05/02/2017

CSCA 2018 Convention - Call for Submissions - Great Ideas for Teaching (G.I.F.T.)

GREAT IDEAS FOR TEACHING (G.I.F.T.)
Call for Submissions

2018 Central States Communication Association (CSCA)
Annual Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
April 4-7, 2018
DIFFERENCE

Great Ideas for Teaching (G.I.F.T.) invites submissions of classroom tested teaching activities to share with novice and veteran communication instructors. G.I.F.T. sessions feature round-table presentations of teaching activities that demonstrate how to apply a myriad of communication theories and concepts. Traditionally, G.I.F.T. submissions have focused on public speaking, interpersonal, small group, organizational, introduction to human communication and public relations; however, we encourage creative submissions from any facet of our discipline and especially encourage submissions related to the convention theme: DIFFERENCE. Submissions that focus on difference might look at how student learning styles demand diverse pedagogy in the classroom, how learning activities can help students develop an understanding of difference in their personal and professional lives, or even how students can conceptualize ways of using communication to address issues of difference around them.

This year we hope to have sessions focusing on two important aspects of our disciplines:

• We aim to host one session focusing on activities for online or hybrid courses. If your submission for a traditional classroom also has an alternative option that could be utilized in the online environment, please provide both options!
• We aim to host one session focusing on activities for the Basic Course (co-sponsored by the Basic Course Division). Any activity appropriate for a Basic Course is welcome.

This year the G.I.F.T. division will recognize the Top Overall G.I.F.T. submission and the Top Online G.I.F.T. submission (as determined by reviewer evaluations) with a cash award and a Certificate of Merit at the G.I.F.T. Interest Meeting during the convention. Reviewers will rate all submissions for acceptance to the conference, indicate which submissions deserve the overall award, and additionally be able to rate the quality and significance of those submissions identified as online activities by submitting authors. A single submission cannot win both awards.

Individuals who have their activities selected for presentation will share their ideas several times in a small group context. Typically, each presenter will have ten minutes to share the teaching activity six to seven times with different audience members each round. Presenters are expected to arrive with 75 hard copies of their assignments to be distributed during their session. Individuals who have their activities selected for presentation will also be invited to share their G.I.F.T. in an online repository, making their activity accessible to the scholarly community.

Successful G.I.F.T. submissions must contain each of the following components:

• Title of the activity
• Course(s) for which this activity is intended
• Objective(s) of the activity
• Rationale for conducting the activity
• Description of the activity, including any preparation/preliminary steps and materials needed
• Debriefing of the activity, including typical results
• Appraisal of the activity, including any limitations or variations
• References and/or Suggested Readings

Additional requirements:

• Submission content must be no longer than two pages of actual written text within accepted publishing guidelines (this includes the title, courses, objectives, rationale, description, debriefing, and appraisal). References should be included on their own third page. Do not use footnotes.
• Submission content cannot contain any identifiable information about the author. Be sure to check that comments and author information has been removed in Microsoft Word.
• Follow the sample submission found at http://csca-gift.blogspot.com/p/about.html.
• All submissions must also include a Competitive Paper Submission Form available on the CSCA conference website. The submission form must include your submission’s title, the division name (GIFTs), author(s) information, and whether this is a debut submission.
• Submit all proposals as two (2) separate Microsoft Word or PDF file attachments (the blinded submission content is one document, and the submission form is the other) to cscagiftdiv@gmail.com no later than 11:59 PM EST on October 9, 2017.
• If you are submitting an activity that can also be utilized online or solely for the basic course, please make this clear by typing “ONLINE ACTIVITY” or “BASIC COURSE ACTIVITY” at the top of your submission content document and after the title of your activity in the subject line of the email.
• If your submission is accepted, you are expected to attend the convention to present your activity. Only one author need attend, however, if multiple authors submit a joint activity, all authors are welcome.

Proposals not meeting these submission guidelines will not be distributed for review. If you have questions about G.I.F.T. or your individual submission, please contact G.I.F.T. chair and program planner Gordon Carlson at the following e-mail address: cscagiftdiv@gmail.com.

All media requests must be made at the time of submission. Please only request media if it is absolutely essential to your presentation, as media requests will be closely examined before approval. Laptop computers will not be made available for presentations.

All submissions are due by October 9, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. to:

Gordon Carlson
cscagiftdiv@gmail.com
Fort Hays State University