ONCAT Conference: Submission Guidelines

Call for Proposals

We’re excited to announce that ONCAT’s Student Mobility and Pathways Conference returns this November 15 & 16, 2023 in downtown Toronto!

This Year's Guiding Theme: Student Experiences and Impact

We welcome proposals for panel presentations, poster presentations, and facilitated discussion (approximately 50-minute concurrent sessions) that address student mobility and pathways. Our conference will be organized by four key themes: 1) Networks and Partnerships; 2) Research and Trends; 3) Effective Practices and Processes; and 4) Program Pathways. Sessions may include the following example topics:

Successful transfer pathways from university to college, college to university, college to college, and university to university
Support services for students after they have transferred
Partnerships across institutions, regions, and provinces
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) experiences of transfer students
Transfer student outcomes
Student mobility patterns
Quality assurance best practices in awarding transfer credits
Transfer student experiences
Course-by-course equivalencies and curriculum alignment
Strategic leadership in transfer
Addressing labour market outcomes
Building cooperation and collaboration within an institution
Pathways with Indigenous Institutes
Transfer Student Records/Data Collection

Proposals should be 500 words maximum (excluding references), include a clear and concise description of the topic, the intended audience, the format of the presentation, and the kind of engagement you will employ during the presentation. Proposals will be reviewed by the conference planning committee and selected based on the selection criteria outlined below.

The deadline for proposals is April 24, 2023.

We look forward to receiving your proposals and to welcoming you to the conference!

Submission Guidelines

Make sure to save your proposal in a document before submitting, since the submission form does not save your work. Please ensure to submit the form. Only proposals submitted through the form will be considered.

The following information is required for each submission:

Name
Affiliation
Presentation title
Intended audience
Possible themes
Format (Panel presentation, roundtable, poster presentation, other) - Note: all formats are approx. 50 minutes.
Session objectives (approx. 50-100 words)
Session abstract (maximum 500 words)
Engagement strategies (approx. 50-100 words)

Please submit your proposal here.

Should your proposal be accepted, and you agree to participate in ONCAT’s 2023 conference in downtown Toronto:

You are confirming that each of your session’s presenters commits to delivering the presentation in person and is responsible for their own travel and accommodation costs.
You agree to have your session scheduled during any of the planned concurrent session time slots.
You acknowledge that all presenters must register on or before the speaker registration deadline.

Additionally, please note that session descriptions may be edited and used on the conference program and website.

Selection Criteria

Content and organization: The proposal provides detail on the objectives of the session and is well organized. The proposal aligns with conference themes.
Sector impact: The topic is relevant, important, and applicable to those working in student mobility and transfer.
Engagement strategies: The proposal includes engagement strategies that reflect adult learning principles.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion: The proposal considers and/or addresses populations that may be underserved and underrepresented in transfer and student mobility discourse.
Evidence (Research theme): The proposal is based in relevant and timely research, demonstrates appropriate assessment or outcome data.

Contact

Contact Meryl Borato, Knowledge Mobilization Specialist, at mborato@oncat.ca if you have questions.

Proposal Evaluation Rubric

	4 - Excellent	3 - Good	2 - Weak	1 - Poor
Content and Organization	The proposal provides sufficient detail and is well organized, moving from broad to specifics with smooth transitions.	The proposal provides sufficient detail and is relatively organized.	The proposal lacks either detail or organization but not both.	The proposal lacks detail and is disorganized. Ideas presented are vague and not well developed.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion	The proposal considers and/or addresses populations that may be underserved and underrepresented in transfer and student mobility.	The proposal considers the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.	The proposal lacks substantive engagement with these principles.	The proposal does not engage with these principles.
Sector impact	The proposal clearly states and considers how the content can be applied to other PSE institutions.	The proposal alludes to how this content can be applied to the work of PSE administrators and staff.	The content of the proposal can be applied for PSE administrators and staff, but there is no explicit description of how.	The proposal or content will be difficult to apply to the work of PSE administrators and staff.
Evidence (research stream only)	The proposal draws on three or more studies to support its claims	The proposal draws on two studies to support its claims.	The proposal refers to one study to support its claims.	The proposal does not use evidence from research to support its claims.
Engagement strategies	The proposal lists two or more engagement tactics that are thoughtful and seem promising.	The proposal lists one engagement tactic that is thoughtful and seems promising.	The proposal makes vague reference to engaging the audience but is underdeveloped.	The proposal does not explain how speakers will engage the audience.