[Submission now closed] Submission Guidelines:

How to submit | Themes | Sessions | Workshops | Presentations | Review Criteria | Important Dates | Contact Information | Downloads

Submissions for the inaugural Effective Learning in the Biosciences Conference organised by the UK Centre for Bioscience

The deadline for all submissions has been extended to Friday 4th February 2011

We invite you to submit an abstract for the inaugural Effective Learning in the Biosciences Conference. Submissions are invited for Short Presentations (15 minutes), Interactive Presentations (30 minutes), Workshops (60 minutes) and Posters. Giving an oral presentation, running a workshop or presenting a poster should provide an excellent opportunity for you to discuss your work with a wide range of individuals involved with teaching bioscience in higher and further education.

• Download the submission guidelines in full (pdf document)
• Download the abstract submission form (Word document)

How to submit

You should receive an email confirming receipt of your abstract within one working week of submission, otherwise please contact the Conference team by email on bioconf@leeds.ac.uk  or by phone on +44 (0)113 343 3001. Lead presenters will be informed by 28th February 2011 if their proposal has been successful. All lead presenters must register for the Conference by the 27th May 2011 to confirm they will present.

Please note, incomplete submissions will be returned.

Conference themes

The Conference will focus on 4 main themes:

• Inspiring first year students
• Engaging students in the laboratory and field
• Biologists working with others – interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning and teaching
• Students and academics working together to improve the student learning experience

Presenters should indicate which theme or themes their session proposal relates to.

Sessions

The organisers invite submission of offers of workshops, interactive presentations, short presentations and posters under the conference themes. Wherever possible, strong emphasis should be placed on how the work described is having an impact on the student learning experience.
Please note: abstract word limits do not include references.

Workshop proposals should have a 300 word abstract setting out the aims, objectives and content of the workshop. The proposal should also indicate, within 50 words, how the session will be interactive.

Interactive presentation proposals should have a 300 word abstract highlighting the key message and content of the presentation. The proposal should also indicate, within 50 words, how the session will be interactive.

Submissions for short presentations should have a 300 word abstract highlighting the key message(s) and the outline content of the presentation.

Posters (up to A0 in portrait format)
Poster presentations will form an integral part of the Conference with a designated poster session on the evening of the 30th June and posters on display throughout the Conference. We expect to display around 30 posters.
Posters should aim to give a brief summary of a piece of pedagogic research, innovation or project, either completed or still in progress. The maximum poster size is A0, in portrait orientation. We may be able to provide a small number of poster presenters with space for a small display (e.g. table and power socket for a laptop), however we cannot guarantee this.

Poster submissions should have a 300 word abstract which highlights the key message(s) and content of the poster.

Conference abstracts booklet
The abstracts of all accepted submissions (workshop, interactive presentation, short presentation and poster) will be published in the Conference abstracts booklet given to all delegates at the Conference.

Presenters will be asked to provide an electronic version of their PowerPoint presentation or poster to be made available on the Conference website.

Those presenting novel and original work may be invited to submit a manuscript for publication in the Centre's peer-reviewed journal Bioscience Education.

Review criteria

Each proposal will be reviewed against the following criteria:

The submission:

1. Is appropriate to the type of session (short presentation, interactive presentation, workshop or poster). Submissions not considered appropriate may be offered an alternative, e.g. poster as opposed to short presentation;
2. Is clear and coherent;
3. Is relevant to the themes of the Conference;
4. Demonstrates clearly the impact of the presenter's work;
5. Demonstrates the transferability of the work, i.e. it would be of interest to staff in other departments or institutions;
6. Shows there is reflection on the work or project, not just a straight forward reporting; and
7. For workshops and interactive presentations, details clear opportunities for participants to actively engage in the session.

Submissions detailing original and innovative work are particularly encouraged.

Equipment

The following equipment will be provided as standard in all session rooms:

• PC with PowerPoint
• data projector
• internet access

We cannot guarantee the availability of any other equipment or software. It is the responsibility of the lead presenter to inform the Conference team of any additional requirements e.g. audio speakers, flipchart or pens which will be provided if possible. If you do not let us know by the 10th June of additional equipment requirements, we cannot guarantee they will be available. Please note, presenters will be expected to use the PCs supplied and not their own laptop unless this has been previously agreed with the Conference organisers.

Important dates

Contact Information

All enquires should be forwarded to the Conference team at:
Tel: +44 (0)113 343 3001, Fax: +44 (0)113 343 5894, email: bioconf@leeds.ac.uk

Downloads

Download the submission guidelines in full (pdf)

Download the abstract submission form (Word document)  

Please note: It is a requirement that all presenters register as Conference delegates for the entire event or for the day of their session.