Student Panel Session Guidelines

The technical program and organizing committees for FIE 2024 would like to invite you to submit a proposal for an undergraduate and/or graduate student panel. These panels are intended to allow students opportunities to speak about topics they are passionate about. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

 

  • First-year experiences and policies
  • Student experiences in their respective programs and campuses 
  • Interdisciplinary capstone projects 
  • Broadening participation (e.g. DEI, HSI, HBCU, MSI, Land Grant) 
  • Mental health (e.g. well-being, community building) 
  • Governance at engineering schools 
  • Generative and/or smart technologies (e.g., AI Tools-ChatGPT)
  • Others (e.g. Transformational Engineering Education)

 

We are optimistic that the panels conducted by students will be powerful opportunities of growth for the panelists and the audience. We are excited about a broad range of panel topics that span both technical and non-technical areas. We thank each and every person submitting for their courage to participate in a session like this at the FIE 2024 conference.

 

A student panel is an opportunity for students to share their perspectives, knowledge, and experiences around important topics across engineering education, computing education, and other related fields. It is also an opportunity for the audience to engage in discussion and gather new perspectives around pre-determined topics.

 

Student Panel Approval Procedure

To be approved to offer a student panel, facilitators/authors will need to 1) submit a student panel proposal (800-1000 words) via the conference submission website and 2) if the proposal is approved, submit a paper (4-6 pages) that provides sufficient detail to give attendees a sense of what to expect during the student panel to motivate them to attend.

 

The student panel proposal will be reviewed to determine if it is an appropriate fit for the FIE conference. If the proposal passes the first review, the facilitators/authors will be invited to submit a paper draft that conforms to the required IEEE format for the conference. This paper will undergo a more thorough, second round of peer review. Following the second round of peer review, facilitators/authors will be notified of acceptance/rejection and any final requested edits before final paper submission. Please see the conference website for a list of relevant deadlines.

 

Expected Content for Student Panel Sessions

Both the student panel proposal (800-1000 words) and the student panel paper (4-6 pages) must include the elements listed below, except for the items listed under “Proposal ONLY Components”. An approximate word count for each section of the proposal is provided and can be scaled for the full paper, if accepted. The final 4-to-6-page paper will be included in the conference proceedings.

  • Title: The title should start with “Student Panel Session:” 
  • Abstract: This is a brief summary of the student panel session (approximately 100 words).
  • Goals: The goal(s) of the student panel session and the rationale for why these goals are better served by a student panel session (approximately 100-200 words). 
  • Background: This includes but is not limited to a description of topics/subjects/content of the session and its significance in the context of the relevant literature (approximately 100 -200 words). 
  • Panel Description and Agenda: A description of what attendees can expect to hear, see, or experience during the panel session lasting 80 minutes, in addition to any specific details about the panel session that will give possible attendees a better understanding of what to expect during the session (approximately 200-300 words). 
  • Expected Outcomes: A description of the takeaway skills, knowledge, or materials that attendees will acquire because of this panel session (approximately 100 words).
  • Panel Participants: The names and institutions for each proposed panel member (typically 3-5) and panel organizer/moderator (Note: members of the panel are the people who provide different perspectives on the issue being addressed by the panel. They are critical to the quality of the panel session.  Some detail on panelists’ expertise is needed in evaluating proposal quality (approximately 100 words).

 

Proposal ONLY Components 

These components will NOT be included in the 4-to-6-page Panel Session Paper if the session is accepted for the Proceedings.

  • Panel Moderator Contact Information: Name, affiliation, and email of the principal organizer of the panel session.
  • Panel Questions: List sample questions that will be asked of the panel.
  • Anticipated Audience: A description of the anticipated audience (community), and why they would be interested in the session.
  • Special Requirements: Any special requirements for electricity, audio-visual equipment, or setup.

 

Additional Information

  • All individuals involved in organizing and presenting during a student panel session are expected to register for and attend the conference. 
  • Because student panel sessions are partly evaluated based on the expertise of the facilitators, student panel session submissions should be prepared for single-blind review (i.e., the authors and affiliations should be identified in the submission).
  • Student panel session proposals and papers will be peer-reviewed by at least three reviewers.

 

Student Panel Paper Format

Student panel papers should adhere to the required IEEE format for the conference. Submissions should use the US Letter Template available on the IEEE conference website (https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates.html).