What we are all about
The twentieth annual Pacific Coast Research Conference will be held in Coronado from February 2-5, 2012. This is an annual research meeting, held on the West Coast in mid-winter. It is intended for researchers and post-docs concerned about teaching, learning, and schooling for students with mild to moderate disabilities. All sessions at the conference are proposed and organized by participants and only those participating in the conference (this year, or in the last 2 years) may attend. Proposals are due on August 22, 2011.
The PCRC is a unique research meeting, characterized by intensity and informality. The meeting runs from Thursday evening until Saturday night; all sessions are two hours in length. PCRC is distinguished by the high quality of research presented, an informality that promotes effective and vigorous participation and interaction, and an opportunity to discuss controversial topics or work in progress.
In order to maintain the spirit of PCRC, all conferees must be present for the entire meeting. This permits participants to attend a wide variety of sessions and to interact with colleagues whose areas are not directly related to their own research. The meeting is organized as follows: One session on Thursday evening, followed by a reception; concurrent sessions 8:00 am-10:00 am and 10:15 am-12:15 pm on Friday and Saturday; poster sessions on Friday from 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm and concurrent sessions on Saturday late afternoon followed by a business meeting and dinner on Saturday evening. This format permits many opportunities for intimate, informal discussions with fellow researchers. And, there is time to enjoy California sun in the middle of winter! This 3-day commitment and informality is the essence of PCRC.
There will be two types of program offerings at PCRC, panel and poster sessions. There will be no individual paper presentations. Please limit your participant list to those who will attend the conference and present; do not list anyone who will not be at the meeting.
Panel Sessions. The organizer of a Panel Session unites researchers from several institutions to contribute brief perspectives on a single theme. Or, the organizer may gather researchers from a single institution to present various facets of a single piece of work. Themes may be methodological (approaches to data collection or data analysis) or substantive (convergent or divergent findings from various "labs.") Four participants are suggested. It is helpful if one member of the panel has attended PCRC in the past and helps to structure the presentation to maintain the spirit of the conference (i.e. brief presentations leaving plenty of time for discussion). Panel participants make commitments to register for the conference on time and attend the entire meeting.>
Poster Sessions. Posters combine the graphic display of research with the opportunity for individualized, informal discussion. Proposals for posters should describe the study to be displayed. NOTE: Please use three key words to describe poster content and indicate this on your proposal before listing the participant’s names. There will be two poster sessions.
Call For Proposals. Proposals for panel sessions and posters should be submitted to Susan Graham-Seifert, Conference Manager, on the posted form by August 22, 2011. Please note that although graduate students may not present on panels they are welcome to participate as co-presenters of posters. Also, you cannot participate in more than one session; if two proposals with your name on them get accepted, the organizer of one will be asked to propose a substitute before the program is confirmed. This policy broadens participation at PCRC and minimizes redundancy in the proposals and the program. The program committee for this year will include Kathleen Lane (Vanderbilt University), Cara Richards-Tutor (California State University- Long Beach), Carl Swartz (Meta Metrics, Inc.), Jeanne Wanzek (Florida State University), and Kristen Ritchey (University of Delaware). The first person serves as chair of the program committee, and then rotates off the committee the following year. The replacement member of the program committee is elected by the participants at the business meeting on the final day of PCRC.
The program committee will review all submissions and select panels and posters for the 2012 conference in late August/early September. If a proposal is accepted, all participants are expected to be present and the substitution of other panelists is not acceptable. If substitutions are necessary due to emergencies, the conference manager should be informed. There is room in the program for 16-21 panel presentations. If the panel in which you would present is not accepted for the program, you will be invited to submit your own work as a poster, instead.
Eligibility to Attend. Only the participants in the sessions selected for presentation at the 2012 meeting and all registered participants in the 2010 and 2011 meetings will be invited to attend PCRC. Invitations will be sent via email around mid-September 2011, and registration will close on October 28, 2011. If you decide not to submit either a panel or poster proposal you are welcome to register for the 2012 meeting anyway, but please remember that you must be an active participant in this research meeting at least once every three years to maintain your eligibility to attend.
Costs. There will be a registration fee of $225.00 for each participant in PCRC. This fee will cover a reception on the opening night of the conference, a reception the night of the poster sessions, and the closing dinner, and will help to defray costs incurred in developing the call for proposals and the final program, and in organizing the meeting.
I hope you will advertise this conference widely to your colleagues working on research with students with mild to moderate disabilities, and that you yourself will formulate a panel session or poster proposal for the conference. I am looking forward to an exciting forum for interchange of ideas and to a set of productive and stimulating discussions.
Naomi Zigmond
Conference Founder
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