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Physics Education Research Conference 2013 Session Formats

Plenaries

PERC 2013 will have 5 plenary speakers: two at the Bridging Session on Wednesday afternoon, one dinner speaker Wednesday night, and two speakers on Thursday.

Invited Sessions

All invited sessions are eligible to submit an invited paper to the PERC proceedings; invited papers submitted by the proceedings deadline for contributed papers will be peer-reviewed. Below are some suggested session types although you are not limited to these formats; combinations or other formats appropriate for the topic of the session are welcome. Invited session proposals should include a description and explanation of the session format chosen.

The session proposal should include the session title, organizer and presenter names, description of the session content, relevance/applicability to PER, and how each presenter will contribute to the session theme.

Symposia

Symposia should be organized around a common theme or body of work. All symposia will begin with brief introductory remarks from a discussant. There are two possible formats for symposia: posters and talks. In a poster symposium, participants will freely mingle around the gallery of poster contributions, allowing for more interactive and informal conversations with individual presenters. In a talk symposium, participants will sit through a series of talks. In both formats, the discussant will present concluding remarks to synthesize the collection of work, then there will be a period for open discussion. Although it is not a requirement, all symposia presenters are urged to connect their research to the conference theme. It is also suggested that presenters distribute full papers to the discussant in advance of the session, and that no more than five be presented in a given session.

Workshops

Workshops afford participants an opportunity to engage with the research tools and strategies employed by the presenter(s). Workshop presenters will create an interactive environment in which participants will become familiarized with real data or research results and work collaboratively to discuss their analysis and/or implications through activities. Workshops are collaborative explorations in which participants assist presenters with data analysis. Workshops should strive to address issues that pertain to the conference theme and/or general issues related to methodology of physics education research.

Other Formats

If you wish to organize and invited session with a hybrid or new format please include additional information in the description and explanation in the session proposal. This information should include a detailed description of the session format, justification/advantage for such a format, equipment/furniture/space needs (in addition to what is standard for symposia and workshops), potential limits for audience size, and other relevant information specific to your format.

Contributed Sessions

Poster Presentation

Every attendee is invited to contribute a poster describing his/her current research. Contributed posters can address any theme in PER. Contributed posters should be no larger than 4' by 4'.

Posters submitted before the proceedings-eligible deadline are eligible to submit a paper to the PERC proceedings. Posters submitted to the later deadline are not.

Roundtable Discussion

Roundtable discussions allow maximum interaction with the presenters by reducing/eliminating the formal didactic presentations. In the bulk of the time, participants break into small groups to discuss pertinent issues, moderated by session leaders. Individual presenters are assigned tables in a meeting room where interested persons may gather for discussion with the presenter about his or her paper or project. This format is particularly appropriate for addressing topics best pursued through extensive discussion.