Convention Format

43rd Annual Convention


February 24-25, 2016
Chicago Marriott Naperville

1801 N Naper Blvd, Naperville, IL 60563

Convention Format

The 2017 Convention will feature several format updates to keep up with the changing needs of our members.
 

• Breakout sessions have been reduced from 1 hour to 45 minutes as per the feedback of members that presentations often end early, and they find themselves with little to do until the next session.
  • ?Due to this change, the timing for the day has been adjusted slightly, as you will see when the at-a-glance is released.
• We have added Discussion Panels before the Afternoon Plenaries both Friday and Saturday.  Friday's Panel will feature a number of experts familiar with educational policy available to answer questions or discuss a variety of policy topics.  Saturday's Panel will focus on Teaching Methodology, and will feature a number experts in TESOL and Bilingual Education to answer questions and discuss issues on those topics.
  • ?Panelists will be announced within the next few weeks, so keep an eye out!
• In lieu of 2 of our Featured Speaker spots, we will have Featured Events.  Friday, the convention will play host to a meeting of ELACHE (the English Learners Advocacy Council in Higher Education) which is open to the public.  The meeting will take place during the SIG meeting and during the first afternoon Breakout Session.  On Saturday, the convention will host several experts discussing and answering questions about the current state of placement testing in ESL after the end of the Compass tests.
• We are also hoping to live stream one room of the convention for a day, in order to allow members who are not able to attend the convention in person to still participate and get some professional development opportunities.  We have not finished planning for this yet, and are unable to give too many details at this point.