ALTERNATIVE SESSION PROPOSAL INFORMATION

The 2025 Frontiers in Education Conference will offer peer-reviewed workshops, special sessions, panels, and student panels. Workshops will be offered in a 3-hour time block the day before the conference starts. Special sessions, panels, and student panels will be offered during a timeslot within the Technical Program that is about 80 minutes long. 

To be approved to offer a workshop, special session, panel, or student panel facilitators/authors will need to complete the following:

  1. Submit a proposal abstract (800-1000 words) via the conference submission website 
  2. If the abstract is approved, submit a paper (3-5 pages) that provides sufficient detail to give attendees a sense of what to expect during the session and motivate them to attend. These papers are published in archival conference proceedings. Each paper receives a DOI. Papers from previous conferences can be found here: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/conhome/1000297/all-proceedings 
     

APPROVAL PROCEDURE

Proposal Abstracts and Papers will be reviewed by the Technical Program Committee (TPC) and selected based on the fit with the conference’s program, peer-review results, and availability of session slots. Because these submissions are partly evaluated based on the expertise of the facilitators and/or panelists, these submissions (proposal abstract and paper) should be prepared for single anonymized review (i.e., the authors and affiliations should be identified). The TPC will review the initially submitted proposal abstract using a rubric to assess its quality and fit for the conference (see sections below for expectations for each session type). 

If the proposal is accepted, the facilitators/authors will be invited to submit a 3-5 page paper that conforms to the required IEEE format for the conference (https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates.html). The TPC will review these papers to ensure that it provides sufficient detail and conforms to the required format. The decision can be accept or revisions required. If the decision is accept, authors/facilitators will need to prepare and submit their final paper. If the decision is revisions required, authors/facilitators will need to make the requested revisions and submit a revised paper for review by the TPC. Once this paper is reviewed and accepted by the TPC, the authors/facilitators will be asked to submit their final paper. 

Based on availability and fit with the conference’s program, the TPC may ask authors to consider moving their submission to a different session type (e.g., workshop, panel, special session, or paper track).
 

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

Pre-Conference Workshops provide participants with an opportunity to extend their knowledge and strengthen their skills in the area addressed by the workshops. These sessions offer additional time for interaction with participants since they are allotted three-hour time slots during the workshop day scheduled outside the regular conference blocking. Pre-conference Workshops should provide a collaborative, active learning environment for the attendees. Attendees should leave with skills, knowledge, or materials that they can use in their teaching practice, scholarship teaching and learning, or education research. 

  • Pre-conference Workshop facilitators must register for and attend the conference. 
  • Pre-conference Workshop attendees must pre-register for workshops. You may charge an additional fee to cover workshop materials. 
  • Abstracts and Full Papers should be prepared for a single anonymized review.
  • Papers should adhere to the required IEEE format.

Expected Content for Pre-Conference Workshop Proposal Abstract and Full Paper 

The sections required for the Pre-conference Workshop proposal abstracts (800-1000 words) and full paper (3-5 pages) are listed below. Note that some sections are ONLY required for the proposal abstract and should be removed from the full paper. An approximate word count for each section of a proposal abstract is provided and can be scaled for the paper, if accepted. 

  • Title: Must begin with “Pre-Conference Workshop:”
  • Contact Information: Name, affiliation, and email for each anticipated facilitator in the workshop 
  • Goal(s) of the Pre-conference Workshop: List of goals and how these goals align with the goals of FIE (approximately 100-200 words) 
  • Topics/Subjects: Description of the workshop content situated in the context of relevant literature (approximately 200-300 words) 
  • Qualification: Brief biographies describing the expertise of the facilitators (approximately 100-200 words) 
  • Agenda: An explanation of the interaction expected during the session and a session agenda that includes details and approximate time allotted for each activity, up to three hours total (approximately 150 words) 
  • Anticipated Audience: (PROPOSAL ONLY) A description of the anticipated audience and the maximum number of people you would prefer to participate (approximately 100 words) 
  • Takeaway: A description of the skills, knowledge, and/or materials attendees will acquire through the workshop (approximately 100-200 words) 
  • Special Requirements: (PROPOSAL ONLY) List of any special requirements for electricity, audio-visual equipment, or materials. 
  • Anticipated Fee/Cost: (PROPOSAL ONLY) Any additional anticipated fee for attendees to cover materials and supplies. The FIE committee may impose additional fees to cover facility expenses. 

SPECIAL SESSIONS

Special sessions are creative, non-traditional, interactive ways to engage engineering and computing education professionals at the frontiers of education. These sessions are approximately ~80 minutes long and should be of value to FIE Conference attendees, enhance the experience and knowledge of the session participants, and help advance the frontiers of engineering and computing education. 

  • Special Session facilitators must register for and attend the conference. 
  • Abstracts and Full Papers should be prepared for a single anonymized review.
  • Papers should adhere to the required IEEE format

Expected Content for Special Session Proposal Abstract and Paper 

Both the special session proposal abstracts (800-1000 words) and the full papers (3-5 pages) must include each of the elements listed below. Note that some sections are ONLY required for the proposal abstract and should be removed from the full paper. An approximate word count for each section of a proposal abstract is provided and can be scaled for the full paper, if accepted. 

  • Title: Must begin with “Special Session:”
  • Goals of the Special Session: List of goals and how these goals align with the goals of FIE (approximately 100 words) 
  • Anticipated Audience: (PROPOSAL ONLY) A description of the anticipated audience and why they would be interested in the session (approximately 100 words) 
  • Topics/Subjects: A description of the special session, including the topics/subjects/content of the session in the context of the relevant literature (approximately 200-300 words) 
  • Justification: A justification for why the proposed session is novel and/or thought-provoking (approximately 100 words) 
  • Agenda: An explanation of the interaction expected during the session and a session agenda that includes details and approximate time allotted for each activity, up to 80 minutes total (approximately 150 words) 
  • Expected Outcomes: A description of the expected outcomes, what attendees will take away, and any future work that will be done because of the session (approximately 50 words) 
  • Qualification: Brief biographies describing the expertise of the facilitators (approximately 100 words) 
  • Special Requirements: (PROPOSAL ONLY) List of any special requirements for electricity, audio-visual equipment, or materials. 

PANEL SESSIONS

Panel sessions are intended to engage the engineering and computing education community in multiple perspectives on a given issue on the frontiers of education. These sessions take place during the standard technical session and are approximately 80 minutes long. The number of panel sessions is limited. The sessions should be of value to FIE Conference attendees, enhance the experience and knowledge of the participants, and help advance the frontiers of engineering and computing education. 

  • Panel facilitators must register for and attend the conference. 
  • Abstracts and Full Papers should be prepared for a single anonymized review.
  • Papers should adhere to the required IEEE format

Expected Content for Panel Session Proposal Abstracts and Full Papers

Both the panel session proposal abstracts (800-1000 words) and the full paper (3-5 pages) must include the elements listed below. Note that some sections are ONLY required for the proposal abstract and should be removed from the full paper. An approximate word count for each section of a proposal abstract is provided and can be scaled for the full paper, if accepted. 

  • Title: Must begin with “Panel Session:”
  • Topics/Subjects of the Panel Session: A description of topics/subjects/content of the session and its significance in the context of the relevant literature. (approximately 200-400 words). 
  • Goals and Outcomes: The goal(s) and anticipated outcomes of the panel session and the rationale for why these goals and outcomes are better served by a panel session (approximately 100-200 words). 
  • Anticipated Audience: (PROPOSAL ONLY) A description of the anticipated audience (community), and why they would be interested in the session (approximately 100-200 words). 
  • Panelists’ and Moderator’s Names and Bios: The names and institutions for each proposed panel member (typically 3-5) and panel organizer/moderator (Note: members of the panel are the people who provide different perspectives on the issue being addressed by the panel. They are critical to the quality of the panel session some detail on panelists’ expertise is needed in evaluating proposal quality). (approximately 100-200 words). 
  • Sample Questions for the Panelist: (PROPOSAL ONLY) A list of 5 to 10 questions. 
  • Special Requirements: (PROPOSAL ONLY) List of any special requirements for electricity, audio-visual equipment, or materials. 

STUDENT PANEL SESSIONS

A student panel session is an opportunity for students to share their perspectives, knowledge, and experiences around important topics across engineering education, computing education, and other related fields. It is also an opportunity for the audience to engage in discussions and gather new perspectives around pre-determined topics. These panel sessions are not limited to purely technical or academic topics. An example of a less technical student panel title might be the following: “Student experiences at a large Land Grant R1 Institution” or “Minority student experiences in a Predominately White Discipline”.

The specific structure of the panel session is up to you. However, we encourage you to include a predetermined amount of time at the end of a session or periodically throughout the session for interaction between the panelists and the audience. The panel should be composed of undergraduate and/or graduate students. One panelist can be a non-student (e.g., a prospective student, an expert as it relates to the topic you are proposing, faculty member). The student panel should be led by a student; however, the individual who facilitates the panel session can be a non-student. 

We are optimistic that the panels conducted by students will be powerful opportunities of growth for the panelists and the audience. We are excited about a broad range of panel topics that span both technical and non-technical areas. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:  

  • First-year experiences and policies 
  • Student experiences in their respective programs and campuses  
  • Interdisciplinary capstone projects  
  • Broadening participation (e.g. DEI, HSI, HBCU, MSI, Land Grant)  
  • Mental health (e.g. well-being, community building)  
  • Governance at engineering schools  
  • Generative and/or smart technologies (e.g., AI Tools-ChatGPT) 
  • Others (e.g. Transformational Engineering Education). 

Expected Content for Student Panel Session Proposal Abstracts and Full Papers

Both the panel session proposals abstracts (600-1000 words) and the full papers (3-5 pages) must include the elements listed below. Note that some sections are ONLY required for the proposal abstract and should be removed from the full paper. An approximate word count for each section of a proposal abstract is provided and can be scaled for the full paper, if accepted. 

  • Title: Must begin with “Student Panel Session:”
  • Topics and Motivation: A description of topics/subjects/content of the session and its significance in the context of the relevant literature. (approximately 200-400 words). 
  • Goals and Outcomes: The goal(s) and anticipated outcomes of the panel session and the rationale for why these goals and outcomes are better served by a panel session (approximately 100-200 words). 
  • Facilitator Role: A description of the role of the proposed facilitator (less than 100 words) 
  • Anticipated Audience: (PROPOSAL ONLY) A description of the anticipated audience (community), and why they would be interested in the session (approximately 100-200 words). 
  • Panelists’ and Moderator’s Names and Bios: The names and institutions for each proposed panel member (typically 3-5). Panelists can include a max one non-student on the panel, if the exact student is not known, please just describe where you will get the student from (e.g., in case you might want a first-year who has not come yet) (around 300 words) 
  • Sample Questions for the Panelist: (PROPOSAL ONLY) A list of 5 to 10 questions. 
  • Special Requirements: (PROPOSAL ONLY) List of any special requirements for electricity, audio-visual equipment, or materials.