Call for Submissions: 2021 Developmental Science Virtual Teaching Institute

The SRCD Developmental Science Teaching Institute is designed for teachers of developmental science courses at all levels who wish to develop strategies for engaging students, explore new ideas, update their knowledge base, and share ideas and perspectives with like-minded professionals. While we encourage submissions that address teaching and learning broadly in the developmental sciences, this year we are particularly interested in submissions related to two key areas: 1) racial justice in relation to pedagogy and child development and 2) promoting active engagement across modalities (e.g., online, hybrid). Submissions that involve evidence-based practice are preferred. Submissions may be geared towards teachers at any level of experience, from novice to experienced instructors, and at any type of institution (e.g., high schools, community colleges, liberal arts colleges, research institutions).

Encompassing topics that are relevant to beginning and advanced teachers of developmental science alike, the Institute, like the broader SRCD Biennial Meeting, will be held entirely virtually. The Institute will include sessions of general interest on cutting-edge teaching practices, a variety of breakout sessions, an online poster session, and opportunities for interaction in order to share ideas among participants. The diverse presentation formats are meant to capture the same degree of dynamic engagement as the in-person session and enable participants to select an agenda that meets their professional development needs. This is an all-day experience held in April 6, 2021, the day before the regular SRCD Biennial Meeting, held on April 7-9, 2021.

Submission Formats for the 2021 Teaching Institute:

1. Individual Poster/Visual Presentations. The poster/brief presentations could focus on a variety of potential areas, including teaching techniques and strategies, ideas for course content, or empirical evaluations of such approaches. Posters/brief snapshots are meant to serve as concise overviews of these teaching areas. For this Teaching Institute, the presentations will be posted online prior to the Teaching Institute in a virtual format with accompanying 3-5 minute spoken overviews of the work. All participants from the Teaching Institute will have the opportunity to review prior to and during the Institute.
2. Roundtable Participant Idea Exchange. This format provides a forum for a constructive discussion about overarching questions and issues pertinent to the teaching of developmental science. The Roundtable is an engaging conversation among one to two hosts/facilitators and up to 10 participants about teaching techniques, innovations, evaluation, challenges, and instructional philosophy. A central question or theme should serve as a focus for the discussion. Facilitators may give brief opening presentations but should primarily pose questions and guide discussion among a group of participants. Each topic is assigned a separate virtual discussion room, and participants choose one or more topics that interest them. The broader purpose of this Roundtable is to encourage networking among individuals or groups who may benefit from shared experiences and interests. A formal presentation is not expected although written materials or visual information may be shared with participants. The full exchange will last one hour with 2-3 “sessions” as participants switch among available topics

Review Process and Criteria for All Submissions:

Submissions will be rated according to the following criteria:

• Potential usefulness of the presentation to novice and/or more experienced teachers of developmental science
• Clarity of formulation/conceptualization
• Importance of topic
• Evidence-based or empirically-supported practice
• Sufficiently detailed to enable review

NOTE:  The review process is not blind.

Submission Guidelines for the 2021 Teaching Institute:

• We invite submissions that broadly advance the science of teaching and learning in the developmental sciences. We are particularly interested in submissions that address relevant issues in today’s teaching environment, including issues of racial justice and engaging learners across modalities.
• There is no limit to the number of authors for a presentation.
• SRCD normally does not accept submissions that have either been presented or published previously. Even in cases where SRCD members may not have had access to your original presentation, the current submission should not duplicate an earlier presentation.
• Plan ahead and submit early!
  • You may edit your submission at any time prior to the submission deadline.
  • View or print your submission, and proof and review it carefully.
• SRCD membership is not required for submission; however, we encourage you to take advantage of the benefits of membership.

Entering Data into the Submission Website:

1. Please enter a complete, formal name (e.g., Samuel T. Jones; H. Harriet Smith-Barton), current email address, and affiliation for each person. Please do not enter the names in all upper-case letters or all lower-case letters. This requirement serves to uniquely identify those included on your submission and ensures that they receive email communications regarding the decision status of the submission.
2. Titles. Use mixed-case letters (upper-case for the first letter of all words with 4 or more letters and lower-case letters for the remainder of the words) and appropriate punctuation. Maximum number of characters for your title—letters, punctuation, and spacing—is 130. 
3. Abstracts. The abstract should address the potential usefulness of the presentation to novice and experienced teachers of developmental science and highlight the importance of the topic. Your abstract must be no more than 500 words, and either typed or copied and pasted into the submission site; no file uploads are allowed. NOTE: Your abstract or description should be in final form. 
   • Do not include the title in the abstract.
   • Do not include the presentation title in the abstract. Use standard reference citations (last name, year), if necessary, but do not include a reference list.
4. File Uploads. Graphics are permitted, but are optional. They do not count toward the maximum word count for your abstract. Any graphics must be incorporated into one single file. The graphics allowed may be: 
   • 2 tables, or
   • 2 figures, or
   • 1 table plus 1 figure
5. Group Authorship (e.g., consortia, projects, programs) may be entered in the specified field during the “Hosts/Facilitators/Authors” step of the submission process.
6. Individual requests regarding scheduling may be made at the time of submission by entering them in the “details” step. Due to the complexities of the Teaching Institute scheduling process, only justified requests will be addressed, so please include the reason for your scheduling request. We will do our best to accommodate your needs in the scheduling process; however, we cannot guarantee that your request will be honored.
7. NO revisions can be made after the submission deadline.

Submission Deadline:
December 21, 2020 at 11:59pm EST

Please contact scholar@srcd.org with any questions or concerns.