Conference Theme & Request for Proposals

The International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE) is excited to announce the call for proposals for our 25th Anniversary Conference. This milestone event invites participants to reflect on our collective impact over the past quarter century and to chart inclusive future directions for service-learning and community engagement (SLCE). We seek to highlight transformative scholarship, innovative practices, and collaborative partnerships that have advanced equity and community impact.

We invite proposals connected to the theme, Celebrating a Quarter Century of Impact: Reflecting on Our Mission and Charting Inclusive Future Directions that explore the following thematic areas:

  1. Faculty Scholarship

    • Examining the contributions of faculty research in SLCE or collaborative research projects completed jointly between community partners and academic scholars 

    • Showcasing studies that highlight the role of SLCE in promoting educational equity and social justice.

    • Reflecting on methodological innovations and interdisciplinary approaches in SLCE research.

    • Exploring the intersections between community and civic engagement

  2. Student Development

    • Investigating the impact of SLCE on student learning, development, and career readiness.

    • Highlighting student-led research and initiatives within SLCE.

    • Exploring strategies to enhance student engagement and leadership in SLCE activities, such as  Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR).

  3. Community Voices

    • Centering community partners' perspectives and experiences in SLCE collaborations.

    • Sharing stories of community impact and transformative partnerships.

    • Discussing challenges and opportunities in fostering equitable and reciprocal relationships with community partners.

  4. K-12

    • Exploring SLCE initiatives within K-12 education settings.

    • Showcasing innovative programs that integrate SLCE into the K-12 curriculum.

    • Addressing the role of SLCE in fostering civic engagement and social responsibility among K-12 students.

    • Highlighting best practices in SLCE in K-12 educational settings.

  5. Pedagogical Innovations

    • Highlighting innovative teaching practices and curricular designs in SLCE.

    • Examining the use of technology and digital tools in enhancing SLCE pedagogy.

    • Discussing approaches to inclusive and culturally responsive teaching in SLCE.

    • Examining the future of AI and SLCE.

  6. SLCE Program Spotlights

    • Showcasing exemplary SLCE programs and initiatives from diverse institutional contexts.

    • Reflecting on program design, implementation, and assessment strategies.

    • Sharing lessons learned and best practices for sustaining impactful SLCE programs.

Presentation Categories 

The 2025 IARSLCE conference will include two primary session formats: Emerging Ideas and Deeper Dives. Emerging Ideas sessions offer opportunities for presenting projects that have yielded (at least preliminary) data/findings or evaluation results. The common thread among the Deeper Dive sessions will be sharing robust, completed research that has the potential to expand the field of service-learning and community engagement research.

Proposal Review Process 

The Conference Committee will distribute specific review criteria for each presentation type, based on the Call for Proposals. All proposals will be evaluated according to the extent to which they: 

  • connected to the conference theme and a clearly identified thematic track

  • are clearly and compellingly written 

  • are research focused 

  • consider the ethical implications of the research 

  • address issues that are important to the field 

  • show potential for audience appeal 

Each criterion will be reviewed using the following scale: 

  1. The proposal does not adequately address or meet the criterion 

  2. The proposal adequately addresses or meets the criterion but could be more developed 

  3. The proposal fully addresses or meets the criterion 

  4. N/A: Not applicable or relevant to this proposal 

A note about conference sessions: 

  • To allow for the inclusion of as many different voices as possible, participants will be limited to being the primary author on two (2) presentations, only one (1) of which can be the lead presenter. There is no limit on the number of co-authored papers or projects as a non-presenting author

  • All conference sessions are 60 minutes in length. 

  • All lightning round sessions will be 60 minutes, with three presenters each having 20 minutes (15 minute presentation and 5 minutes for Q&A) 

  • All paper presentations will have two (2) papers per session. We suggest that the two presenters each present for 25 minutes with a shared 10 minute Q&A at the end. 

  • There will be one poster session. Posters should be 48” x 36” with a horizontal orientation.

     

IARSLCE Conference Submission Process 

Conference proposals must be submitted via the IARSLCE Conference Proposal Submission Site. To submit a proposal, you will first need to create a user profile on the website. The abstract submission process requires the following components: 

  • Selection of the appropriate proposal category; see below for detailed information about the requirements for each format 

  • Author and presenter information, including contact info, professional affiliation, and a brief biographical sketch for each author 

  • Proposal abstract: a short, 250-word description that will be used to describe your presentation in the conference program. 

  • Proposal narrative: a 1000-word description of your proposal that will be used in the peer review process. 

Important Dates 

  • Request for Proposals Released: December 19, 2024

  • RFP opens: January 8, 2025

  • Deadline to submit: March 1, 2025

  • Proposal Notifications: mid-March

Download a PDF of the Request for Proposals