Call for Proposals

The overarching theme for the conference is Personal Tutoring in the Spotlight. Contributions are being invited that will speak to our specific ‘spotlight’ themes:

1) Spotlight on… Student voices. Contributions produced by and/or with students who can share their perspectives on and views of personal tutoring and advising, what they value, and what they need.

2) Spotlight on… Collaboration. Contributions considering personal tutoring and advising as a collaborative practice between academic and professional services colleagues, for example focusing on professional boundaries, policies and systems, and case studies of transformative collaborations.

3) Spotlight on... Student core skills. Contributions reflecting on how personal advising and tutoring can shape and develop students’ core academic. professional, and personal skills, and in doing so address study skills and awarding gap issues.

4) Spotlight on… Professional development. Contributions thinking about how we can better prepare academics and professional services staff to be the best tutors and advisors they can be, whether through in-house training programmes or other institutional or grass-roots schemes.

5) Spotlight on… Advocacy. Contributions demonstrating how individuals, teams, departments, or institutions have advocated or might advocate for the centrality of personal tutoring within UKHE, for example through innovative policies, embedding tutoring into recruitment procedures, cutting-edge scholarship and digital materials, or any other ways in which personal tutoring and advising is advocated for on the local, national, or international stage.

Conference Session Formats

Proposals are invited in one of the following formats. View our Submission Instructions for details of how to submit a proposal.

Presentation [50 minutes]

Individual, a pair or a small team of presenters, present in depth for 50 minutes on an area in which they have significant experience/expertise, and which will be of interest to and have impact for the audience. Time should be allocated for a few questions.

Interactive Workshop [50 minutes]

A participatory interactive workshop should enable delegates to work actively towards learning something new in relation to a specific topic. It should include discussion and collaborative activities which enable reflection on delegates’ own and others experience and sharing and analysis of knowledge.

Lightning Talk [15 minutes]

10-15 minute presentations grouped on a common theme managed by a facilitator within a 50 minute session (three Lightning Talks per session). Each presentation is on a single topic, issue, experience, research area, or innovative practice. Maximum of 5 slides per talk. Any questions to be asked at the end of all the talks. Where possible we will attempt to make time and space available immediately after the session for informal discussions to continue between presenters and delegates.

Discussion Panel [50 minutes]

50 minute discussion focused on a specific topic by a panel of experts. The facilitator and/or audience ask questions of the panel pertinent to the topic and the panellists each give their expert perspective on the questions. The proposal must identify the topic for the session, the name of the facilitator and the names and brief biographical details of the experts who will constitute the panel. Note that including the names of the experts in the proposal does not commit them to participating at this stage, it simply provides useful information to reviewers on likely panellists and their depth and breadth of experience

Access the Online Submission System

The closing date for submissions is Friday, November 24, 2023

Why should I present at the UKAT conference?

Presenting a session at our conference is a good way to showcase your ideas and achievements, get feedback on your work, develop your professional confidence, build your networks and start new discussions. Summarising your project, practice, or research is a great way to engage with friendly and appreciative colleagues in the field to explain your accomplishments and receive feedback that helps you take your work further.

Who can submit a proposal?

UKAT welcomes proposals from individuals and organisations and across the higher education sector, including UKAT members, colleagues at further and higher education institutions, and both not-for-profit and corporate organisations. Proposals are particularly welcomed from inexperienced, as well as experienced, presenters, researchers, and practitioners. UKAT provides mentoring and support to first-time presenters to help you prepare and deliver your session.

If your proposal is accepted, you must register as a conference delegate.

Can I get help with my proposal idea?

If you have an idea for a proposal, but you’re not sure whether it will be suitable, please get in touch! Email the UKAT conference team at conference@ukat.ac.uk for help and advice.

How do I submit a proposal?

Our guidelines for submitting proposals provide full details on the submission process. Proposals are submitted through an online system, and submitting your proposal simply requires you to complete the online submission form. Your proposal should indicate what your session will be about and identify clear objectives and outcomes.

How does UKAT decide which proposals to accept?

The reviewers will carefully consider all session proposals, and choose the successful proposals by asking the following questions:

Does the session have clearly identified objectives and outcomes?
Is the session idea engaging, informative, inspiring?
Is the topic relevant to those who advise students?
The extent to which the proposed session is interactive and facilitates conversations

You should ensure that your proposal answers these questions satisfactorily.

If I present a session, can I claim for my expenses?

Unfortunately, UKAT can’t contribute to your expenses for this conference.

If I present a session, do I have to pay the delegate fee?

Yes, all presenters are required to register as full delegates for the conference and to pay the conference delegate fee.

What is UKAT’s commercial policy?

Whilst UKAT welcomes proposals from both non-profit and corporate organisations, at no time is it permissible for a session or workshop presenter to use his/her presentation to advertise or promote a commercial product, service, or company.

Submission Instructions

If you want to present a session at the conference, please complete the online proposal form to submit a proposal which complies with the guidance given in the Understanding the Online Application Form section below. You don’t need to create the presentation or other materials at this stage.

You can submit as many proposals for consideration as you like. Your proposal(s) must be submitted through the online proposal submission system. Full details for using the system to submit your proposal can be found in the Instructions for using the Conference Management Toolkit to submit your proposal.