Calls for Proposals

Call for Proposals: 2026 CEIE Summer Conference (Closed)

Date: August 27, 2026

Time: 8:30am - 4:00pm

Location: CKB G08

Overview:

The Center for Educational Innovation and Excellence (CEIE) is excited to announce the call for proposals for the second annual CEIE Summer Conference, ”Teaching for Engagement: Driving Student Motivation and Success.” We invite university staff, faculty, instructors, and TAs to submit proposals that showcase innovative engagement strategies, emphasizing how students behave, feel, and think about their role in the classroom through thoughtful instructional design. Overall, this conference is dedicated to exploring and enhancing student engagement in the classroom and across modes of instruction.

Themes & Topics:

Proposals should focus on student engagement and may cover areas such as, but not limited to:

• Design and implementation of engaging student-centered activities, lessons, or courses 
• Assessment strategies to promote engagement
• Data-driven learning analytics to understand student engagement
• Case studies and evaluations of student engagement initiatives
• Removing barriers to engagement (e.g., generational differences, accessibility and inclusivity, UDL, international student pedagogy)
• Strategies for enhancing student engagement in the Age of AI
• Engagement strategies in various course modes and spaces: in-person, online synchronous, and online asynchronous, hybrid, fixed seating, flexible classroom, etc 
• Construct and underpinnings of student engagement: 
  • Behavioral (e.g., participation, effort, persistence, attention)
  • Emotional (e.g., affective reactions in the classroom: interest, anxiety, boredom, agency)
  • Cognitive (e.g., investment, mindsets, metacognition, cognitive strategies)

All breakout sessions will be 45 minutes in length.

Submission Guidelines:

• Session Title: Approximately 75 characters
• Abstract Requirements: Abstracts should be no more than 250 words, and clearly describe your engagement strategy or topic (e.g., Motivation (the "why"), Pedagogy (the "how"), Environment (the "where"), and Assessment (the "criteria")), the impact on education, and the evidence of effectiveness
•  (This will be posted in the program along with the title).
• Session Types: All sessions must be designed to be interactive, engaging, and require audience participation. Types include workshops, interactive panels, and demonstrations.
• Engagement Strategy: Each proposal must include a detailed plan for engaging participants, ensuring that attendees are active contributors rather than passive listeners for at least 50% of your time with them.
• Formatting: Proposals should be submitted through the provided Google Form.
• Deadline: The CFP closed on June 5th, 2026.

Review Process:

Proposals will be evaluated by the CEIE staff and Advisory Board, and assessed based on their relevance to the conference theme by targeting engagement strategies, topics, pedagogies, environments, or assessment approaches, as well as evaluated on the innovativeness, effectiveness, and overall potential for impact on educational practices and student success.

Special Considerations:

We highly encourage submissions that include students as co-presenters or significant contributors. Special consideration will be given to these proposals, as they provide valuable perspectives and demonstrate the direct impact of engagement strategies as well as providing additional professional experiences for students and accomplishments for their own resumes.