NCUC Annual Student Conference
Each year Newcastle College University Centre hosts its HE Student Conference, enabling students from across the college to share the innovative research they’re engaged in. As part of our past conferences, students introduced research into subjects as diverse as football scouting in the UK, mental health and addiction, the effectiveness of audio feedback for students, and recreational resources for adults with learning disabilities. The HE Student Conference is a great opportunity to share your research, build confidence in presenting academic work, and a chance to meet other HE students from across the college.
NCUC Virtual Student Conference
Wednesday 21st April 2021
Submissions are now open for our annual NCUC Student Conference! This is a brilliant opportunity to share your research with your peers and learn all about research in other subject areas. Most importantly, it is a chance to celebrate all of your successes in what has been a very difficult (and strange!) university year.
Undergraduates from all disciplines are invited to submit research papers, to present posters, creative show and tells, or performances to share as part of the conference.
Logistics:
- The conference will be a pre-recorded event which will go ‘live’ on April 21st. There will also be a keynote speaker (TBC) who will present live on the day.
- Research and poster presentations should be 10 minutes in length, recorded on PowerPoint with audio and including subtitles. You will need to download and use the 2021 Student Conference PowerPoint template HERE.
- If your submission is a creative show and tell, you can record this using any software that you feel best represents your work – but it must include audio/subtitles and be 10 minutes in length.
- Performances must also be 10 minutes, with an accompanying audio introduction and subtitles.
To express your interest in presenting, please send a 250 abstract of your work to megan.sormus@ncl-coll.ac.uk by 19th March. After this, you will be asked to submit your recorded presentations by 7th April.
Guidance for writing your abstract
A conference abstract is a short description of your research, designed to sell your ideas to your audience. It’s your chance to summarise your research in a clear, concise and interesting way and impress the organisers with your ideas in one scannable paragraph.
What should you include?
- Explain the purpose of the project, the question you wanted to answer and why it’s an important issue to tackle;
- Set out the approach you took;
- Share your findings or the conclusions you reached;
- Add in any details that explain why your project is significant or adds new information to your field.
What makes a good abstract?
Well-written abstracts are clear, concise and coherent. It needs to be factual and focused on the information your audience needs to know. It’s important to remember that your audience won’t necessarily be an expert in your subject, so it’s best to avoid jargon or overly technical language. Your abstract needs to be accessible to all readers.
Before submitting your abstract
- Make sure that it is no longer than 250 words;
- Make sure it is written in clear English;
- Take the time to proofread it.
Abstract Examples.
Example 1:
Title: The effects of Rebound Therapy on verbal and non-verbal communication of children with special educational needs and learning disabilities.
This dissertation explores parent’s/carers’ perspectives on; ‘The effects of Rebound Therapy on verbal and non-verbal communication of children with special educational needs and learning disabilities’ (using a Winstrada intervention). Rebound Therapy was founded by Eddy Anderson in the UK in 1972 and is an ‘exercise therapy which uses trampolines to provide opportunities for movement, therapeutic exercise and recreation for people across the whole spectrum of special needs’ (Anderson, 2018). Often individuals with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have difficulty in communicating both verbally and non-verbally. It is therefore important to find interventions that can support their development. There is limited published data surrounding this topic.
For this study, six children with SEND aged 5-11 years old were selected to partake. Each child was chosen from Hadrian School’s rebound therapy sessions. A qualitative between-subjects design was used, from this semi-structured interview’s took place with each child’s parents/carers in which open-ended questions were asked surrounding rebound therapy, its benefits and effects on communication. Each child then participated in a 45-minute rebound therapy session, whilst the researcher recorded key observations. The parents/carers were then interviewed a second time, allowing the researcher to ask further questions. Parents/carer’s views were used due to all the children’s lack in communication/ social skills. Data was then analysed using template analysis. Currently, there are no conclusive results, but initial explorations into research have shown that rebound therapy has many benefits which may include improved communication. It is anticipated that this research will inform and enhance scholarly explorations
Word Count: 250
Example 2:
Title: How can Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs be redefined to formulate a model of creative requirements?
The contents of the presentation I intend to perform at the H.E. conference will be derived from the research undertaken as part of my dissertation titled “How can Maslow’s hierarchy of needs be redefined to formulate a model of creative requirements”. In this research, the act of creativity was viewed from the perspective of religion, philosophy, and psychoanalytical theory. Ending with a theoretical model designed as a reference for personal creative acts, these three schools of thought were analysed to show how creative acts within the three areas could be deemed not dissimilar when viewed from the same perspective.
The presentation will outline various historical case studies and contemporary theory regarding creativity, with the intention of revealing a process of apparent scale relativity. Once this has been set up the geometric properties of the model of creative requirements will be given relative to the concluding statements reached across the foundational research. Although the model is not fully complete and only in its infancy, it will provide a basis for continued research into the subject. A short description of how the research may be carried on, and examples of its application will conclude the presentation.
Word count: 195
Example 3:
Title: The Importance of ‘Company’ Theatre Group.
My proposal for the HE Student Conference is a 10-minute presentation on the importance of and the success found within ‘Company’. ‘Company’ is a mock-industry Theatre Group formed within the FdA Musical Theatre Foundation Degree Course within our ‘Work-Based Learning’ Module. The students on Level 5 have each been accepted to study at top Drama schools and in Further education around the world, as well as utilising the skills found within creative roles in the industry. I aim to discuss our trip to New York City, as well as performing at the National Theatre event ‘Move It’ in 2015. The closeness and acceptance within the Musical Theatre industry is representative of our successful course ra, and as Head Boy of the Musical Theatre department, Student Internship and student within the course, I feel the HE Student Conference is the perfect place to celebrate this. With its recent run of “The Addams Family” in the Newcastle College Peter Sarah Theatre, it has been a great year throughout and within ‘Company’s’ rehearsals and performances and I would love to share this with the conference.
Word Count: 181
While the idea of creating a recording of your presentation may sound a little daunting – the basic principles of presenting in person are the same! If you are using a PowerPoint to present your work, you will need to download and use the HE Student Conference template, found HERE.
Presentation guidance
Plan your content and stick to timings: Presentations must be 10 minutes in length. If you are using PowerPoint, find out how to record your presentation here. Make sure to leave plenty of time to plan what you are going to say and be selective. Remember ‘less is more’.
Identify your key message/argument: Focus on the most relevant points that will substantiate to your overall aim and argument.
Supporting Evidence: Including evidence will help to present a compelling argument to your audience.
Visual Aids: Consider what visual aids will help to illustrate, illuminate or explain what you are saying such as images, or links to infographics, videos or websites.
Consistency: Be consistent with font sizes and style. Use bullet points, highlight keywords, and use short sentences to avoid lengthly paragraphs.
Accessibility: All presentation must include subtitles. Find out how to include these in your Powerpoint presentations here. Speak clearly and concisely. Use simple language and explain terms. This is an interdisciplinary conference, so many viewers will not have the same level of understanding of the subject as you do.
Much like an essay, your presentation should include:
Introduction: ‘Say what you’re going to say’. This explains what you are going to talk about. Usually you should present your key message, or argument and an outline of the presentation.
Main Body: This is where you discuss the most relevant and interesting points of your research.
Conclusion: ‘Say what you’ve already said’. This gives a brief review of the purpose of your presentation, and reiterates the key message of your reasearch.
Personal reflections (optional): Including personal reflection such as what you found most challenging or rewarding about the research gives you presentation an original twist. This section is particularly important if you are submitting a creative ‘show and tell’ of your work.
Poster Guidance
If you are submitting a poster presentation, you must record and subtitle this in the same was an oral presentation (see above). Poster presentations should be 10 minutes in length. An effective poster presentation and a good oral presentation share many qualities: it’s important to know your audience and their needs, be confident of your purpose, and to convey your key message with impact.
Here are some key things that make an effective poster:
Attractive visuals: This will entice people to read it.
A compelling title: This should intriguing enough to compel your audience’s attention.
A clear message: This will differentiate your research poster from others.
Good use of images and diagrams: ‘A picture paints a thousand words’ – especially when there is a set time limit!