Research of Educational Change

One aspect of professional development that educators can participate in is that of educational conferences. While you may at some point have participated in an educational conference as an attendee, you have the opportunity in this assignment to think as a presenter! This assignment will also provide you the opportunity to create or revise your Curriculum Vitae (CV) and cover letter.

In this assignment, you will take your discussion presentation you prepared for the staff meeting and convert it into a poster that you could use at an academic conference. As well, often when submitting a poster proposal you include a CV and cover letter that highlight your experience and research interests. If you created a CV and cover letter for a course in your program sequence, you may take this opportunity to revise and update those artifacts.

Historically, a conference poster session involves use of a large poster-board style document as a reference when speaking with conference attendees about your research or practical experiences with a topic. Increasingly, the poster session involves handouts in digital format transferred through QR codes or another medium and may involve a television or other screen display to communicate your research at an academic conference. Always, your poster presentation contains a title, introduction of the research question/s, overview of the research approach, results from the study or experience, and planned next steps in applying or expanding the study or experience. Additionally, the poster provides information about literature related to the poster topic, usually a selected listing of previously published articles that are important to the research, and a brief acknowledgement to those who helped with the study.

Your poster, in whatever format it is presented at the conference, is effective if it can be scanned and comprehended at a high level in around five minutes. Usually you will be present with your poster to explain points and answer questions in an authentic conference experience.

Using the Poster Presentation Template, create your assignment to meet the content and written communication expectations below. Upload your assignment to the course for evaluation and to your Folio.

NOTE: Including your CV or Cover Letter in your Folio is optional

Content Expectations- Two Parts

Part One:

• Introduction (1 point): In 100-200 words, use this section to interest your audience in the issue or question of the study while using minimal background information and definitions.
• Materials and Methods (1 point): In 50-100 words, describe the procedure used in the study to collect data.
• Study Results (1 point): In 50-100 words, state the research questions, describe how they were supported by the research, and then include visuals (e.g., graphic/charts/diagrams) to illustrate the parts or results of the study.
• Conclusion (1.5 point): In no more than 200 words, provide the concluding remarks about the study while explaining the major result in such a way as to convince the audience why the outcome is interesting. Describe the relevance of the findings to the field of education and/or beyond, describe other directions this study could lead to, and summarize the changes you would make to the study had you been the researcher.
• Relevant Literature Cited (.5 points): Use full citations in APA for all primary works consulted from the literature to inform and support the purpose of the study.

Part Two:

• Create – Curriculum Vitae (1.5 points): In three to four pages your CV should include your name, an overview of your education, your academic and related employment (especially teaching, editorial, or administrative experience), your research projects and/or research interests (including conference papers and publications), and your departmental and community service.
• Create – Cover Letter (1.5 points): In no more than one page your cover letter should include; heading, introduction, argument, and closing.

Written Communication Expectations

• APA Formatting (.5 points): Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment.
• Syntax and Mechanics (.5 points): Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
• Page Requirement (.5 points): Includes a CV and Cover Letter that are no more than 4 to 5 pages in length.
• Source Requirement (.5 points): References three scholarly sources in addition to the course textbook.

For information related to APA style, including samples and tutorials, please visit the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.).

Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment

Review your assignment with the Grading Rubric to be sure you have achieved the distinguished levels of performance for each criterion. Next, submit the assignment for evaluation no later than Day 7.

All sources on the references page need to be used and cited correctly within the body of the assignment.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.