Abstracts

A Showcase of research, practice, leadership and policy submissions can be on any aspect of research and development in higher education. Showcase presentations will be evidence-based and not only outline the research, initiative or practice being showcased but, equally, provide clear evidence of its outcomes or its effectiveness. Quantitative and qualitative evidence of effectiveness are equally acceptable.

An abstract (maximum 300 words or one page) must be submitted for review. The abstract should be submitted as a Word document using the template provided and NOT contain any information that might identify the author/s. The abstract should include the title and describe:

• Background/context, including relevant literature
• Description of the research, initiative or practice
• Method(s) of evaluative data collection and analysis
• Evidence of outcomes and effectiveness
• References

The abstract will be published in the conference program. If accepted for presentation, you may be asked to make edits to the abstract before it is published. Each Showcase session will run for 20 to 25 minutes including a Q+A session.

In addition to the abstract, you must submit a statement (maximum of 200 words) demonstrating relevance of your topic to research and development in higher education. You will be prompted to enter this as text during the submission process.

Abstracts for Showcase presentations will be reviewed against the following criteria:

• Relevance
• Description of the research, initiative or practice
• Contribution to scholarship and/or practice
• Clarity and standard of writing
• If virtual, how you plan to engage your audience

Formatting guidelines

• Abstracts must be submitted using the template and must fit within the space on the template provided.
• Do not change the page margins or any set-up features
• Do not include the author names and affiliations on the abstract (these details will be captured during the online submission process)
• The abstract must be one single page only
• The abstract should be typed in 10 point Calibri font (do not use “bold” type)
• All text should be entered in sentence case (do not type in CAPITAL LETTERS)
• Do not include any tables or images in the abstract
• APA7 referencing is required (a guide to this is provided in the template).

Submissions for a Poster can be on any aspect of research and development in higher education. Posters will be evidence-based and make appropriate reference to the literature. A Poster allows participants with similar interests to interact by using the poster as a discussion point. At this conference, all Poster authors will be encouraged to provide both a hard-copy printed poster for onsite and a virtual poster for the online portal.  

An onsite poster should consist of one single A0 size page in portrait format (poster must not exceed 841mm wide x 1189mm high).  

A virtual poster will consist of one slide (the poster) including a recorded presentation of up to three minutes, provided as a mp4 file. 

An abstract (maximum 300 words or one page) must be submitted for review. The abstract should be submitted as a Word document using the template provided and NOT contain any information that might identify the author/s. The abstract should include the title and describe:

• Background/context, including relevant literature
• Description of the research, initiative or practice
• Method(s) of evaluative data collection and analysis
• Evidence of outcomes and effectiveness
• References

The abstract will be published in the conference program. If accepted for presentation, you may be asked to make edits to the abstract before it is published.

In addition to the abstract, you must submit a statement (maximum of 200 words) demonstrating the relevance of your topic to research and development in higher education. 

Abstracts for Posters will be reviewed against the following criteria:

• Relevance
• Description of the research, initiative or practice
• Contribution to scholarship and/or practice
• Clarity and standard of writing

Both onsite and virtual posters will be available for viewing during a dedicated interactive poster session, where authors can discuss their poster with other delegates.

Posters must conform to specifications provided upon acceptance.

Prizes will be awarded for the best poster in the virtual format only, as voted by conference delegates.

Formatting guidelines

• Abstracts must be submitted as per the template and must fit within the space on the template provided
• Do not change the page margins or any set-up features
• Do not include the author names and affiliations on the abstract (these details will be captured during the online submission process)
• The abstract must be one single page only
• The abstract should be typed in 10 point Calibri font (do not use “bold” type)
• All text should be entered in sentence case (do not type in CAPITAL LETTERS)
• Do not include any tables or images in the abstract
• APA7 referencing is required (a guide to this is provided in the template).

Submissions for a Roundtable discussion can be on any aspect of research and development in higher education. A Roundtable session is a dialogue focused on a particular topic. While the proposer of the topic hosts the roundtable session, each person has an equal right to participate in the dialogue. The proposed topic does not need to be based around any particular research; it may come from observation, the lived experience or society in general. As the title suggests, the dialogue occurs in a small group (maximum of 10 participants), seated around a table at the conference venue. Your audience will be small but focused. 

Each Roundtable discussion will run for 20 to 25 minutes. Roundtables do not require PowerPoint Presentations or projections.

At this conference, a Roundtable discussion can take one of three forms – Point for Debate, Work-in-Progress, or Birds of Feather.

The Point for Debate format is an opportunity for delegates to engage in a robust debate about an issue or challenge that the proposer has identified as worthy of further exploration. The discussion may lead to the identification of ways to expose the issue or challenge to a wider audience with a view to addressing the issue or challenge through new collaborations and/or research.

The Work-in-Progress format is an opportunity for the proposer to briefly share their work-in-progress, be it research, a new initiative or merely an idea and seek feedback and input on the work with the view of shaping, refining and progressing that work.

The Birds of a Feather format is designed to provide an opportunity for informal, but guided, dialogue about topics that are timely and important to the field of higher education. The dialogue is driven by the participants and is intended to promote meaningful interaction between participants to share ideas and strategies and to learn from each other.

An abstract (maximum 300 words or one page) must be submitted for review. The abstract should be submitted as a Word document using the template provided and NOT contain any information that might identify the author/s. The abstract should include the title and describe:

• The format of the roundtable (ie Point for Debate or Work-in-Progress or Birds of a Feather)
• The point for debate or the focus of the work-in-progress or the topic for discussion
• Context/background to the proposed session
• Intended outcome
• References

The abstract will be published in the conference program. If accepted for presentation, you may be asked to make edits to the abstract before it is published.

In addition to the abstract, you must submit a statement (maximum of 200 words) demonstrating the relevance of your topic to research and development in higher education. 

Roundtable discussions will only be included in the on-site program.

Abstracts for roundtable discussions will be reviewed against the following criteria:

• Relevance
• Potential to engage delegates in a rigorous discussion, including virtual participants if this format is specified
• Potential to advance our understanding of higher education
• Clarity and standard of writing

Formatting guidelines

• Abstracts must be submitted on the template and must fit within the space on the template provided
• Do not change the page margins or any set-up features
• Do not include the author names and affiliations on the abstract (these details will be captured during the online submission process)
• The abstract must be one single page only
• The abstract should be typed in 10 point Calibri font (do not use “bold” type)
• All text should be entered in sentence case (do not type in CAPITAL LETTERS)
• Do not include any tables or images in the abstract
• APA7 referencing is required (a guide to this is provided in the template).