CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Fourth International Conference
on the
Development and Assessment of Intercultural Competence

January 23—26, 2014
Westward Look Resort, Tucson, Arizona

Conference Theme

Preparing and Supporting K–16 Language Teachers to Teach for Intercultural Competence in and beyond the Classroom

Intercultural competence “is not an extra facet of teachers’ professional development but should become an integral part of that profession.”
(Leeman, Y., and Ledoux, G. (2003), Preparing teachers for intercultural education. Teaching Education, 14, 3, p. 282)

Conference Description

With greater awareness of the importance of intercultural competence in enabling learners to communicate effectively in an increasingly interconnected world, and with global travel and instant international communications available to a growing number of people, one of the primary goals of language teaching is to promote the acquisition of intercultural competence in the classroom and beyond. In order for teachers to become intercultural mediators (Zarate, Gohard-Radenkovic, Lussier, & Penz, 2003) and facilitators of intercultural competence in the classroom, it is critical for them to understand the concept of intercultural competence, the process involved in its development, and the ways and means of assessing and evaluating it. However, this cannot be accomplished without a major paradigm shift in the professionalization of language teachers. Today's language teachers must be equipped with the tools and strategies to effectively and efficiently foster the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of intercultural competence, as outlined by scholars in the field, in order to support all students and prepare them to become interculturally competent global citizens.

Organized by the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL), the fourth international conference on the development and assessment of intercultural competence aims to bring researchers and practitioners across languages, levels, and settings to discuss and share research, theory, and best practices; to foster meaningful professional dialogue; and to enhance teacher effectiveness in teaching for intercultural competence in and beyond the classroom in order to support all students' development of intercultural competence.

CERCLL invites proposals for individual papers, symposia, posters, and workshops (half-day/full-day) with preference given to topics related to the conference theme of Preparing and Supporting Language Teachers to Teach for Intercultural Competence in and beyond the Classroom. Priority will be given to proposals addressing one of the strands below:

• Teacher pre- and in-service education
  
• Professional development
  
• Curriculum development
  
• Instructional approaches
  
• Materials development
  
• Study / Residency abroad
  
• Telecollaboration
  
• Assessment and evaluation

Types of Contributions

In-person Presentations

Proposals for in-person presentations at the conference may be submitted as one of four types: 1) Paper Presentation; 2) Symposium; 3) Poster; 4) Workshop. Each of these are explained in more detail below.

1. Paper Presentations (25 minute presentation plus 5 minutes discussion) are best suited for reports on completed research or scholarly work on a topic related to one of the conference strands. Presentations should be limited to thirty minutes including five minutes for questions and discussion. Presenters should not read their papers, but rather present the main points of their work in an engaging manner. Paper sessions will be organized into sessions of four papers by strand. Papers may be presented in English, French, German or Spanish.
2. Symposia (2 hours) provide a venue for a group of authors (3-5) to propose a set of papers based on a shared theme or topic related to one of the conference strands. The papers may present complementary aspects or contrasting perspectives. Total presentation time is limited to one hour and thirty minutes. Thirty minutes are allocated at the end to give presenters and symposium participants an opportunity to engage in extended dialogue.
3. Poster Sessions (55 minutes) are ideal for presenting preliminary results of work in progress or work that lends itself to visual displays and representations. The maximum area per poster is 4 feet high by 8 feet wide. In these sessions, presenters engage in informal discussion with conference attendees during the assigned period.
4. Workshop Presentations (half day [3 hours] or full day [6 hours]) are best suited for teaching or demonstrating particular procedures or techniques. These sessions should be structured so that some explanatory or introductory information is provided with ample time for audience interaction, participation, and involvement. A modest speaker's fee is provided to workshop presenters, contingent upon the presenter providing acceptable documentation regarding authorization to work or provide academic services in the United States consistent with University of Arizona policies and procedures.

Virtual Presentations

This format is intended for authors who are unable to attend the conference in person. The guidelines for in-person paper presentation apply to virtual presentations as well. Upon notification that their abstract for a virtual presentation has been accepted, author(s) will have until December 2, 2013, to submit online a copy of their full paper.

Virtual presentations will not be simultaneous. Virtual authors will be able to present their papers as follows:

• In addition to the paper submission, virtual authors can optionally submit a powerpoint presentation (with/without audio), mp4 or any other multimedia file. These presentations will be available via the conference website so that all the conference attendees will have access to them during and after the conference.
• The deadline for submitting a powerpoint presentation is December 16, 2013.

At the time of their submission, authors may choose to have their proposal(s) considered for both in-person and virtual presentation; they will be asked to commit to one or the other when notified of their acceptance status.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

Restrictions: No more than two proposals per person may be submitted. A presenter can only be a primary presenter on one proposal. Submitting more than two proposals will eliminate all proposals from consideration. Submissions with similar titles and content will also be eliminated from consideration.

Proposal must include the following:

Paper (in-person and virtual), symposium, poster

• Title: The title cannot be more than 10 words in length. Be sure that your title matches the content of your presentation.
• Abstract: The abstract must not exceed 400 words. The online system will not allow you to continue your submission if the abstract exceeds 400 words, including any citations. The abstract must be written in English.
• Summary: The summary must not exceed 50 words. It needs to be in final, publishable format and error-free, and should not include citations. It must clearly align with the content of your abstract. The online system will not allow you to continue your submission if the abstract exceeds 50 words.
• Short professional biography. Must not exceed 50 words. A separate biography (50 words maximum) is required for any secondary authors.
• Contact information for all presenters, even though information regarding the proposal will only be sent (via email) to the first (primary) presenter listed. The primary presenter will be responsible for contacting all co-presenters with details about the conference presentations.

Workshop

• Title: The title of the proposed session cannot be more than 10 words in length. Be sure that your title matches the content of your presentation.
• Workshop length: 3 or 6 hours
• Abstract: Abstract must not exceed 400 words. It will include: a brief description of what the workshop will entail; target audience, projected participant outcomes, a detailed schedule of activities; and citations (if appropriate).
• Summary: The summary must not exceed 50 words. It needs to be in final, publishable format and error-free, and should not include citations. The online system will not allow you to continue your submission if the abstract exceeds 50 words.
• Short professional biography. A separate biography is required for each presenter. Must not exceed 50 words per person.
• Contact information for all presenters, even though information regarding the proposal will only be sent to the first (primary) presenter listed via email. The primary presenter will be responsible for contacting all co-presenters with details about the conference presentations.

Proposal Review

Paper, symposium and poster session proposals will be evaluated by a team of reviewers using the following criteria.

• Scholarly or educational significance: Does this paper's topic address an important issue directly related to the main theme of the conference? Does it offer the promise of new knowledge or best practice? Is it likely to lead to engaged discussion?
• Theoretical orientation:
  • For research-based papers: Is there a clear theoretical framework? Are the hypotheses or research questions significant? Do(es) the author(s) refer appropriately to previous research, theory, or practice?
  • For theory-based papers (those which propose a new framework or reinterpret earlier studies): Does the discussion appear to be substantive? Thought-provoking? Insightful?
  • For practice papers: Are the practices innovative and are they grounded in existing theory?
• Quality of research (if applicable): Is the research design appropriate and adequately outlined? Will the findings be of interest to foreign/second language teachers?
• Quality of practice (if applicable): Is the practice described innovative? Is it of potential interest to other foreign/second language teachers? Does the abstract describe clearly what is involved?
• Quality of presentation: Is the abstract focused? Clearly organized? Well-written?
  • For symposium proposal: Will multiple, complementary or contrasting perspectives be presented to attendees?

Workshop proposals will be evaluated by a team of reviewers using the following criteria.

• Content relevancy: Does the proposal convey new developments and/or innovative instructional techniques? Is the proposed workshop appropriate for the intended audience? Tied to the main theme of the conference? Rigorous in its content?
• Learning objectives: Are learning objectives explicit? Practical? Impactful?
• Learning environment: Are the delivery methods (what the presenter will do, what the participants will do) appropriate? Is the format/time suitable for the proposed content? Are there opportunities in the schedule for interaction or discussion? Is the described learning environment engaging?
• Presenter expertise: Does the presenter have experience in designing and/or presenting similar workshops? Demonstrate knowledge of how to engage participants in a meaningful way?

Online Submission

All proposals must be submitted using our online form.

Proposal deadline: 11:59 pm (Pacific Standard Time) on June 17th, 2013. Confirmation of receipt will be sent via email. Presenters will be notified by email of the conference committee’s decision by September 27th, 2013. Presenters will need to confirm attendance by October 18th, 2013.

Publication: Presenters at the conference can choose to submit their papers to be considered for inclusion in a Selected Conference Proceedings to be published in late 2014. There will be a peer review process.

Questions? Please contact CERCLL at coh-cercll@email.arizona.edu, (520)626‐8071

For a PDF version of the ICC 2014 Call for Papers, click here to access the download page.

Free materials and downloads are also available for the past three Intercultural Competence (ICC) Conferences. Follow these links to go to the 2008, 2010, and 2012 conference pages.

This conference is organized by the
Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL)

co-organized by the
Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) Program

co-sponsored by the
Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS), Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry, Confucius Institute at the University of Arizona (CIUA), College of Humanities (COH), College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) at the University of Arizona;

and the
Center for Advanced Language Proficiency Education and Research (CALPER) at Pennsylvania State University; Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) at the University of Oregon; National Heritage Language Resource Center (NHLRC) at the University of California - Los Angeles