CSTA 2021 | July 14-15, 2021

Thank you for your interest in submitting a session for CSTA 2021! Our presenters are what make CSTA a great conference each year. 

The information on this page details out the updated submission and review process for the 2021 conference. Please be sure to read through the entire page before submitting. 

Have a question that's not answered here? Reach out to the CSTA Events Team. 

The Submission Process

There are three steps to the submission process: 

• Presenter Details:
  • On this page, you will be asked to enter details for each presenter in the session. For the CSTA 2021 conference, one complimentary registration will be provided for the primary presenter per presentation. 
  • You will also have the opportunity to provide an optional 30-second video introducing your presentation to the committee. These videos will not be seen by reviewers and will only be seen by the conference committee.
• Presentation Information:
  • On this page, you will enter the session title (max 60 characters), the session description, and a short 140-character description. 
  • You will select the applicable topics to this presentation.
  • The information submitted on this page will be used to create the online conference program. CSTA reserves the right to make adjustments, and a copy editor will review before publishing. 
• Presentation Details:
  • In this final step, you will be asked to share an outline of your presentation and any key takeaways/learning objectives. 
  • You will select your presentation type on this page as well. 

Topics of Interest

Based on feedback from the CSTA 2020 Conference, the CSTA 2021 Conference Committee is specifically looking for content in the following areas: 

Topics are guidelines, not requirements. We will still equally consider topics outside of these suggestions. 

Presentation Types

Session (45-minutes)

• A 45-minute session should be a mix of presentation and discussion/hands-on activity.

Workshop (90-minutes)

• A 90-minute workshop that should mostly have participants doing or discussing rather than listening.

Mini-session (20 minutes)

• A Mini-session is a 15 minute presentation with 5 minutes for discussion/questions.

Birds of a Feather (45-minutes)

• Birds of a Feather (BOFs) are facilitated discussions about a specific topic. There is generally not a presentation, and all participants are encouraged to actively engage in the conversation.

Poster (pre-recorded)

• Posters allow for individual interaction with poster content through a pre-recorded video. Presenters have the option of interacting with attendees through chat.

Timeline

Monday, Aug. 3: Call for Proposals and Call for Reviewers  Opens

Friday, Oct. 16: Call for Reviewers Closes 

Sunday, Nov. 8: Submission Deadline

Thursday, Dec. 17: Review Deadline

Friday, Jan. 29, 2021: Speakers Notified

How to Submit

1. Click "Log In" at the top of the page. 
2. Create a login specific to this call for proposals. If you submitted last year, you will need to create a new account. Be sure to save your login information! 
3. Click "Submit Abstract" and complete the questions in the form. 
4. All submissions must be completed by Nov. 8. 
5. You will receive a confirmation email from the CSTA Conference Team once your submission has been received. 

You will be able to begin a submission as a draft, and login and edit your submissions until the call for presentations closes on Nov. 8, 2020.

Selection Criteria 

Reviewers will be asked to assess the following aspects of the proposals:

• Topic is appropriate for/relevant to CSTA professional development for K-12 computing, including alignment to CSTA standards if applicable.
• Proposed treatment of topic is useful/reasonable
• Topic is timely, fresh, not overdone, etc.
• Session outline clearly indicates engaging aspects and/or interactive elements

CSTA reviewers will be evaluating submissions based on the criteria in this rubric.

About the Review Process

• Submitter details are kept confidential from reviewers in an effort to eliminate bias from the content review.
• Reviewers are CSTA Members that have volunteered their time and expertise. They are working with a 2021 conference committee member to review content, and have completed training.
• Reviewers will provide an overall recommendation and comments which will be shared with the proposal submitter after the program is selected.
• Reviews will be tabulated for use by the Program Committee. The Program Committee will select proposals deemed to provide a well-rounded and timely program with respect to topics and school levels. Presenters' past inclusion and performance at CSTA conferences may also impact selection.
• Interested in being a reviewer? You can apply here by Oct. 15.