The Upper Midwest Honors Council Conference will be held virtually on March 26, 2021.  Please read the descriptions of the presentation categories  below carefully.  You will be asked to select a category and provide the following:  

1) a presentation title
2) a 50-word description for the conference program
3) a 200-300 word abstract for the selection process

The proposal deadline is March 5, 2021.

For questions, please contact:

Melissa Berninger
Director, University Honors Program
University of South Dakota
Melissa.Berninger@usd.edu
605-658-3341


STUDENT RESEARCH PRESENTATION

Student research presentation sessions will feature four or five presenters each giving a five-minute presentation of their research or creative activity followed by Q & A. Presentations are not required to relate to the conference theme. Visuals such as posters are welcome. Students will be required to submit their visuals by March 19 for inclusion in the presentation.


WORKSHOPS

Workshops should cover topics of general interest related to Honors education.  Workshops can be proposed by individuals or teams; each workshop will last 50 minutes. Workshops should be interactive. Leaders should frame the issue or problem to be solved and should have clearly stated objectives for the session and the activities.  Participants may be divided into teams and assigned to breakout rooms; activities should encourage participants to see issues from different perspectives and generate ideas to bring back to the larger group. Faculty, staff, and students are all invited to submit for this category.


PANELS

Panel sessions will feature 4 presenters each giving a 10-minute presentation with a common theme or topic. These 50-minute sessions will also include 10 minutes for discussion and questions. We invite proposals for both complete panels or for individual panel contributions. Topics can relate to the conference theme, honors, pedagogy, student development, etc. Faculty, staff, and students are all invited to submit for this category.


ROUNDTABLES

Roundtables will feature one presenter (or one group of presenters) leading a collaborative exchange of information and resources. The format of roundtable discussions will be lively, interactive discourse among leaders and participants, not lecture or panel-style delivery. Presenters should regard themselves primarily as facilitators and limit their own remarks to 5 minutes or less for 25-minute sessions and 10 minutes or less for 50-minute sessions, followed by questions and conversations with participants. Roundtable topics can relate to the conference theme or Honors education more broadly. Faculty, staff, and students are all invited to submit for this category. Requests for 50-minute sessions will be accommodated as the schedule allows.