CONTACT INFORMATION

capstoneconf@gmail.com

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Scott Palo (Co-Chair) Susannah Howe (Co-Chair)

Tom Barber
Steve Beyerlein
Jay Goldberg
Junichi Kanai
David Klappholz
Glen Livesay
Fred Looft
Anthony Marchese
Gary Pawlas
Keith Stanfill
Janis Terpenny
Jack Zable
Steve Zahos

Committee Affiliations

Call for Papers

Conference Format
The goal of the Capstone Design Conference is to provide a forum for engineering and applied science faculty to share ideas about improving design-based capstone courses. In order to foster discussion the conference will include panel sessions, short courses, working groups, and poster presentations. 

Conference Themes
The primary theme of the 2010 conference is capstone course pedagogy; the secondary “new frontier” theme is international teams and projects.  Potential topics and subtopics are listed below:

Primary Theme: Capstone Pedagogy

• Content: Learning objectives, course topics, teaching methods
• Teams: Formation, management, dynamics, multidisciplinarity
• Industry: Involvement in pedagogic issues and course delivery
• Outcomes: Balancing process and product, paper design/prototypes/functioning products, other deliverables
• Assessment: Team and individual learning, rubrics, formative and summative tools
• Continuous Improvement: Quality and relevance of capstone courses and program curriculum, accreditation

New Frontier Theme: International Teams

• Cultural Issues: Technical background, awareness and expectations
• Logistics: Communication tools, language, time zones, academic calendar, risk management

To encourage the development of engaging sessions, the organizing committee is soliciting proposals for panel sessions and short courses, in addition to papers.

PAPERS
Papers related to the conference themes are welcome.  All accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings. They will also be presented in interactive poster sessions, to encourage vibrant and extensive sharing of ideas and experiences, rather than in the traditional paper presentation format. Some authors of accepted papers will also be invited to participate in panel sessions.

Papers should not exceed four pages, including references.  Specific formatting guidelines are provided in the following templates:

• Paper Formatting Guidelines (Word version, PDF version)

• All submitted papers will be peer reviewed.
• Authors submitting papers will be asked to participate in the review process.
• Authors of accepted papers will be encouraged to submit revisions based on reviewers' comments. 
• Authors of especially high quality papers will be invited to submit full-length manuscripts to a special issue of a journal.

Papers must be submitted through the Conference Management System (CMT).   The submission deadline for papers is January 15, 2010.

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PANEL SESSIONS
Panel sessions will address varied points of view on and/or different experiences with fundamental issues relating to capstone pedagogy or international teams. Proposed panel sessions should include 3-5 people with different perspectives on a particular issue. Each panel member is also expected to submit an individual paper, addressing his/her perspective on the issue to be discussed at the panel discussion.

Panel session proposals should not exceed two pages and should include the items listed below.

• Panel Title
• Name and contact information for panel moderator
• Names and affiliations of proposed panelists
• Description of the issue to be addressed and its significance to conference attendees
• Paragraph (for each proposed panelist) identifying the panelist's perspective

See the panel session template (Word version, PDF version) for guidelines.

Panel session proposals should be submitted through the Conference Management System.  The submission deadline for panel sessions is December 1, 2009.

Each panel member is expected to submit an individual paper (see details about submitting a paper above), addressing his/her perspective on the issue to be discussed at the panel discussion.

Those wishing to explore possible panel topics are encouraged to contact the organizing committee at capstoneconf@gmail.com.

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SHORT COURSES
Short courses, conducted as either tutorials or workshops, will range from 2-4 hours in length. Proposed short courses on the conference’s primary and new frontier themes are encouraged, as are those proposals that target attendees who are new to capstone design.

Short course proposals should not exceed two pages and should contain the items listed below.

• Short Course Title
• Name and contact information for presenters
• Paragraph (for each presenter) on presenter background/qualifications
• Length requested (2hr or 4hr)
• Goals of short course
• Target audience (general, new/experienced capstone instructors, students, etc.)
• Facilitation plan for short course (explanation of time utilization and teaching/learning methods)
• Logistical requirements (AV technology, laptops/software, anticipated handouts, room set-up, audience size, etc.) 

See the short course template (Word version, PDF version) for guidelines.

Short course proposals should be submitted through the Conference Management System.  The submission deadline for short courses is December 1, 2009.

Questions about short courses should be directed to the organizing committee at capstoneconf@gmail.com.

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WORKING GROUPS
The 2010 Capstone Design Conference will feature several “working groups” to kick-start longer term discussions and deliverables for the wider capstone design community.

A working group consists of people who

(1) participate in a conference session at which a specific topic is discussed and

(2) work further on the topic toward producing papers or other deliverables at a later date.

Each working group will start its discussion during a dedicated time at the conference and will then continue its work after the conference has concluded.

To propose a working group topic or suggest potential working group facilitators, please contact us at capstoneconf@gmail.com by January 15th, 2010.

Details about the working groups will be posted on this website in Spring 2010.

All conference participants are encouraged to join the working groups.

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STUDENT PARTICIPATION
We invite submissions for two types of student participation: (1) poster presentations and (2) student panels. Students selected to participate in either the student poster showcase or the student panel will have all registration costs waived and are eligible to receive travel support. Details of the available travel support will be determined after the selection of student participants.

Student Poster Presentations

We invite proposals of truly exemplary capstone projects, to be presented in poster format by current seniors who will be recent graduates at the time of the conference.  Student project submissions should include (1) a description of the project in paper format (no longer than 4 pages, following the paper format for the conference) and (2) an endorsement from the faculty member (200-250 words) explaining the exceptional nature of the project.  It is anticipated that each accepted project team will receive financial support sufficient to cover travel and lodging expenses for at least one presenter; all students from accepted teams will have conference fees waived.  We expect to accept 10-15 student project posters, and will attempt to choose exemplary projects across as broad a spectrum of disciplines as possible, spanning a range of project types (operational product, prototype, simulation, paper design, etc).  Student project posters will be presented during the conference; papers associated with student projects will be published in the conference proceedings.  

Student Project Nomination Form

Student project nominations are due April 1, 2010.

Acceptance decisions will be made by May 1, with attendance/presentation commitments due shortly thereafter.

Student Panel Sessions

Because students are among the most critical stakeholders vis-à-vis pedagogy, we invite nominations for current capstone students and recent graduates to be panel members to speak about their experience as learners.  With the new frontier theme of international teams, we also invite nominations for students who have been part of an international project, especially where the project team represented institutions from different countries and required remote collaboration Nominations (200-250 words) should indicate why the student is especially qualified to participate as a panel member.  Faculty are encouraged to nominate their current and recent students; students who are interested in participating should contact their faculty member to endorse their nomination.  The program committee will select facilitators for all student panels.  Student nominees should also indicate that they can and will attend the conference and participate in the panel should they be accepted.  Financial support to offset conferences expenses will be provided to all accepted panelists; conference fees will be waived for all panelists.

Student Panel Nomination Form

Student panel nominations are due April 1, 2010.

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QUICK LINKS

PDF Call for Papers

Paper submission template

Panel submission template

Short course submission template

CMT Paper Submission tool

CONFERENCE SPONSORS


University of Colorado


National Science Foundation


ASEE DEED

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