CFP

SAAIR29: Southern African Association for Institutional Research 29th Annual Conference 2022

Pretoria, South Africa, November 14-17, 2022

Conference website	https://www.saair-web.co.za/2022-29th-conference/
Submission link	https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=saair29
Abstract registration deadline	July 5, 2022
Submission deadline	October 31, 2022

The deadline for submitting proposal outlines and abstracts has been extended to 5 July 2022.  Please submit as soon as possible!

Overview

The higher education sector, like most of the world, has experienced and continues to battle massive disruption in the past few years. These disruptions are medical, economic, political and social and the effects of which has pervaded all walks of life. The human toll of these upheavals has been massive both mentally and physically. Despite this, we have seen the resilience of higher education and observed how institutions responded to the various crises brought on by the disruptions. As we fight to restore some form of balance among the tumultuous circumstances we find ourselves in, we also realise that there is a growing need to reintegrate our state of being to normalize day to day life. This reintegration is aimed at restoring the various components of higher education into a harmonious unity. We see this reintegration process as drawing from the lessons learned during the crises and integrating these with known wisdom to address historic divides such as gender and racial inequality and more recently topical divides such as the digital divides. We must grasp this unique moment in time to reshape ourselves in terms of policy, praxis, technology, our workplaces, our relationships and organisations. As institutional researchers, planners, quality assurors and business intelligence practitioners and academics, we are in a unique position to shape the path of this reintegration process.

You are invited to submit an abstract reflecting on your practice at both individual and institutional levels under any of the following sub-themes:

1. Locked down and locked out

One of the main responses to the COVID-19 crisis was the use of national lock downs to control population movements. This resulted in major disruption of teaching and learning and gave rise to emergency remote teaching and learning to keep the academic year alive. This pivot to online learning served to highlight the deep digital divides between institutions, students and academics. In this theme we invite papers that reflect on the long-term challenges and opportunities of the move to online or blended learning; highlight the digital divides that exist within institutions; and provide frameworks for the long term integration of online and face to face modalities.

2. Integrating Business Intelligence and social justice

Business Intelligence in higher education has provided the sector with unprecedented access to data about organisations. The development of information products that serve specific institutional objectives has become a well-established practice. However, the sourcing, transforming, analyzing and dissemination of this key information tends to happen in isolated silos leading to disparate insights that fail to capture the core of the institution. Increasingly, there is a need for analytics that are informed by the principles of social justice to highlight the lived experiences of those who are excluded or marginalized by institutional systems. In this theme we explore the ways in which business intelligence can and should contribute to the social justice imperatives facing the sector. We therefore invite examples of practice; social justice frameworks for business intelligence and; critical discussions on the impact of algorithmic bias present in our current practices.

3. Student and staff support in a disrupted space

The student and staff experience of the recent and on-going disruptions is still being documented. However, there is an emerging picture of intense pressures that took a toll both physically and mentally. Coupled with the physical distancing brought on by the various lock downs, student and staff support practitioners had to develop novel and innovative ways of supporting and guiding both students and staff. In this theme we invite reflections and empirical studies focusing on the student experience; documenting novel and innovative support initiatives and; reflections on praxis.

4. Planning in a fragmented environment

The focus of higher education institutions has largely been on surviving the disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Short term plans such as the pivot to online learning, remote work and closing institutions served to keep institutions operational. Very few, if any, institutions had established long term plans to cope with a pandemic that could last for years. As a result, institutions are forced to recalibrate their mid to long term strategic plans to cope with the drastic changes in environment. Planning and quality assurance serve to connect an institution to its environment and provide unity and direction. It is therefore imperative that new ways of operating become standardized and pockets of excellence become amplified across the institution in response to the current challenges. In this theme we invite reflections on the planning and quality assurance processes that guided the institution through change; reflections on the future of higher education in South Africa and; illustrations of new frameworks required to navigate an uncertain future.

5. Quality assurance and academic planning under crisis

Quality assurance plays a key role in ensuring key institutional goals, services and qualifications are met at the appropriate national and international standards. The development of both internal and external QA procedures has always involved a delicate consultation and collaboration process. Understandably the volatile COVID-19 context in higher education significantly disrupted these processes and, in some cases, invalidated existing procedures of quality assurance and planning. In a sense academic planning has increasingly become synonymous with QA as it aligns with the principles and procedures of internal QA. In this track we therefore look at both the external QA processes and how these have changed in response to COVID-19 as well as internal QA with a particular emphasis on academic planning, PQM and accreditation processes. We welcome contributions relating to reflections on experiences of QA within the remote learning and teaching context, new frameworks for ensuring that the quality of student and institutional outcomes are maintained and reflections on praxis within QA in the COVID-19 context.

6. Open track

In this track we invite papers that fit with the overall conference theme but do not fit into one of the sub-themes.

Venue

The conference will run in hybrid mode, allowing delegates to attend in person for the first time in two years or virtually if preferred. It will take place at Casablanca Manor, Donkerhoek, Pretoria.

Types of contributions

The SAAIR Conference 2021 aims to attract quality contributions from scholars, academics, higher education practitioners, and institutional researchers. To this end, we invite the following types of contributions for presentation at the Conference:

Contributed paper (CP)

This is a scholarly paper in which the author or authors share research results. Such a paper may draw from a research report, a case study, or the use and application of a particular research methodology, or may address particular theoretical and conceptual issues relevant to the theme of the conference. The proposed paper can be based on original data collection or secondary data analysis and can be based on quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methodology. Contributed papers will be scheduled in 30-minute slots of which at least 10 minutes should be dedicated to discussion.

Panel discussion (PD)

This is a collegial discussion of a single topic relevant to the theme of the conference by several discussants. The outline for such a presentation should describe the topic and the central issues that will be explored. It should also describe how the differing perspectives of each participant will contribute to the development of the topic. The total time allowed for a discussion panel will be 60 minutes.

Pre-conference workshop (CW)

A workshop should be aimed at facilitating active involvement by participants in deliberations around a topic relevant to the theme of the conference. It should generally consist of a brief introduction followed by planned activities/processes of engagement. The outline for a proposed workshop should describe the topic, the participant activities, the audience that will be targeted through the workshop, and its intended outcomes. The outline should also specify any special requirements that may be needed for the workshop (e.g., individual laptops for participation, venue specification, etc.). Please note that such specifications will need to fit in with the overall logistical arrangements for the conference. The total time allowed for a conference workshop will be 90 minutes

Proposal evaluation process

The evaluation of proposals is an important activity to ensure the quality of submissions. The SAAIR Executive Committee is committed to coordinating the evaluation process in a fair, objective, and rigorous manner whilst also considering issues such as the representation of all types of higher education institutions across Southern Africa.

In facilitating this, the following should be noted:

A panel of experts will be constituted to assess proposals against a predetermined list of quality criteria (see below).
All evaluations are undertaken through a double-blind review process.
Where proposals are rated at roughly the same level of quality, the evaluation committee will consider the number of proposals by an individual researcher, and the type of institution to which the individual researcher(s) are affiliated in order to ensure reasonable diversity without neglecting the quality requirements as evaluated by the peer review panel.
Contributions that seek to make a scholarly contribution to addressing the theme of the conference will be given first priority of acceptance. However, submissions that do not directly address the theme of the conference will also be considered, provided that they have a clear focus on one or more of the objectives of the SAAIR, namely “to benefit, assist and advance institutional research leading to improved understanding, planning and operation of institutions of higher education”.

General criteria applicable to all proposals

Whether the proposal links to one or more of the SAAIR’s, objectives namely “to benefit, assist and advance institutional research leading to improved understanding, planning and operation of institutions of higher education”.
The degree to which the proposal links to the Conference theme (Submissions that do not directly address the theme or sub-themes of the conference will also be considered, provided that they have a clear focus on one or more of the objectives of SAAIR).
The overall clarity of the proposal (e.g., quality of writing, organisation of ideas, clarity of assumptions, the logic of arguments).
The importance, significance, and relevance of the topic and major issue(s) addressed for institutional research.
The potential significance of the contribution.

Specific criteria applicable to contributed papers

Appropriateness of theoretical or conceptual framework.
Soundness of research design.
Appropriateness of data sources or evidence used.
Clarity of exposition of ideas, analyses, arguments, and conclusions.
Evidence that the research is near completion and that the paper will be completed by the time of the conference (e.g., preliminary results).

Specific criteria applicable to panel discussions

Overall focus of the panel discussion and major issues/viewpoints addressed.
How the collective issues/viewpoints fit together to create a coherent whole.
How the proposed panel will provide a learning experience of value to delegates.
Clarity of exposition of ideas, analyses, arguments, and conclusions.

Specific criteria applicable to pre-conference workshops

Overall focus of the workshop and major issues addressed.
Soundness of design.
Appropriateness of data sources or evidence used.
Clarity of exposition of ideas, analyses, arguments, and conclusions to be shared with participants.

Proposal submission

Members of the SAAIR and other interested colleagues are invited to respond to this call for contributions to the 2022 Conference.

Presenters/authors are requested to submit an abstract (at most 150 words) and outline (between 500 and 600 words) of their proposed contribution at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=saair29.

Before sending proposals, you must have an account with EasyChair. If you do not have one, you can register for free at https://easychair.org/account/signup or by following the link "Create an account" on https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=saair29.

All questions about submissions should be emailed to SAAIR2022conf@unisa.ac.za