With the theme of “Ceangail 2.0” (Connections 2.0), we will meet to share ideas about the connections and intersections of scientific, technical, engineering, and professional communication innovations from the world over. We invite you to submit proposals for papers, panels, and short workshops.

We welcome a variety of topics. These are some suggestions:

  • Effects of global virtual workplaces on communication strategies
  • The role of communication training in technical organizations
  • Excellence in communication as an identified managerial skill set
  • Change management for communication structures and practices
  • New and innovative places (real and virtual) for professional communication
  • The intersections of professional communication with other fields
  • Learning and teaching in the STEM fields and other disciplines
  • The place of professional communication in service learning
  • Academic writing vs. professional writing for engineers and technical professionals
  • The ways that professional communication shapes outcomes and assessments
  • The impact of multimodal communication
  • New uses of technologies and tools
  • Best practices in teaching and training
  • Social media’s place in professional communication
  • Professional paths leading to technical communication prowess or careers
  • Cross-campus or cross-departmental learning and training initiatives
  • Responses when new technologies or pedagogies disrupt work

 

Besides attending the conference, there are three main ways to participate at ProComm 2015:

A. Propose a paper
B. Propose a panel
C. Propose a workshop

Details concerning each of these options are provided below.

A. Paper Proposals (Full Papers, Brief Papers, or Extended Abstracts)

Choose one of the following submission types you deem most appropriate for your current work. Opting to propose a full paper, a short paper, or an extended abstract neither advantages nor disadvantages your proposal. Paper authors (or at least one author for multi-authored papers) must register for and attend the conference.

  • Full Paper. To propose a Full Paper, submit an abstract of approximately 700 words. At the time of final submission, the paper should be 6-8 pages, ready for publication in the conference proceedings. Full Papers are appropriate for late-stage research projects with conclusive results; mature, theoretically-grounded position papers; or papers reporting on a well-tested professional or teaching practice.
  • Brief Paper. To propose a Brief Paper, submit an abstract of approximately 350 words. At the time of final submission, expect to craft a 4-page (maximum) paper for publication in the proceedings. Brief Papers are appropriate for research and position papers that are works-in-progress, or papers reporting on short-term or experimental professional or teaching practices.
  • Extended Abstract. To propose an extended abstract, submit an abstract of approximately 700 words. Extended Abstracts are for participants who want to present at the conference, without the task of writing a Full Paper in the Proceedings. However, the extended abstract itself will be published in the Proceedings.

NOTE: For Full Papers, Brief Papers, or Extended Abstracts, speakers will have 15-20 minutes to present. Topics will be grouped along thematic lines during a 75-minute session.

B. Panel Proposals

Panels are 75-minute sessions with multiple presenters. To propose a Panel, submit an abstract of approximately 700 words that describes the panel’s overall goals. Also include brief descriptions of each participant’s contribution to the panel discussion. Panels may be comprised of multiple speakers organized around a general topic, or they may include multiple perspectives on a more specific topic. All members of the panel must register for and attend the conference.

C. Workshop Proposals

Workshops include one or more facilitators presenting a 75-minute “how to” or “about” session addressing relevant practices, issues, or technologies of interest to professional engineers, technical communication specialists, and/or people teaching in those fields. To propose a Workshop, submit an abstract of approximately 700 words that includes the following information:

  • An overview of the workshop topic and its relevance/importance to technical communicators
  • An overview of the desired learning outcomes for the workshop
  • A description of the intended target audience
  • A description of projected activities
  • A description of qualifications of the facilitator(s) for delivering this workshop

All workshop facilitators must register for and attend the conference.

Schedule

  • January 15, 2015: Preliminary abstracts for all submission types are due for review via the conference website.
  • February 12, 2015: Proposal submitters will be notified of acceptance status.
  • March 10, 2015: Accepted Full Paper and Brief Papers (fully written and ready for review) are due. Authors of Extended Abstracts may be asked to revise and resubmit their abstracts by this date.
  • April 15, 2015: Paper authors will receive comments and notes on their work.
  • May 1, 2015: Final versions of proceedings copy of all proposal types must be submitted.

Program Chair: Traci Nathans-Kelly (tracink@ieee.org)