Call for Proposals

There’s really no secret about our approach. We keep moving forward — opening up new doors and doing new things —  because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. We’re always exploring and experimenting. We call it Imagineering–the blending of creativity and imagination with technical know-how.

– Walt Disney

Presentation & SIG Proposal Submission is Now Closed

Call for SIG Proposals (Closed)

Deadline for SIG Proposals: May 1, 2014

Proposals are encouraged for Special Interest Group (SIG) sessions for the 2014 IWCA/NCPTW Conference. We will begin accepting SIG proposals starting April 15, 2014. Only one SIG proposal per individual will be accepted.

SIG Session Information:

SIG sessions may include any format deemed appropriate by SIG organizers. Sessions will be scheduled in 1-hour blocks. Past IWCA/NCPTW SIGs have covered a range of topics:

Anti-racism Activism, Online Writing Centers, Writing Center Research, Assessment, High School Writing Centers, Writing Centers and Technology, LGBTQ, Negotiating the Tenure Track for Writing Center Directors, Two-Year Colleges, Mentoring, Peer Tutoring, Undergraduate Research, Graduate Student Administrators, Writing Centers Beyond U.S. Borders, among other topics.

Proposals for sessions from separate parties that contain similar themes may be asked to consolidate at the discretion of the SIG proposal review committee.

Submission Requirements and Evaluation Criteria:

Each SIG session proposal must include the following in word document:

  1. SIG title.
  2. Name, affiliation and contact information for the SIG organizer(s).
  3. 50 word abstract for online program.
  4. An extended (no more than 200 words) proposal that includes a description of the theme, topic, purpose and format of the proposed SIG along with a description of how you plan to promote audience interaction.

Please contact IWCA/NCPTW SIG Coordinator, 
Adam Gray ([email protected] ), with any additional questions.

Call for Proposals (Closed)

Like Disney’s Imagineers, we in writing centers “keep moving forward;” we, too, are curious explorers and inventors who combine imagination with technology, creativity with know-how. For the 2014 combined conference of the International Writing Center Association and National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing, then, we, in collaboration with conference keynote speaker Elizabeth Boquet, invite you to consider “The Wonderful World of Writing Centers,” to investigate the ways in which we in the writing center can make everyday magic for ourselves and the writers with whom we work.

The Theme:

We will meet at Disney’s Coronado Springs Hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida from Thursday October 30th to Saturday November 1st. Our considerations for our time together might include but are not limited to:

  • What “new doors” are you opening in your writing center? What “new things” are you doing? What “new paths” should the writing center community – tutors, administrators, writers — explore? Or avoid?
  • How can we use curiosity and creativity to encounter the challenges faced in our writing centers?
  • How can we combine new media technologies with creativity and to what ends?
  • What are the possible roles of imagination in tutoring? In administration?
  • How do we help students, faculty, and administrators reimagine their understanding of literacy, writing,  and learning?

The Proposal:

We are, in short, hoping to inspire presentations that combine research with reflection and introspection with data. Of course, we also welcome writing center scholarship on any topic of general interest to the writing center community.  Proposals will be accepted until April 15th, 2014. We will accept up to two (2) proposals from any individual, so long as one of the proposals includes more than one presenter. Presentations will take the following format:

  • Individual Presentations: 15-20 minute papers that will be combined into a panel by the program chairs
  • Panel Presentations:  3 to 4 presentations of 15-20 minutes each on a particular theme or question
  • Round Tables: 15 minutes of introductory comments/question framing by the presenters and then a discussion among attendees
  • Poster Presentations: A research-fair style presentation of research in which the presenter(s) create a visual argument and informally discuss their research with attendees.
  • Workshop Session: 75-minute interactive session in which leaders will guide participants through the investigation of a new area of knowledge.