Call for Session Proposals32nd Annual Visitor Studies Association ConferenceOmaha, NE • July 15-18, 2020Navigating the Politics of Visitor StudiesAs people who work with and advocate for visitors, we wear many hats and are responsible for hearing and responding to a range of audiences. We are often negotiating competing needs, trying to challenge the dominant ways of doing things while also adhering to our field’s standards for rigor and accuracy. How do we responsibly use our expertise to represent the diverse voices of current and potential audiences while also serving the specific needs of internal stakeholders? How do we create positive and productive social change and provide space for the joint construction of ideas, compromise, and collaboration? Building on last year’s theme “Ways of Knowing,” this year we invite attendees to consider how they negotiate different epistemologies and stakeholder needs in their day-to-day work. We know that this negotiation is part of every step of the evaluation process, from research design to data collection to analysis, synthesis, dissemination, and application of findings. Some questions we think this conference will allow speakers and presenters to address include the following:
Evaluation CriteriaProposals will be rated on the following criteria: The proposal provides a clear picture of what to expect during the session, including how presenters will elicit dialogue with the audience about project relevance and implications. The proposed learning objectives are realistic and achievable. The proposal should represent diverse perspectives. The proposal demonstrates presenters’ knowledge of and experience with the topic, including relevant methodologies, sources of evidence, and/or literature. The proposal highlights specific findings and conclusions and their relevance to the visitor studies/informal learning field. All presenters should be confirmed by date of submission. Visit HERE to submit proposal(s). The submission deadline is December 16, 2020 11:59 pm PST. Timeline:December 16, 2019 11:59 pm PST: Deadline for Submission January 2020: Sessions undergo peer review February 2020: Program Committee finalizes decisions and arranges program schedule (If there are any special presenter circumstances that would impact scheduling, presenters should list them in the submission form) Mid-March 2020: Notifications sent to applicants
Questions? If you have questions or require additional information, please e-mail the VSA Office at [email protected] |