Call for Papers: 2023 Annual Conference
The ASEE Community Engagement Division (CED) is soliciting abstracts and papers for the June 2023 ASEE Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Abstract submissions open October 3rdand close October 31st, 2022. Submitted abstracts and papers can take many forms: theoretical to practical, conceptual to experiential, all with emphasis given to evidence-based papers and presentations.
Community Engagement (CE) is an umbrella term for community-based research, humanitarian engineering, service learning, civically-engaged learners, technology-based social entrepreneurship and more. Community organizations (either local or from abroad) partner with institutions of engineering education for the mutual benefit of communities and engineering students. Ideally, student teams and citizens work together on the shared purpose of completing community-identified projects aimed at increasing community assets. The CED is a scholarly community for faculty and practitioners interested in the various ways engineering students, faculty, institutions, communities, and other stakeholders are impacted through the many different types of CE efforts.
The division is particularly interested in papers that fall into one of two distinct categories: (1) Traditional Research Papers and (2) Engagement in Practice (Work-In-Progress) Papers.
The Traditional Research Papers are full papers that address scholarly research on the impacts of community engagement on students, community partners, and/or faculty. Abstracts for this category will be accepted on, but are not limited to, research on the following topics:
- Educational research in the context of engineering education and community engagement.
- Models of community engagement activities in engineering including design projects and collaborations with co- and extra-curricular activities;
- Scaling community engagement to large numbers and/or high percentages of engineering students;
- Innovative approaches to integrating community-based efforts into the engineering curriculum;
- Building effective community partnerships at both the local and global scale;
- Establishing program sustainability – making programs outlive their founders;
- Lessons learned in implementing community-based educational initiatives;
- Integration of community engagement in a K-12 STEM Setting
- Perspectives of community partners
- The importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in successful community engagement
The Engagement in Practice (Work in Progress) Papers are shorter papers (6 pages or less). The structure of the session at the conference will include short presentations (3-5 minutes) with facilitated discussion and sharing. Papers in this category will detail specific community engagement projects (case studies) or efforts that currently do not have a significant collection of data for educational evaluation or assessment. These papers should address key issues such as partnership development, project design, project execution, successes and lessons learned, transferability, etc. Papers in this category will be limited to a length of 6 pages or less including references, yet all other paper requirements for an ASEE conference paper will be maintained. Engagement in Practice papers that are accepted will be grouped into a single session devoted specifically to presenting ongoing community engagement projects/efforts. Papers in this category must have Engagement in Practice as the first part of the title of their paper, ex: Engagement in Practice: Lessons Learned from University X’s Engineering Service Learning Program.
Abstracts submitted no later than the closing date announced by ASEE will be evaluated. Papers selected for presentation must be submitted in accordance with ASEE requirements found on the ASEE website.
Please submit a 200-300 word abstract electronically through the ASEE Conferences website.
Abstracts for Traditional Research Papers should address the following:
- Background and motivation
- Description and justification of methodology
- Results and data analysis including impact on the community where possible
- Conclusions and significance
Abstracts for Engagement in Practice papers should include the following
- Include a title that starts with “Engagement in Practice: …“
- Background (including partnership development) and motivation for project
- Project design and execution
- Lessons learned through successes or failures
- Conclusions and next steps
Abstracts and papers are double-blind reviewed. It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that the requirements for double-blind review are met. The abstract and subsequent drafts should NOT include authors’ names or institutional affiliations nor should author names be in the file name or in document properties. It is not necessary to include references in the abstract. In addition, the submitter must be sure to indicate that your abstract is for the Community Engagement Division.
The Community Engagement Division sponsors a Best Paper Award and a Best Diversity Paper Award. All presented papers submitted to the division are considered for both awards. The division’s best papers are forwarded on for PIC Best Paper Award and ASEE’s Best Diversity Paper Award (https://diversity.asee.org/deicommittee/best-paper/).
Individuals interested in participating in the peer-review process should contact the program chair (e-mail is preferred).
ASEE’s paper submission process and timeline are explicit, and the program chair CANNOT override them.
To create a division rooted in effective learning and engagement, sessions and presentations will be structured to maximize the benefits for speakers and attendees alike. Based on submitted papers, the program chair will craft the best session topics and formats possible.
Since our goal is to create a diverse division program, we are exploring the use of special sessions that optimize audience interactions or bring in invited speakers, as well as sessions that allow hands-on experiences between conference attendees and the local community. This would include proposals for workshops at the conference on community engagement and/or off-site events. We are open to suggestions and look forward to your input on what and how such special sessions can be added to the program.
If you have ideas for panels/workshops or any questions about possible papers, panels, co-sponsoring with divisions or other special session ideas please contact the program chair:
Libby Jones, PhD, Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Libby.jones@unl.edu
Or Division Chair
Malini Natarajarathinam, PhD, Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, Malini@tamu.edu
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Community Engagement Activity
Each year (when the conference is held in person) the CED participates in a service event with a local group.
2019: Sat. June 15, 2019 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM,Stewart Middle School
Organizers: Dr. Nathan E Canney P.E., Dr. Maya A Trotz (University of South Florida)
Participants contributed to the ongoing collaborations between University of South Florida engineering faculty and education activities with ROVs.
2018: Sat. June 23, noon-4 pm, Community Garden for Salt Lake City Refugees
CED partnered with the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center (aka Bennion Center) at the University of Utah.
2017: Sat. June 24, 1-4 pm, Toy Adaptation for Children with Special Needs
CED partnered with the Toy Adaptation Program at The Ohio State University to host an adaptive toy event.
2016: Sat. June 25, 8 am – 4 pm, Playground Build Activity
CED and the ASEE Construction Divisions worked with EPICS Purdue and LSU to help with a playground build in Baton Rouge at a local elementary school. The activity was coordinated by Dr. Marybeth Lima.
2015: Service event in Seattle with students from Seattle University.
Coordinated by Nathan Canney and Francis ‘Jerry’ Hopcroft.
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Community Engagement Social and Dinner.
Yearly opportunity to socialize with members of the division. Coordinated by the vice chair.