Faculty Research Symposium

This series supports the commitment of JSU’s Strategic Plan including the following strategic goal(s) and objectives:  

1. Engage (Commitment 2): Create symbiotic partnerships that impact the university learning environment, providing additional opportunities for the exchange of ideas, experiential learning, and community engagement, while allowing university members to give back to the community.

2. Discover (Commitment 3): In an age of rapid educational change and innovation, we will continue to advance our capacity for creating diverse, meaningful, and accessible learning opportunities that prepare all learners (faculty included). 

• To provide faculty with an outlet to share research and creative scholarly works with the JSU faculty community.
• To showcase innovative teaching practices
• To provide a collaborative space for faculty to connect with colleagues across disciplines.
• To celebrate the scholarly accomplishments and achievements of the faculty at JSU
• To share and encourage innovative ideas with faculty members outside of one’s own discipline.

This year’s Faculty Research Symposium, Scholars, Teachers, and Changemakers: Jax State Faculty at Work, highlights the breadth of faculty scholarship, teaching, and innovation across campus. The event showcases peer-reviewed scholarly and creative activity, innovative teaching practices, and emerging projects and ideas in development. Together, these presentations celebrate the diverse ways Jax State faculty contribute to advancing knowledge and strengthening our academic community.

Presentation Tracks

• Scholars = peer-reviewed work (validated contributions).
• Teachers = practice-focused pedagogy (teaching excellence).
• Changemakers = innovative or emerging work (new directions).

Proposal Information

Faculty interested in presenting will be required to submit proposals that include the following information:

• Proposal Title
• Abstract (150 words)
• Track Selection (Scholars, Teachers, or Changemakers)
• Preferred Presentation Format (Short, Long, Poster, Panel, Other)
• Technology Needs or Special Accommodations

All faculty are encouraged to submit proposals. See Call for Submissions to submit proposals.

Recognitions and Awards

Digital certificates will be awarded to all participants (presenters and judges). Presentations will be judged by volunteer faculty, with awards given for the highest-scoring presentations in each format: short, long, poster, panel, and other.

An awards reception will take place immediately following the symposium at 5:00 PM in Merrill Hall. Registration is required. See Keynote Luncheon and Awards Reception Registration for more information.

Other Important Information

• A Keynote Luncheon will feature the scholarly work of the 2025 Faculty Scholar Lecturer Award winner, Dr. Sarah Donley, Professor of Sociology. Registration is required to receive lunch. See Keynote Luncheon and Awards Reception Registration for presentation information. 
• Faculty may invite students to attend the keynote address and individual faculty sessions; however, meals cannot be provided for student attendees.
• Attendance will be recorded via QR codes to generate professional development transcripts. Please bring a device capable of scanning QR codes.

 Volunteers are needed to help judge presentations. Faculty presenters are encouraged to also serve as judges. Rubrics will be provided to judges prior to the event. Presentations will include a mix of tracks, and judges may be assigned to evaluate different presentation formats across Scholars, Teachers, and Changemakers. See Volunteer Judges—Registration for details.

This year’s symposium introduces three distinct tracks to better reflect the variety of faculty work at Jax State. By adding Scholars, Teachers, and Changemakers, we’ve created space for peer-reviewed scholarship, innovative teaching practices, and emerging ideas or projects still in development. These tracks ensure that all forms of faculty contribution are recognized and celebrated.

Scholars (Peer-Reviewed Scholarly/Creative Activity):

This track highlights faculty work that has already undergone formal peer review and has been shared (or is accepted to be shared) through publication, performance, or professional conference. In alignment with JSU’s faculty evaluation standards, this track reflects the Boyer model of scholarship, which recognizes the Scholarship of Discovery, Integration, Application, and Teaching. Scholarly/creative activity may include disciplinary research, scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), creative works in the literary, visual, or performing arts, or interdisciplinary projects.

Examples: a peer-reviewed article, an accepted conference paper, an art exhibit, a published book chapter, a SoTL project accepted at a teaching and learning conference, a funded grant project, an accreditation report that involved original research, or a professionally juried performance.

Teachers (Best Practices in Teaching & Learning)
 This track provides a space for faculty to share innovative teaching strategies, classroom practices, or pedagogical approaches that enhance student learning and engagement. Presentations may be individual or panel-based and should emphasize practical applications in the classroom.

Examples: redesigning a course for active learning, implementing new digital tools, panel discussion on inclusive teaching practices.

Changemakers (Ideas for Further Research & Innovation)
 This track features early-stage projects, emerging ideas, or innovative approaches that are in development but not yet peer-reviewed or published. Presenters may seek feedback, explore potential collaborations, or share pilot findings.

 Examples: a research idea being prepared for grant funding, a pilot classroom project, preliminary data collection, or a new interdisciplinary concept. 

When submitting proposals, faculty will select the track that best aligns with their presentation. Faculty will also select which presentation format (long, short, panel, poster, other) they prefer.