Workshop Organizers and Facilitators

Instructions for Workshop Organizers/Facilitators

Workshops offered at each Biennial Conference on Chemical Education are a great way to share findings of effective practices for teaching and learning. Workshop leaders must understand the offering of a BCCE workshop is a service to the chemistry education community. We appreciate all of the work that workshop facilitators do to prepare and deliver their workshop. 

For all of the good our facilitators do, the recent BCCEs have experienced one or two difficulties. BCCE workshops are offered to enable our participants to experience hands-on activities and active learning. All workshops need to be hands-on activities and use active learning and/or guided inquiry methods of instruction a significant percentage of the time. Only a small amount of the time can be devoted to direct instruction - a lecture. Workshops may be lab-based, computer-based, hands-on problem solving, model building, modeling a specific pedagogy such as POGIL or SWH, case study, peer-discussions, etc.  We are also working to make clear policies for workshop fees and cancellations, to help ensure our workshop participants are able to attend the workshop they paid for.

Workshop Proposals must be submitted online at bcce24.exordo.com. When your submission is complete, your proposal will be automatically forwarded to the Workshop Chair. The Workshop Chair will review your proposal and make a decision as to whether to accept, reject, or amend it. If your proposal is accepted, then you are expected to deliver the workshop and register as a participant at the 28th BCCE.

Due to the large number of workshops, a maximum of 50 workshops will be accepted. Priority will be given to workshop topics that fit into the overarching themes and are of value to the chemistry education community.

Workshop Sessions

Workshops will be scheduled for 1.5 hour, 3 hour (half-day) or 6 hour (full-day) blocks. Typically, workshop sessions run 8:30 AM to 11:45 AM and 2:00 PM to 4:50 PM. Please keep in mind that the workshops run concurrently with the symposia sessions.  Facilitators with workshops of 3 and 6 hour lengths should plan on a 15 minute break during conference-wide, scheduled break times, after approximately 1.5 hours and for lunch break from 11:45 AM to 2:00 PM (See Workshop Overview).

Workshop offerings will begin Sunday, July 28 at 8:30 AM and run to August 1 ending at 11:45 AM. Workshop leaders who have a Sunday or Monday workshop are strongly encouraged to arrive on campus Friday, July 26 in order to prepare for their workshop and attend the mandatory Chemical Safety, Disposal of Chemicals, & Information session. 

Workshop leaders will sign and submit a Safety Contract for Chemical Workshops and Demonstrations by April 19. 

Workshop Fees and Cancellation Policies

1. Workshop organizers/facilitators must agree to abide by the BCCE workshop fee and cancellation policies upon submitting the workshop proposal. Any failure to abide by these policies will result in the workshop organizer/facilitator being banned from presenting workshops at future BCCEs.
2. Workshop organizers/facilitators are encouraged to have a co-facilitator who can deliver the workshop in case of an emergency cancellation for the primary facilitator. 
3. The 28th BCCE charges participants a $10 fee for attending a workshop to cover extra costs at UK associated with workshops. Workshop facilitators may charge a participant fee, in $5 increments, for their workshop. 
   1. Workshop facilitators may charge participants ONLY for expenses related to the materials (chemicals, consumables, copying) needed for the workshop, and the shipping of these materials to and from the BCCE location. 
   2. Workshop facilitators may not charge the 28th BCCE, ACS DivCHED, or their workshop participants expenses associated with the facilitator's travel, lodging, food, the BCCE registration fee, or other personal expenses. 
4. In order for a workshop leader to be reimbursed for the expenses associated with delivering the workshop, the workshop facilitator must submit receipts for materials, etc. to the 28th BCCE General Chair by August 1 at noon in the Conference Office in the Gatton Student Center at the University of Kentucky. All fees in excess of reimbursable costs are kept by the BCCE.
5. Workshop fees are considered conference revenue and are not available for workshop organizers/facilitators for compensation of their time.
6. Workshop fees are nonrefundable. In other words, if a participant does not attend the workshop or conference and/or if they are unsatisfied with the workshop, they will not receive a refund.
7. Should a workshop be canceled because of lack of registration, facilitator cancellation or other causes, participants will be offered an alternative workshop to attend. Participants will be allowed to attend another workshop at the same conference, pending available space and agreement from the workshop facilitators. Should a suitable alternate workshop not be available at the same conference–for any reason–DivChed and BCC policy states the participant will lose their workshop fee.
8. To cancel a workshop, organizers/facilitators must notify the Workshop Program Chair at bcce2024@uky.edu, by June 1.
9. Anyone who is listed as an organizer/facilitator of a workshop and who does not show at the conference or does not deliver their workshop (other than having an acceptable reason and being excused by the BCCE Program Chair), will be placed on a BCC and DivChed suspect list for the next BCCE meeting (two years). Such individuals will not be eligible to submit a workshop proposal for another BCCE until they agree to serve as a presider for a general paper session or poster session for a BCCE, an ACS regional meeting, or ACS national meeting.

Guidelines/Expectations for Proposals

1. The call for workshops opens August 1, 2023 and closes November 10, 2023. Workshop acceptance/denial notices will be sent by December 15, 2023. 
2. You will be informed of the day and time of your workshop by April 12. You will be informed of the number of registered participants for your workshop by June 14, after early registration for the conference closes and again one week prior to the start of the conference.
3. A significant percentage of time in the workshop should be devoted to active learning or some sort of engaged learning activity (i.e., workshops should not be seen as extended symposium talks). Workshops should not rely solely on traditional passive lecture methods. 
4. Workshop proposals should include clear learning objectives/outcomes (i.e., a specific statement about what the participants will gain from the workshop and/or a deliverable the participants can take back to their home institution). Proposals that do not include learning objectives or outcomes will not be accepted.
5. Every effort will be made to schedule workshops in rooms with appropriate AV materials, when indicated in the workshop proposal. Workshop facilitators should include all AV needs on their Workshop Proposal. Not all laboratory spaces come equipped with AV equipment; therefore, it is important to have a complete listing of your needs with the proposal. Additional AV equipment may be available at an additional cost to the workshop. All AV needs MUST be submitted by June 1.  Photos of representative laboratories and classrooms are available.
6. If a workshop involves the use of a computer or other device by the participants, indicate this in your workshop proposal so that participants know they must bring their own device. The University of Kentucky does not have computer labs available for use. Facilitators will want to bring enough licenses to accommodate all workshop participants, if specialized software is needed.
7. All workshop facilitators must pay the 28th BCCE registration fee. 
8. All workshop participants must pay the 28th BCCE registration fee. Registration opens February 2024. 

Workshop Materials

1. Workshop organizers/facilitators are responsible for all materials that will be needed for the workshop (handouts/print outs, software, etc.). Once Organizers/facilitators receive their participants list, organizers/facilitators may want to provide some information to workshop participants in advance of the workshop that may facilitate a more successful experience (e.g., links to materials that will be provided in an electronic format via a cloud storage service; requests to bring a syllabus or existing classroom activity). 

2. Workshop facilitators are responsible for arranging for all of the materials necessary for the workshop to be shipped starting July 1, 2024 and arriving at the University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry by July 19, 2024. Workshop materials need to be sent to the following address.

   • April French
   • c/o 28th BCCE Workshops
   • (Your Name and Workshop Number)
   • University of Kentucky
   • Thomas Hunt Morgan Building, room 106
   • 195 Huguelet Drive
   • Lexington, KY 40506

   We recommend that you send material using Registered U.S. Mail, FedEx, or UPS so you can track the package yourself. If a workshop involves chemicals, workshop facilitators are expected to follow the proper OSHA/EPA/DOT guidelines for the transport of chemicals.

3. Workshop facilitators are responsible for arranging for all non-chemical materials (hand-outs, activities, etc.) left at the end of the workshop to be shipped back to their institution, home, company, etc. Please have pre-paid US Mail or UPS mailing labels prepared prior to coming to the 28th BCCE. Materials left at University of Kentucky will be discarded.  
4. The University of Kentucky or the 28th BCCE will not ship open chemical containers back to facilitators home institutions. Quantities of chemicals purchased for the BCCE must be in the smallest quantities necessary to run the workshop.
5. If a workshop involves chemicals, workshop facilitators are responsible for the preparation and proper disposal of all chemicals necessary for the workshop. The 28th BCCE will provide a preparation area. The workshop preparation area will be available July 26 to July 28, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.  We will post the hours of operations of this room for other days of the 28th BCCE. 
6. Common laboratory glassware, equipment, and preparation materials will be available for you to use. The available equipment and other supplies are listed at the end of the document, “Chemical Guidelines” . If you provide us with a list of materials and equipment needed well in advance of the workshops, we will TRY to accommodate your request. Chemical demonstrators will follow the same “Safety Regulations” for working with chemicals as the workshop organizers and facilitators.
7. If workshop facilitators need to make copies of hand-outs at their expense, there is a copy facility located at various campus locations, https://www.uky.edu/dsc/.
8. Upon arrival to campus, workshop facilitators should contact April French, bcce2024@uky.edu, to arrange to retrieve items that were shipped to the University of Kentucky. Please include in the subject line: Workshops, with your name and workshop number.
9. The 28th BCCE committee will provide some student helpers to assist the workshop facilitators with reasonable tasks associated with unloading equipment & material from a van, setting-up & taking down workshops, loading equipment and materials into a van, if a request is made to have student helpers. Carts will be provided.
10. Workshop facilitators must adhere to the UK parking regulations and not block or park in any loading zone or a loading dock. UK parking tickets incurred by workshop leaders are the responsibility of the workshop leader.
11. Workshop facilitators who are using computers, software, and multi-sync projectors should plan to arrive on campus starting Friday morning, July 26, in order to test and troubleshoot their software, computers, and multi-sync projectors. 
12. Workshop facilitators should start arriving on campus by Friday, July 26 and must be on campus at least 24 hours before their scheduled workshop in order to complete preparations.
13. Uber/Lyft and DoorDash operate in Lexington, if a workshop facilitator needs to purchase supplies or materials from locations off-campus. Target and Kroger grocery stores are a short walk from campus. The workshop facilitator is responsible for paying for the needed supplies.
14. Workshop facilitators are responsible for returning the room they are using to good, clean condition at the end of their workshop.

Safety Training

1. For lab-based workshops, organizers/facilitators must complete any necessary safety training and/or on-site orientation with the Workshop Chair, lab coordinator and/or chemical hygiene officer before delivering their workshop. 
2. Workshop leaders will sign and submit a workshop Safety Agreement by April 19, 2024.

3. If a workshop involves chemicals, workshop facilitators must attend a Chemical Safety, Disposal of Chemicals, & Information session on either July 26, 27, or July 28. Failure to attend one of these meetings will result in the cancellation of the workshop/demonstration/presentation, with no reimbursement provided for the workshop materials. The scheduled times and locations for these sessions are July 26, 27, and 28 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM ET in JSB-254. 

    

28th BCCE Workshop Organizers and Facilitators Calendar and Deadlines

• WORKSHOP PROPOSALS OPENED: August 1, 2023
• WORKSHOP PROPOSALS CLOSES: November 10, 2023
• Workshop Safety Agreement due: April 19, 2024
• All AV requests due: June 1, 2024
• Workshop cancellation requests deadline: June 1, 2024
• Modification of Safety Agreement due: June 7, 2024
• Shipping/receiving of workshop supplies opens: July 1, 2024
• Shipping/receiving of workshop supplies ends: July 19, 2024
• Workshop safety training begins: July 26, 2024