EARLI - Conference session formats

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Conference session formats

Types of sessions EARLI 2009

Next to invited symposia, and keynotes, a large variety of session formats open for competition is offered.
Sessions created from collective proposals are symposia and panel discussions.
Please note that we offer room for empirical and theoretical contributions.

Individual proposals can opt for
1. a paper session,
2. a poster session (see new format below)
3. a round table (new session format)
4. a workshop
5. a demonstration

We also organise a lunch with professors meeting (Friday) and SIG sessions where SIG members and participants discuss future directions of research in their field, based on the experiences during the conference.
Below we provide a short description of each session format.

Symposia

Duration: 90 minutes
Purpose: To present and discuss an issue coherently.
How it works: Organizers of a symposium create a coherent session of four presentations (15 minutes each) and a discussion (10-15 minutes). The discussant is invited beforehand, and had the opportunity to read the papers and prepare a diligent critical but helpful discussion. A good symposium provides up to date studies in a particular field of research; the discussant may sketch future developments in the issue under study. At least 15-20 minutes are devoted to a discussion with the participating audience. The chair person moderates the discussion.

An empirical contribution in a symposium focuses on:

Relevance of the project
Theoretical background
Research questions
Research methods
Results
Discussion and conclusion

A theoretical contribution in a symposium focuses on:

Relevance of the theoretical debate
Theoretical background/literature review
Position of the presenter in the debate
Arguments for the position
Relevance of the position for theory and/or practice/policy
Discussion and conclusion

Panel Discussions

Duration: 90 minutes
Purpose: To debate an issue thoroughly
How it works: Organizers of a panel discussion create a lively explorative session in which a maximum of five scholars debate about alternative solutions or interpretations for a common problem or theme. They provide the audience with a debate between three to five scholars who put forward arguments pro and con towards a discussion statement or a certain issue. A discussant is invited beforehand. 30 Minutes are devoted to a discussion with the participating audience.
Advantage: Well informed insight in positions and consequences in a scientific, practical or policy issue

Paper Sessions

Duration: 90 minutes
Purpose: Paper sessions are oral presentations of four papers, each lasting 15 minutes, followed by a 5 minutes informative round of questions from the audience and a closing 10 minutes of discussion.
A paper can present an empirical study, or a theoretical account.
The sessions are directed by a chair person.
The Local Organizing Committee will attempt to create coherent paper sessions by combining related papers and providing a title and a relevant SIG label to the paper session.
How it works: The chair person prepares some issues for discussion to inspire the audience. Moreover, the chair person should attempt to relate the papers in the paper session.

An empirical paper focuses on:

Relevance of the project
Theoretical background
Research questions
Research methods
Results
Discussion and conclusion

Presenters should consider creating opportunities for interaction with the audience. They may include some questions to be discussed which highlight the choices made in the research, some test items to be answered by the audience, or some discussion questions which elaborate on the conclusions of the research. It is not necessary to follow the list of items mentioned above in the same sequence. Attention might be stimulated by presenting the results within the first 7 minutes of talk, inviting the audience to wonder and think…. Presentation of the results however should not be later than after 7 minutes of talk.

A theoretical paper focuses on:

Relevance of the theoretical debate
Theoretical background/literature review
Position of the presenter in the debate
Arguments for the position
Relevance of the position for theory and/or practice/policy
Discussion and conclusion

Presenters should consider creating opportunities for interaction with the audience. They may include some questions to be discussed which highlight the positions in the debate or some discussion questions which elaborate on the positions in the debate. It is not necessary to follow the list of items mentioned above in the same sequence. Attention might be stimulated by presenting the positions within the first minutes of talk, inviting the audience to wonder and think, and embedding the positions later in theoretical frameworks. Presentation of one’s own position and the consequences should not be later than after 7 minutes of talk.

Poster Sessions

Duration: 90 minutes
Purpose: To bring a variety of posters into a coherent session theme, to have audience attention for each presenter, while allowing for activities of individual participants and providing in-depth-attention for particular studies.
A poster can present an empirical study, or a theoretical account.
The sessions are directed by a chair person.
The Local Organizing Committee will attempt to create coherent poster sessions by combining related posters and providing a title and a relevant SIG label to the session.
How it works: Up to six thematically-linked posters will be grouped in one room.

1-15 minutes
First, participants may wander at will among individual poster stations. After 15 minutes of orienting – strolling around – the chair will collect the group and lead them along the posters.

15-45 minutes.
Presenters will give a brief explanation (5 minutes) about their poster. At request, they will provide the participants with hand-outs offering more detail and background.

45-60 minutes
After these introductions, participants and presenters may interact in-depth, mostly vis-a-vis, about common issues and interests.

60-90 minutes
After the guided tour around the six posters, participants are free to stay in the same room or attend posters in other poster rooms, choosing between in-dept discussions with one poster presenter or following a ‘get as much as you can’-strategy
In each poster room, the chair organizes a group discussion with presenters and remaining participants (max 15-20).

NB Available poster boards are 95 by 120 cm (w*h); A0 format poster (84,1 by 118,9 cm fits perfectly (or two A1 posters)

An empirical poster focuses on:

Relevance of the project
Theoretical background
Research questions
Research methods
Results
Discussion and conclusion

A theoretical poster focuses on:

Relevance of the theoretical debate
Theoretical background/literature review
Position of the presenter in the debate
Arguments for the position
Relevance of the position for theory and/or practice/policy
Discussion and conclusion

Advantages: Based on the introductions, each participant is free to spend time and attention to the studies that interests them most. The interaction with and engagement of participants is guaranteed.

Round Tables

Duration: 90 minutes (2 shifts)
Purpose: To present problematic issues, to create collaborative, divergent thinking.
How it works: A round table session is guided by an issue raised by the researcher. In most cases, the discussion will be about work in progress.
The researcher explains the research and the research issue (5 minutes), provides the participants with a short handout (two pages, double sided printed), and invites the participants to help to solve the issue/problem.
The session is organized in a large room, with 20-30 tables, with five chairs at each table. After 45 minutes, there is a possibility to shift.
Advantage: The small group interaction, which enhances the in-depth discussion.

Workshops

Duration: 90 minutes
Category: individual proposal (abstract + extended summary)
Scheduled: one time slot of 90 minutes
Purpose: To familiarize participants with some aspect of research or teaching practice, so that questioning and discussion are suitably informed.
How it works: Learning-by-doing occupies most of the session, presentations are brief. Hands-on activities. Adequate time for reflective discussion is important.
Advantage: Learning-by-doing yields a kind of understanding that is deeper, more engaging and convincing, more varied according to individual differences than monologic, centralized forms of presentation. It can be particularly useful when it is combined with discussion so that differing experiences can be blended into a common perspective.

Demonstrations

Duration: 45 minutes (2 shift in a session timeslots)
Category: individual proposal (abstract + extended summary)
Scheduled: one time slot of 90 minutes
Purpose: To display, explain and familiarize users with a potentially useful teaching or research tool or method.
How it works: One or more presenters focus on an educational or research tool (e.g. a piece of software to aid research, a computer-based simulation, a specific teaching method or a multimedia-based approach to some subject) and run through its paces, often including some hands-on time for participants. The presentation may include references to completed research, but the point of the session is to demonstrate the tool, not present the research for criticism. They audience may offer their viewpoints and share their experiences with similar tools or different tools for the same purpose.
Advantage: Speeds the spread of new technology or techniques, thus opening the door to new thinking about teaching or research.

Lunch & Meet Sessions (Friday)

Duration: 90 minutes
Purpose: To meet professors in your field informally
How it works: At Friday lunchtime, it is possible to have lunch with a professor in your field. At the reception desk at Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon, there is a special corner to book ‘your’ professor for lunch.
At the conference website, an announcement will be displayed which professors volunteered to participate in the meet-your-professor-lunches.
Advantage: The small group interaction, meeting colleague researchers form the same field

SIGs option: Future & Vision Sessions (Saturday)

Duration: 90 minutes
Purpose: The value of the session for participants lies in the ad hoc interchange, in which discussants and presenters try to reach insight in key issues within the domains of the SIG. It is equally valuable to discover interesting new questions (e.g. for research) as it is to discover answers (from various perspectives).
How it works: In accordance to SIG wishes, at Saturday lunchtime, some SIGs have opted for a new type of session. The session is initiated by two or more pre-appointed discussants (SIGs).
The session is initiated by two or more pre-appointed discussants (SIGs). While they have visited poster and paper sessions, they have gathered information about central points of discussion, focusing on issues that overlap and results from papers and posters, but also on interesting new trends within or outside the SIG-domain. These discussants make brief introductory remarks before engaging in ad hoc interchange, which might need some preparation, but cannot be predicted or controlled entirely.
Many ‘discussions’ will take place among people who (want to) agree. The EARLI discussion sessions, however, should focus on what-if’s and counterarguments. They provide the rare opportunity in our professional rounds to engage in the kind of spirited debate for which the academic world is well-known but which it so often fails to foster. Chairs are appointed beforehand. Audience activity is stimulated.