1. Session Chair Information
Academic Excellence Showcase
Session Chair Information

2. About Showcase Showcase is Thursday, June 1st 2017
The Academic Excellence Showcase is an entire day dedicated to the celebration of student scholarly activities. Most faculty will choose to cancel classes so that students can attend their peers’presentations.
Showcase is Thursday, June 1st 2017
This event is brought to you by:
Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences (PURE)
AES Planning Committee
Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

3. Western’s Mission
The Academic Excellence Showcase reflects Western’s commitment to, “Promote academic excellence in an engaged student-focused learning environment.”
Showcase helps Western meet its goals to:
4.4 Promote interdisciplinary courses and degree programs that support collaborative and multidimensional educational experiences and pathways.
5.1 Create opportunities for all undergraduate programs to include high- impact activities that support achievement of undergraduate learning outcomes.
5.2 Create opportunities for all graduate programs to include high-impact activities that support attainment of graduate learning outcomes.
5.3 Continue and enhance support for undergraduate research experience, presentation and publication opportunities.

4. Session Chairs Your role as a session chair is critical to
the success of the showcase!

5. Session Chairs Overview
Propose a session: Complete the 2017 online Session Chair Submission Form by Monday, week two of Spring Term.
Promote your session: Announce your session to students and colleagues. Seek student submissions. Ask colleagues to sponsor their students.
Manage student submissions: Set an internal deadline for students to complete the Student Proposal to Present form. We recommend week four of Spring Term. Carefully review and edit all submissions. Assign presentation order. Final deadline for edits is week five of Spring Term.
Plan & Practice: Assist students with planning and practicing their presentations (or remind faculty sponsors to do this).

6. 1 Session Chairs Propose a session Choose a session format:
Presentations
Performances
Poster Sessions
Panel discussions
Or propose a new format. For example in a workshop format, student presenters could lead participants though hands-on exercises that showcase lessons they developed or new methodologies.

7. PRESENTATIONS
SESSION FORMATS

8. PERFORMANCES
SESSION FORMATS

9. POSTER SESSIONS
SESSION FORMATS

10. Session Chairs Propose a session
Session Chair Submission Form (online):
Confirm session chair information
Indicate session format
Request session length
Indicate preferred scheduling
Indicate seating capacity and AV/equipment
Request tickets and session aids

11. Session Chairs Propose a session Indicate your preferred schedule:
Presentations, performances & Panel Discussions
Indicate your preferred schedule:
Morning is 8:00 to noon
Afternoon is 1:00 to 5:00 pm
Evening is 5:00 to 8:00 pm
You session does not need to fill a whole time block.
Morning and Afternoon sessions that run for multiple hours will be scheduled a coffee/tea break mid session.

12. Session Chairs Propose a session Indicate your preferred schedule:
Posters
Indicate your preferred schedule:
Morning session from 9:00 to 11:00 am
Mid-day session from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Afternoon session from 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Evening session from 5:00 to 7:00 pm
Posters are displayed in multi-disciplinary groups in the Pacific room in the Werner University Center.
Refreshments are offered at each poster session.

13. 2 Session Chairs Promote Your Session Promote your session by:
Reaching out to colleagues and encouraging them to sponsor their students who are doing projects
Assign a project in a class and offer to sponsor students who complete excellent work
Consider having students completing a capstone present their work
Ask colleagues to put Showcase on their spring syllabi schedules
Ask colleagues to encourage attendance at your session by making it an extra credit opportunity

14. 3 Session Chairs Manage Student Submissions
Student Proposal to Present form:
You will be sent a link to the form. This link is specific to your session
Distribute the link to students and faculty sponsors
Students will enter information about themselves and their presentations
Students submit an abstract or uploaded a visual file

15. Session Chairs Manage Student Submissions
Guide Students and faculty sponsors:
Supply students and faculty sponsors with example abstracts that you wish for them to model
Help students and faculty sponsors pace themselves. Provide reminders
Encourage multiple drafts of abstracts with feedback
Set an internal Deadline (recommended: week 4) that gives you time to proof and edit prior to the Showcase deadline (week 5)
After week five, what is written in the your Student Submissions Spreadsheet is what will be put in the program.

16. Session Chairs Manage Student Submissions
Student Proposal to Present form:
The form will generate a Google spreadsheet
Please do not adjust or change the columns or organization of the spread sheet

17. Session Chairs Manage Student Submissions
TIP: click in a cell; enlarge the formula bar and proof
Student Proposal to Present form:
Carefully proof submissions
Assign presentation order (column A)
Indicate the time allotted to each presentation (column B)
Decide how long each student will be given to present. Please use multiples of 15 minutes for scheduling presentation length: 15, 30, 45 or 60 minute intervals. This aligns with the overall showcase schedule and allow attendees to switch seamlessly between sessions.

18. Session Chairs Manage Student Submissions
Examples of Proceeding formatted Session and Presentations:

19. 4 Session Chairs Plan and Practice One to Two weeks before
Set up mock sessions for students to practice their presentation
Print posters and mount them for display on an easel Tip: avoid the week 9 rush at the print shop by printing week 8 or earlier
Meet with presenters and finalize plans
Visit the location of your session and encourage student presenters to do so as well
Remind students that they should check in before their session at the information desk (lower level, WUC) to pick up their presenter badge
Notify the Showcase Team of any critical last-minute corrections for inclusion in an errata page (Due Monday of week eight)

20. Showcase day Arrive to well in advance of your Session
Check in at the information desk at the lower level of the Werner University Center. You get a badge too!
Introduce yourself to any Session Aides. Let them know how you want them to help (e.g. hand out tickets, seat audience, provide time clues to keep presenters on schedule)
Check the A/V equipment
Keep your speakers on schedule, and do not advance presenters ahead of their listed times
Questions? Contact the Showcase team! or visit the AES webpage:

21. Timeline Monday, Week 2 of Spring Term April 10, 2017
Deadlines by Week
Date
Description
Monday, Week 2 of Spring Term
April 10, 2017
Session Chair Submission Form Closes
Friday, Week 2 of Spring Term
April 14, 2017
Links to Student Proposal to Present Form Sent to Session Chairs
Friday, Week 5 of Spring Term
May 5, 2017
Student Proposal to Present Form Closes
Spreadsheet Closes to Session Chairs
Please proof all entries prior to this deadline
Week 7 of Spring Term
May 15-19, 2017
Session Chairs Meet with Presenters to Finalize Plans and Confirm Scheduling
Monday, Week 8 of Spring Term
May 22, 2017
Last Chance to Edit Presenter Information or Abstracts for Inclusion in Errata Page
Thursday, Week 9 of Spring Term
June 1, 2017
Academic Excellence Showcase

22. SPECIAL EVENTS
Does your event celebrate student academic excellence but is not a presentation of student work by students?
Organized the the beginning of the program
Featured in a two page spread

23. wou.edu/aes INFORMATION
For more information, links to the Session Chair Submission Form and the Other Events Form, and a timeline of relevant deadlines, please visit the Academic Excellence Showcase website at:
wou.edu/aes

24. Thank You for your role in making the Academic Excellence Showcase a success!