international education with businesses, on campus, in state legislatures, and nationally to affect policies and gain resources; should correspond with advocacy objectives outlined in NAFSA’s strategic plan
Internationalization	Includes all aspects of the effort to introduce and build upon international, intercultural, and global dimensions on campuses and within higher education overall. Topics concerning the effects of related partnerships, curricula, and programs are encouraged.
Theory, Research, & Measurement	Covers the role, impact, and application of theoretical models; research methods and projects; measurement and assessment of programs in international education.
Global Issues & Politics	Encompasses trends and responses to trends in political, economic, social, workforce, environmental, health, security, and educational areas that affect international education.
Social Responsibility	How international education programs, teaching, and practitioners—individually and collectively—can help meet societal challenges and contribute to the global civil society.
Technology	Technology’s current and future impact on international education initiatives; its use as a tool for supporting international education efforts.
Ethics	Ethical dilemmas faced by international educators in their work and methods for addressing these concerns
Personal & Professional Development	Covers multiple topics to support international educators in developing skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed for effective performance of their daily work.
Other	Innovative proposals of critical interest to those in international education that do not fit in other content focus areas

Learning Formats and Session Designs

To ensure a balance of learning opportunities based on effective adult learning principles and practices, conference educational opportunities will consist of four basic formats, within which will be a number of session designs. As you prepare your proposal, think about what type of content you wish to share and how you will deliver it. The new proposal submission process requires you to choose one format and one session design.

2009 Conference Formats

Format	Description
Preconference Workshops May 24-26	Precede the opening of the conference and are generally a half- to full-day in length. Approximately 60 workshops will be offered, including the NAFSA Core Education Program workshops and those on a variety of topics selected through the proposal process. Open to participants who have registered and paid an additional fee. Workshops feature a participant-centered and highly interactive approach. Topics should be of current interest and provide substantive training and critical discussion. A specific proposal format, including budget, is required.
General Conference Sessions May 26-29	Standard concurrent sessions of 60 or 75 minutes in length, open to all participants, with audience sizes ranging generally from 50-800. Plan a session with good coverage of fewer topics rather than limited coverage of many topics.
Seminars May 26-29	Designed to offer an in-depth treatment of pressing topics beyond the scope of traditional concurrent sessions. Through advance registration, seminars can be limited to smaller audiences of up to 150 people. Generally 2-3 hours long, they should be interactive and capture the best techniques, information, and topic application. Consider choosing session design that stimulate discussion and interaction.
Posters May 26-29	Visual presentations displayed on tables and bulletin boards at a specified time and place, organized around identified themes. Presenters may speak with people who walk by their poster to answer questions and elicit feedback. Presenters must provide their own material; only the table and bulletin board are provided. Individual proposals will be accepted within the identified themes, or a group of people may propose a poster group not covered by themes. Poster proposals have a later deadline than do sessions and workshops. Individual proposals must be submitted for each poster presentation. In addition to the themes identified by the ACC, proposals may be submitted for additional themes. In general, a theme should have at least 15 individual posters. To propose a theme, proposers must submit a single proposal for the theme as well as individual proposals for each poster. Once the proposal for the theme is submitted, NAFSA staff will add the theme to the list of proposal themes in the online proposal system so that individual poster proposals can select that theme. The themes for the 2009 NAFSA Annual Conference are: Theme Description Best Practices in Marketing and Recruitment Deep, long-term research in the dynamic field of international student recruitment has been elusive. This poster session showcases individual best practices and case studies, as colleagues share results of their most current campaigns. Learn about how your peer institutions are faring in today's competitive global environment. Increasing Diversity Outreach, Enhancing Learning: Study Abroad Student Support Resources Posters highlight innovative programs, support services, and resources to assist colleges and universities interested in expanding study abroad participation and enhancing learning before, during, and after study abroad, especially among under-represented and non-traditional study abroad populations focusing on LGBT, disability, race and ethnicity, socio-economic status and academics disciplines such as sciences and engineering. Intercultural Initiatives for Campus and Community Posters showcasing programs from campus organizations and local communities that emphasize supporting international students and scholars and their families, and gathering community members and international students to further intercultural understanding. Internationalizing the Curriculum and Campus Posters will highlight best practices for implementing internationalization initiatives across the campus and curriculum, internationalizing faculty development, and translating related research into practice. International Education Research Posters on current qualitative and quantitative research in the field of international education. The exchange of ideas and research methodologies will facilitate further academic inquiry as well as future research collaboration. Liberal Arts Institutions Small & Residential: Institutional Collaboration Posters on collaboration between campuses, offices, departments and students as they occur in Liberal Arts Institutions: Small and Residential. Overseas Education Advisers/Embassy Country Fair EducationUSA overseas advisers and embassy representatives from around the world presenting information about educational systems and advising programs. Updates on Country Policies and Higher Education Posters sharing current issues and trends in the policies and higher education systems of countries. This theme specifically showcases representatives of international organizations and governments. Work, Internship, and Volunteer Abroad Representatives of campuses and providers of work, internship, and volunteering abroad (WIVA) programs. Working with Sponsors and Program Organizations Posters will share who the program agencies and sponsors are, the diversity of sponsored student programs, and the needs of each. They will also highlight how institutions can attract more sponsored students to their campus.

Conference Session Designs

Once you have selected a conference format and content focus area, you will be required to choose one of the following session designs. This choice allows you to focus your program at a deeper level of learning within the content area you've selected. Regardless of format, focus area, or session designs, every proposal must include a description of how session participants will be able to immediately apply what is learned to their own work environments.

The ACC will select conference sessions to include a variety of approaches as described below. Design your proposal with one of these in mind.

Session Design	Description
Case Study	A first-person account of a project, initiative, or program from initial idea to end result. Proposals should detail the process, including what worked, what didn’t work, and lessons learned. A key aspect of this approach is showing session participants how the content can be applied in their own workplaces.
Panel Discussion	A panel is a moderated discussion with not more than three panelists (plus one moderator); it is a discussion of the topic, not individual presentations/views of the topic. The moderator must have a set of predefined questions to ask panelists and should incorporate audience questions and feedback into the discussion. Showcases diverse knowledge or points of view.
Presenter and Respondent(s)	A brief presentation by an expert followed by give and take with one or more respondents, who contribute other perspectives, critiques, or applications. The goal is to offer differing views, theories, perspectives, or applications of the topic and follow with a lively debate among audience participants supporting one or more of the views or perspectives offered.
Learning Lab (45- to 60-minute roundtable discussions)	A shorter, informal learning opportunity consisting of open, facilitated discussion (no presentation). Topics should be very narrowly focused and generally at Level II or above in audience experience. Along with focused learning objectives, proposals should include an overview of key points or themes to be emphasized as well as specifics on how you will facilitate the discussion. Additionally, include how you will manage the discussion to incorporate the needs of participants.
Senior Collaboration (10+ years in the field)	The content of these sessions should challenge and stimulate participants with years in the field and should be strategic in focus. The sessions should be highly interactive and rely less on slides and lecture so as to incorporate topic-related participant experiences. Depth of topic is more important than number of topics covered in a single session.
Experiential	These sessions will substantially depart from the traditional conference lecture/presentation model and incorporate hands-on learning. Participants will “experience” applying or in some way actually utilizing the topic concepts/content.
Innovation	A new session design concept. Content will be provided in a manner distinct from the methods outlined above. You will be asked to explain your proposed delivery method in the proposal.

Session and Workshop Objectives, Description, and Development

Conference sessions and workshops based on accepted proposals will need to provide participants a substantial learning experience. Your proposal must include clear objectives and clear and concise answers to specific questions about which interactive instruction methods you will use to support learning, audience interaction, topics to be addressed, and the impact of your topic.

Participants base their decisions on which sessions and workshops they will attend on the descriptions that appear in the conference program. Your ability to deliver what is promised there has a significant impact on participant satisfaction and on how well your session or workshop is evaluated. The ACC's major emphasis this year on the quality and focus of conference learning is a direct result of past participants' evaluation ratings and comments.

NAFSA's new Guidelines for Proposal Writers provides you with tips and techniques for submitting a winning proposal. Following these recommendations doesn't guarantee your proposal will be accepted. However, doing so does increase the likelihood your proposal will be strongly considered as the ACC seeks to provide a balanced and compelling conference education program. Any proposal missing the required elements will be removed from consideration regardless of its topic relevancy.