Abstract submission has now closed

The HERDSA 2022 Planning Committee invite you to submit an abstract for consideration for inclusion in the conference program. Please review the information below and submit via the Abstract submission portal prior to the deadline.

The 2022 conference will be a hybrid event. Your abstract may be considered for the onsite (conference venue) or the virtual (online) format: you will be asked to indicate your choice during the submission process.

Please review the below information and submit via the abstract submission portal prior to the deadline.

Presentation formats

The following presentation formats are available:

  • Showcase presentation
  • Roundtable discussion
  • Poster presentation

Themes

Abstracts must be submitted under the most relevant conference theme and subtheme.

Submission deadline

The abstract submission portal will close on Friday 4 February 2022 (midnight AEDT).

Abstract templates

The same template is used for both the Showcase AND the Poster submissions: there is a separate template for the Roundtable submission.

Instructions to authors and abstract formatting guidelines

Please ensure that you have reviewed the instructions below and prepare your abstract accordingly prior to submission. Please also download the full terms and conditions for presenting at the conference.

Showcase

A Showcase of research, practice, leadership and policy submissions can be on any aspect of research and development in higher education. Showcase presentations will be evidence-based and not only outline the research, initiative or practice being showcased but, equally, provide clear evidence of its outcomes or its effectiveness. Quantitative and qualitative evidence of effectiveness are equally acceptable.

An abstract (maximum 300 words or one page) must be submitted for review. The abstract should be submitted as a Word document using the template provided and NOT contain any information that might identify the author/s. The abstract should include the title and describe:

  • Background/context, including relevant literature
  • Description of the research, initiative or practice
  • Method(s) of evaluative data collection and analysis
  • Evidence of outcomes and effectiveness
  • References

The abstract will be published in the conference program. If accepted for presentation, you may be asked to make edits to the abstract before it is published. Each Showcase session will run for 20 to 25 minutes including a Q+A session.

In addition to the abstract, you must submit a statement (maximum of 200 words) demonstrating relevance to research and development in higher education and one or more of the categories of topics provided. You will be prompted to enter this as text during the submission process.

Abstracts for Showcase presentations will be reviewed against the following criteria:

  • Relevance
  • Description of the research, initiative or practice
  • Contribution to scholarship and/or practice
  • Clarity and standard of writing
  • If virtual, how you plan to engage your audience

Formatting guidelines

  • Abstracts must be submitted using the template and must fit within the space on the template provided.
  • Do not change the page margins or any set-up features
  • Do not include the author names and affiliations on the abstract (these details will be captured during the online submission process)
  • The abstract must be one single page only
  • The abstract should be typed in 10 point Calibri font (do not use “bold” type)
  • All text should be entered in sentence case (do not type in CAPITAL LETTERS)
  • Do not include any tables or images in the abstract
  • APA7 referencing is required (a guide to this is provided in the template).

Poster

Submissions for a Poster can be on any aspect of research and development in higher education. Posters will be evidence-based and make appropriate reference to the literature. A Poster allows participants with similar interests to interact by using the poster as a discussion point. At this conference, a Poster may be considered for onsite or virtual presentation; you will be asked to indicate your preference during the submission process.

An abstract (maximum 300 words or one page) must be submitted for review. The abstract should be submitted as a Word document using the template provided and NOT contain any information that might identify the author/s. The abstract should include the title and describe:

  • Background/context, including relevant literature
  • Description of the research, initiative or practice
  • Method(s) of evaluative data collection and analysis
  • Evidence of outcomes and effectiveness
  • References

The abstract will be published in the conference program. If accepted for presentation, you may be asked to make edits to the abstract before it is published.

In addition to the abstract, you must submit a statement (maximum of 200 words) demonstrating relevance to research and development in higher education and one or more of the categories of topics provided. You will be prompted to enter this as text during the submission process.

Abstracts for Posters will be reviewed against the following criteria:

  • Relevance
  • Description of the research, initiative or practice
  • Contribution to scholarship and/or practice
  • Clarity and standard of writing

Both onsite and virtual posters will be available for viewing during a dedicated interactive poster session, where authors can discuss their poster with other delegates.

Posters must conform to specifications provided upon acceptance.

Prizes will be awarded for the best poster in both the onsite and the virtual formats, as voted by conference delegates.

Formatting guidelines

  • Abstracts must be submitted as per the template and must fit within the space on the template provided
  • Do not change the page margins or any set-up features
  • Do not include the author names and affiliations on the abstract (these details will be captured during the online submission process)
  • The abstract must be one single page only
  • The abstract should be typed in 10 point Calibri font (do not use “bold” type)
  • All text should be entered in sentence case (do not type in CAPITAL LETTERS)
  • Do not include any tables or images in the abstract
  • APA7 referencing is required (a guide to this is provided in the template).

Roundtable

Submissions for a Roundtable session can be on any aspect of research and development in higher education. A Roundtable session is a dialogue focused on a particular topic. While the proposer of the topic hosts the roundtable session, each person has an equal right to participate in the dialogue. The proposed topic does not need to be based around any particular research; it may come from observation, the lived experience or society in general. As the title suggests, the dialogue occurs in a small group (maximum of 10 participants), seated around a table at the conference venue or joining an online session from virtual locations. Your audience will be small but focused. There may be a further opportunity during the conference for groups to reconvene, physically or virtually, to continue the dialogue.

Each Roundtable session will run for 20 to 25 minutes. Roundtable discussions do not require PowerPoint Presentations or projections.

At this conference, a Roundtable session can take one of three forms – Point for Debate, Work-in-Progress, or Birds of Feather.

The Point for Debate format is an opportunity for delegates to engage in a robust debate about an issue or challenge that the proposer has identified as worthy of further exploration. The discussion may lead to the identification of ways to expose the issue or challenge to a wider audience with a view to addressing the issue or challenge through new collaborations and/or research.

The Work-in-Progress format is an opportunity for the proposer to briefly share their work-in-progress, be it research, a new initiative or merely an idea and seek feedback and input on the work with the view of shaping, refining and progressing that work.

The Birds of a Feather format is designed to provide an opportunity for informal, but guided, dialogue about topics that are timely and important to the field of higher education. The dialogue is driven by the participants and is intended to promote meaningful interaction between participants to share ideas and strategies and to learn from each other.

An abstract (maximum 300 words or one page) must be submitted for review. The abstract should be submitted as a Word document using the template provided and NOT contain any information that might identify the author/s. The abstract should include the title and describe:

  • The format of the roundtable (ie Point for Debate or Work-in-Progress or Birds of a Feather)
  • The point for debate or the focus of the work-in-progress or the topic for discussion
  • Context/background to the proposed session
  • Intended outcome
  • References

The abstract will be published in the conference program. If accepted for presentation, you may be asked to make edits to the abstract before it is published.

In addition to the abstract, you must submit a statement (maximum of 200 words) demonstrating relevance to research and development in higher education and one or more of the categories of topics provided. If the roundtable is proposed to run in the virtual space, you should explain how you plan to facilitate this. You will be prompted to enter this as text during the submission process.

Abstracts for Roundtable sessions will be reviewed against the following criteria:

  • Relevance
  • Potential to engage delegates in a rigorous discussion, including virtual participants if this format is specified
  • Potential to advance our understanding of higher education
  • Clarity and standard of writing

Formatting guidelines

  • Abstracts must be submitted on the template and must fit within the space on the template provided
  • Do not change the page margins or any set-up features
  • Do not include the author names and affiliations on the abstract (these details will be captured during the online submission process)
  • The abstract must be one single page only
  • The abstract should be typed in 10 point Calibri font (do not use “bold” type)
  • All text should be entered in sentence case (do not type in CAPITAL LETTERS)
  • Do not include any tables or images in the abstract
  • APA7 referencing is required (a guide to this is provided in the template).

Advancing Scholarship & Research in Higher Education (ASRHE)

Presenters can choose to make a submission to Advancing Scholarship & Research in Higher Education (ASRHE). ASRHE is a new open access journal of HERDSA. ASRHE publishes articles that advance scholarly practices and contribute theoretical, methodological and substantive knowledge, relevant to higher education teaching. The goal of ASRHE is to publish accounts of research studies that inform readers of contemporary and evidence-based scholarly approaches to higher education curriculum, student learning and teaching. The journal welcomes conceptual, qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies, written for an international audience. The journal welcomes innovative ways of presenting research and non-traditional forms of academic communication. For more information see https://asrhe.org.