UCCS First-Year Regional Conference
Conference Theme: Creating a Meaningful First Year Experience
UCCS welcomes proposals under any of the following conference themes that explore approaches that better enable both individual student and cohort success, as well as ways in which new technologies are used to better create meaningful student experiences. UCCS also welcomes multiple proposals from individuals or presenting teams and encourage submissions, even if they do not align exactly with a proposal theme.
Presentation Formats:
Roundtable: Discussion session with a chair and 2 or more speaker designed to explore a topic and discuss the varied perspectives from table participants (1-2+ presenters)
Panel: Moderated discussion session with a chair and 2 or more speakers designed to explore a topic and discuss with a larger audience of up to 50 attendees (3+ presenters)
Individual: Small, solo presentation designed to share insight into creative research, project, or topic (1 presenter)
Workshop: Small, breakout sessions geared towards audience interaction and sharing of ideas. (1+ presenter)
Poster Session: Small visual presentation designed to share insight into creative research, project, or topic (1-2 presenters) and engage with questions from session attendees
Developing a sense of community helps to support the foundations of resilient student behaviors and connections. These foundations highlight the importance of collaboration and student learning. In addition, co-creation and the work of student organizations play a significant role in ensuring students develop the support structures and the confidence to be successful. We welcome proposals that share how collaborative approaches to learning support student development. Proposals may draw upon the creation of first-year learning communities for academic and social integration and other collaborative models of any scale that help to foster a sense of belonging and community.
Higher education is a place for students to imagine and prepare for their futures. We welcome proposals that highlight best practices that enable this transformative perspective throughout the first-year experience. In particular, the conference would like to hear of activities that promote addressing ways to help students prepare for graduating into a world of changing technology, including the use of artificial intelligence; career awareness, flexibility, and planning for the multiple careers students may have; to become global citizens with intercultural competencies; to be able to adapt and apply what they learn in college to their future paths.
Understanding student engagement is key to student success. How students engage in and out of the classroom has long been a key factor in student retention within the first year; however, changing student needs requires institutions to reframe their approach to student engagement. We welcome proposals that highlight innovative and imaginative approaches to reframing student engagement and that build strong academic and social foundations for student success.
Pedagogy in higher education can better enable student success through meaningful classroom interactions. The theories and practices faculty use to approach learning form the foundations of effective course design and curricular praxis. We welcome proposals highlighting successful pedagogical approaches and best practices for first-year courses and curricular design or re-design that effectively show positive change in classroom engagement or other student outcomes.
Featuring Keynote Speaker: Matthew L. Sanders
Wednesday, August 6thMatt Sanders is a Professor of Communication Studies at Utah State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Matt conducts research in the areas of nonprofit organizations, organizational communication, and student learning. He is the author of Becoming a Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education, which is used in first-year experience courses at many colleges and universities. He is also the co-author (with John McClellan) of Studying Communication: An Invitation to Purposeful Learning. Awards recognizing Matt’s work with students include the Distinguished Teacher Award from the Western States Communication Association and being named Teacher of the Year for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Utah State University.
Featuring Keynote Speaker: Nicole Weis
Thursday, Agust 7thNicole Weis is the Director of Community and Healing Programs at the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience. She is a 2016 graduate of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Master’s in Clinical Psychology program, with an emphasis in trauma, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Addiction Counselor. In her role at the Institute, Nicole oversees the Veteran Health and Trauma Clinic, Milestones Resilience Care Center, and Institute community trainings. These trainings include Peer Support Programs for several organizations in Colorado, the Trauma Training for Professionals online program, GRIT Program, and customized workshops. Nicole is skilled in Cognitive Behavior Therapy, community crises and disasters, and resilience and self-efficacy skills.