Call for Proposals: Threshold Concepts 2025

Date: 2-4^th July 2025

Location: University of British Columbia – Vancouver, BC, Canada

Theme: Threshold Concepts: New Horizons

The 2025 Threshold Concepts Biannual International Conference is a special one. It marks twenty years since the follow up 2005 Threshold Concepts paper by Eric Meyer and Ray Land. Meyer and Land (2005) argued that the identification of threshold concepts would facilitate the development of a curriculum with potentially powerful transformative points in students' learning. In the intervening time, Threshold Concepts have become an accessible way of conceptualising learning, and the barriers to mastery that learners encounter. We are taking inspiration from Julie Timmerman’s (2023) provocative question, “Do thresholds always propel us outward, forward, and towards an identified threshold, or might they reveal alternative and unanticipated landscapes for transformation?” We propose an exploration of movement “outward, forward, and towards” threshold concepts, and the journeys we undertake as learners and researchers. These pathways may be known or unknown, familiar or alien, hidden or exposed. 

Conference Themes

We have identified a number of themes, which you may interpret according to your context.

• New Horizons in TC – outward, forward, and towards
• Cultures of Engagement and Connectivity
• Alternative Landscapes 
• Liminality 

Proposals are encouraged from students, faculty, administrators, or community members committed to the systematic scholarly inquiry into aspects of teaching and learning in a higher education setting. We encourage proposals that demonstrate collaborative approaches whether with students and/or across disciplines and contexts. 

Formats

We are offering four different formats for engaging in discussions: I) oral presentation, II) roundtable discussion, III) lightning talk, and  IV) workshop.

Oral Presentation (30 mins): If you are ready to disseminate your research, or parts thereof, consider an oral presentation. Whether a single presenter or a research team, you will have access to a mid-sized room with seating for attendees, and a visual projection system. (maximum 20 mins presentation + 10 mins for discussion). 

Roundtable discussions (3 x 15 min): We are offering roundtable discussion format, where presenters will be seated at a table to more informally share and have conversations about their projects in a low tech format. This is especially suitable for work-in-progress, calls for collaboration, or those newer to Threshold Concepts. Multiple roundtables will run simultaneously in a larger room, and you’ll have the opportunity to engage with three small audiences during the session. 

Lightning Talk (5 mins): If you are new to Threshold Concepts or are wrestling with a particularly troublesome idea, lightning talks are quick, low tech, bursts of ideas. This is especially suitable for work-in-progress, or current wonderings. Speakers will be grouped by theme or question

Workshop There will be a limited number of workshops offered at the conference. Please contact the conference organizing committee before submitting a proposal, if you are interested in offering one of these sessions. This format is suitable for practical exploration of an issue or topic in Threshold Concepts. Workshop proposals should be active in design.

Submission Guidelines

All submissions must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference.

The following are required for all submission formats:

• names, affiliations, and contact email addresses for each presenter
• session title
• abstract
• Appropriate conference theme
• Presentation format
• maximum 150-word brief description for the program to be published as-is
• maximum 300-word abstract for review, including in-text citations (3-5)
• Bibliography listing 3-5 references, cited in your abstract

The submission portal has three fields. Please include the following information in each field...

• Names Field - attending presenters
• Title Field - presentation title
• Abstract Field
  • Theme - New Horizons in TC, Cultures of Engagement & Connectivity, Alternative Landscapes, or Liminality
  • Format - Presentation, Roundtable, Lightning Talk, or Workshop
  • 150-word Description - [a description for the program]
  • 300-word abstract - [abstract for review with in-text citations]
  • Bibliography - [3-5 sources cited in the abstract]

NOTE - you do not need to attach a paper or PDF

All proposals will be anonymously reviewed by experienced Threshold Concepts practitioners for relevance, fit to conference track, quality, and (when appropriate) audience engagement. While they are reviewing the session description, they will be considering the following questions and criteria:

• Does the session description identify and explain how the content relates to important question(s) related to Threshold Concepts that would be of interest to TC practitioners?
• Does the session description demonstrate an understanding of TC issues and/or existing scholarship in the field?
• Is it grounded in context and methodologically sound?
• Where appropriate, are research questions, research methods/methodologies, and/or theoretical or conceptual framings articulated?
• Does the proposal include a relevant bibliography of up to 5 references?
• Where appropriate, is an indication of audience engagement described?
• How well does the session description align with the chosen conference theme and/or format?

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to Andrea Webb (andrea.webb@ubc.ca)