23rd Annual Faculty Conference on Teaching Excellence

Pathways to Motivation: Pedagogical Strategies for Cultivating Student Success

January 8 & 9, 2025  

Howard Gittis Student Center, Temple University

Call for Proposals:

Temple University's Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) invites proposals for the 23rd Annual Faculty Conference on Teaching Excellence, a 2-day in-person event.  

Our theme for this year’s faculty conference is Pathways to Motivation: Pedagogical Strategies for Cultivating Student Success

We invite you to submit proposals to share your ideas, insights, research, and strategies so that we can all learn together how to motivate our students for deeper learning.

Please consider submitting a proposal for a breakout session, poster session, or lightning talk. All proposals will be blind-reviewed. Remember to anonymize your proposal by removing institutional or personal identification information (i.e. XX University instead of Temple University). Please note that presenters must register for the conference. Your proposal should be grounded in the research on teaching and learning, be applicable to a variety of disciplines, and be non-commercial. 

Proposal submissions are due on October 2, 2024.

Breakout Sessions

Interactive 45-minute breakout sessions should present creative and effective ways to engage students, deepen learning, harness emotion in the classroom, teach with technology, and maximize the benefits of different modalities of teaching in higher education. Proposals should be grounded in the research on teaching and learning, and should clearly describe in which ways you will be actively engaging participants in activities that allow them to reflect, discuss and practice session concepts.  

Your proposal must include:

  • Title (10 words maximum)
  • Abstract (50 words maximum)
  • Brief description and outline of session, including plan for actively engaging participants in the session (500 words maximum)
  • Citations/references

Breakout Sessions Will be Reviewed Using the Following Criteria:

  • The proposal clearly explains the teaching project, strategy, or innovation
  • The topic of the proposal is of interest to a faculty (teaching) audience
  • There is a clear plan for facilitating an interactive session
  • The proposal is grounded in the research on teaching and learning

To submit your proposal, please click on the link below, fill in your information, and upload your proposal as a Word Document. Please remember to anonymize your proposal by removing institutional or personal identification information (i.e. XX University instead of Temple University) from your submitted docs. You will receive notification via email concerning the acceptance of your breakout session to the conference by early November.

Submit a breakout session proposal (DUE October 2) 

Lightning Talks

Lightning Talks are 15-minute opportunities for faculty to learn about a teaching idea that you have implemented. The talk should be designed to provide a brief (no longer than 7 minutes) introduction and explanation of the idea followed by Q&A. The facilitator will give the same talk four times during the session, providing participants the opportunity to visit four different talks. Note that lightning talks take place in a small group presentation format at a round conference table. Presenters may bring a device if technology is needed.

 Your proposal must include:

  • Lightning Talk title (10 words maximum)
  • Abstract (25 words maximum)
  • Brief description of the lightning talk (100 words maximum)
  • Citations/references

Lightning Talks Will be Reviewed Using the Following Criteria:

  • The proposal clearly explains the teaching project, strategy, or innovation
  • The topic of the proposal is of interest to a faculty (teaching) audience
  • The teaching project, strategy, or innovation can be explained in 7 minutes

To submit your proposal, please click on the link below, fill in your information, and upload your proposal as a Word Document. Remember to anonymize your proposal by removing institutional or personal identification information (i.e. XX University instead of Temple University) from your attached document. You will receive notification via email concerning the acceptance of your lightning talk to the conference by early November.

Submit a lightning talk proposal (DUE October 2)

Poster Session and Teaching Innovation Showcase (NEW FORMAT!)

Submissions should highlight creative and effective practices, projects, and/or scholarship related to teaching and learning within higher education. Applicants are welcome to submit a proposal to present a traditional research poster or an alternative method for demonstrating a teaching innovation (including but not limited to assignment instructions, materials used in demonstrations, activity prompts, etc.). Note that all showcase materials should fit on a 6' rectangular table. At least one of the presenters must be present during the session at the conference to have discussions with participants about their work as they circulate through the showcase.  

Your proposal must include:

  • Title
  • Abstract (25 words maximum)
  • Description of your work to be highlighted by your poster (500 word maximum)
    • Proposals must be grounded in research, include scholarly references, and present evidence of the impact of the ideas presented
  • Citations/references 

Showcase Submissions Will be Reviewed Using the Following Criteria:

  • The proposal clearly explains the teaching project, strategy, or innovation
  • The proposal clearly indicates whether presenters are submitting a proposal for a poster or an alternative format
  • The topic of the proposal is of interest to a faculty (teaching) audience
  • The proposal includes scholarship to ground the project and includes evidence to support implications and conclusions or to demonstrate impact on learning. It includes appropriate citations.

To submit your proposal, please click on the link below, fill in your information, and upload your proposal as a Word Document. Remember to anonymize your proposal by removing institutional or personal identification information (i.e. XX University instead of Temple University) from your attached document. You will receive notification via email concerning the acceptance of your poster to the conference by early November.

Submit a showcase proposal (DUE October 2)

We look forward to see you at the years conference! Thank you for your interest in the Center for the Advancement of Teaching’s Annual Faculty Conference for Teaching Excellence and for your contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning.  

For questions about the call for proposals, please contact

For questions about the conference, please contact Sara Vann at