Please utilize this proposal sample (posted here with permission and anonymized) to help draft your own conference session proposal:
Lead Presenter First Name: Sally
Lead Presenter Last Name: Advisor
Institution: Canyon College
Email Address: sally.a@canyon.edu
Confirm Email Address: sally.a@canyon.edu
Co-Presenters: Tom Professor, Catherine Coach
Abstract:
Buoyant Behaviors: Helping Students Bounce Back from Academic Setbacks
All students face various types of setbacks during their academic career. While some students are able to bounce back and get back on track with their studies, some find it more difficult to regain momentum once it is lost. What are the differences between these two sets of students? Come to this session to learn about “academic buoyancy” and how developing it may make the difference in a student’s decision to persist through academic difficulties. Predictors of and strategies to develop academic buoyancy will be explored and discussed. Participants will also be encouraged to share their ideas and experiences with assisting students in developing buoyant behaviors.
Proposal:
Abstract
Buoyant Behaviors: Helping Students Bounce Back from Academic Setbacks
All students face various types of setbacks during their academic career. While some students are able to bounce back and get back on track with their studies, some find it more difficult to regain momentum once it is lost. What are the differences between these two sets of students? Come to this session to learn about “academic buoyancy” and how developing it may make the difference in a student’s decision to persist through academic difficulties. Predictors of and strategies to develop academic buoyancy will be explored and discussed. Participants will also be encouraged to share their ideas and experiences with assisting students in developing buoyant behaviors.
Proposal
The objective of this presentation is to introduce and discuss research relating to “academic buoyancy.” I hope to share information that will give advisors ideas to help them assist students in developing buoyant behaviors and skills that lead to academic persistence. My interest in this topic has been heightened by the experiences I have had working with students referred to the early warning service at my institution. It seems most students who are referred to our service do not have major issues that prevent them from fully engaging in their academics but rather they struggle with managing the varying demands of their course work with their other life activities. As we have followed up with these students, we found that some have been able to adapt and persist and some have not. Research into academic buoyancy helps explain some of the differences between these students.
Introduction (3 minutes)–The introduction will consist of a brief overview of the presentation and an explanation of my interest in the topic.
Academic Buoyancy: What is it? (10 minutes)–All students face various types of setbacks during their academic career. While some students are able to bounce back and get back on track with their studies, some students find it more difficult to regain momentum once it is lost. After watching students go through this process, many professionals who work to support these students may begin to question what makes one student persist through challenges or difficulties while others seem to give up. The research on the topic of academic buoyancy may provide some of the answers.
Martin and Marsh (2008) define academic buoyancy as “students’ ability to successfully deal with academic setbacks and challenges that are typical of the ordinary course of school life (e.g., poor grades, competing deadlines, exam pressure, difficult school work)” (p. 53). Academic buoyancy draws on some of the theories and ideas of positive psychology in that “students can learn to be more academically resilient and buoyant through the development of positive cognitive, affective, and behavioural [sic] orientations to school and academic life” (Martin & Marsh, 2009, p. 354). Additional information to help attendees understand the context of academic buoyancy, including how it differs from resilience, will also be discussed in this section.
Predictors of Academic Buoyancy (15 minutes)–Through their research, Martin and Marsh (2006) identified five factors that are considered predictors of academic buoyancy: confidence, coordination, commitment, composure, and control (the “5Cs”). These factors, as well as other predictors that are highlighted in the literature, will be discussed.
Advisors’ Contributions to Helping Students Develop Academic Buoyancy (15 minutes)–This section is designed to be a guided discussion of an advisor’s role in helping students develop behaviors and skills that contribute to academic buoyancy. Suggestions from the literature will also be presented and discussed.
Wrap-up and Q&A (7 minutes)– This section will conclude the presentation with a summary of what was discussed, final thoughts, and Q&A.
References– Martin, A. J., & Marsh, H. W. (2006). Academic resilience and its psychological and educational correlates: A construct validity approach. Psychology in the Schools, 43(3), 267−282. Martin, A.J. & Marsh, H.W. (2008). Academic buoyancy: Towards and understanding of students’ everyday academic resilience. Journal of School Psychology, 46(1), 53-83. Martin, A.J., & Marsh, H.W. (2009). Academic resilience and academic buoyancy: Multidimensional and hierarchical conceptual framing of causes, correlates and cognate constructs. Oxford Review of Education, 35(3), 353-370.
Audio/Visual Requests: Internet Access, Laptop (presenter will need to bring Jumpdrive)
Program Information: Best Practices (broad-based methods of operating that have proved effective), Personal Development (areas of interest to help advisors grow professionally and personally)