Call for abstracts information

We would be delighted to receive abstracts for NET2012. Abstracts must be received by Monday 23 January 2012.

To submit an abstract for NET2012 please go to the submission form.

For a copy of the call for abstracts for the NET2012 conference please download it here. For guidelines on submitting your abstract see below. This year's themes are:

Curriculum innovation and enhancement
E-learning, including blended learning
Innovative approaches to assessment
Interprofessional learning and working
Learning and teaching strategies 

Educational context
Internationalisation and global challenges in healthcare education
Social, economic and policy drivers
The research evidence base of healthcare education 

Partnership working
Education in clinical practice and practice development
Effective partnership working
Exploring work-based learning
Meeting stakeholder needs 

Students, teachers and service users
Developing teachers
Enhancing the student experience
Humanising healthcare education
Lifelong learning
Maximising the role of the service user
Succession planning: developing the next generation

This is your opportunity to participate fully by presenting a core paper, a theme paper, symposium or poster. Come and present your work, pass on your ideas and share best practice with colleagues. 

Abstracts will be selected through double-blind peer review by the international scientific panel and the organising committee.

In response to delegate feedback, this year we will be making the core papers and all other abstracts available on our website two weeks before the conference. These will only be accessible to delegates who have registered for the conference and we will issue a password to those delegates. We will not be providing the core papers and abstracts in booklets at the conference, instead all delegates will receive them on a memory stick as part of the delegate pack. If you have any queries about this please contact the conference office.

Core papers
Core paper presenters should be aware that core papers are vital to the theme sessions; they set the scene and help direct the discussion and debate for the rest of the session. Your core paper must offer the necessary vision, depth, breadth and strategic/policy perspective to provide a suitable context to facilitate effective group discussion of relevant issues.

We would particularly invite abstracts for core papers that relate to the four main theme headings.

Core presentations will be allocated 30 minutes followed by 15 minutes for discussion. If your abstract is chosen as a core paper, you will need to prepare the full text (around 2,000 words) by Friday 18 May 2012. The full text will be included in the conference delegate packs. Core paper presenters are expected to attend the entire theme session to contribute to the ongoing debate and discussion.

Core presentation abstracts must:
be relevant to the theme
set a high standard for other papers
include research and critical analysis to stimulate discussion
display academic scholarship in research, conceptual analysis and new insights
reflect the conference’s international focus.

Theme papers
Theme papers follow the core paper and will be allocated 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for discussion. The abstracts of the theme papers will be included in the conference delegate packs. Presenters are expected to attend the entire theme session to contribute to the ongoing debate and disucssion.

Symposia
A symposium provides an opportunity to explore a leading edge topic that might not be addressed by this year’s conference themes. A symposium should typically consist of three and no more than four papers with a shared focus. Each symposium will be allocated 90 minutes, which should include time for debate and discussion.

Authors wishing to submit papers as a symposium must complete a SINGLE abstract, giving a brief outline of each presentation. One person should be nominated as the main correspondent to submit the abstract. The abstract must include an outline of the proposed symposium, itemise the individual papers and their authors, and clearly demonstrate how the papers will link together.

Best pre-registration student abstract award
The NET2012 Organising Committee actively encourages papers from pre-registration students, particularly under the ‘Enhancing the student experience’ theme. This is an ideal opportunity for students to share their ideas in theme group sessions in a supportive and inclusive environment. Please ensure when submitting your abstract that you have indicated that you would like it to be considered for the 'best student abstract'.

For the wining pre-registration student abstract submission we are delighted to offer:
one free place at NET2012
travel expenses up to £500.

We are delighted to announce that the winner of the best student abstract for NET2011 was Conor Murphy and Mark Gilsenen, Students, University of Hertfordshire, UK.

We are also able to offer a number of assisted places for students on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact the NET conference office to discuss how to reserve one of these places.

'I really enjoyed the conference and thank you for allowing us the opportunity to present. Everyone was so friendly, welcoming and encouraging! Hopefully see you next year.'
(Student, Preston, UK)

First-time presenter prize
The NET2012 Organising Committee are delighted to award a first-time presenter prize of a £50 Amazon token.

We are delighted to announce that the winner of the first-time presenter prize for NET2011 was Becci Jones, Lecturer in Child Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, University of Bedfordshire, UK.

This is an ideal opportunity for those who have not presented at ANY conference before to present a paper in a supportive environment. If you have a co-author who is not a first-time presenter they may attend the conference, but must not take part in the presentation or answer any questions. You may give a joint presentation if both of you are first-time presenters. This must be first-ever presentation at ANY conference and only first-time presenters may give the presentation.

The award criteria are:
academic content
presentation skills
ability to engage the audience and respond to questions.

Please ensure when submitting your abstract that it is marked ‘first-time presenter’. There will not be another opportunity to indicate you are a first-time presenter.

Poster abstracts and best poster prize
Posters must address topical, innovative and emerging issues regarding the future of healthcare education. You will need to be available to talk with delegates about your poster during the viewing sessions.

There will be a special prize, kindly donated by Elsevier, for the best poster. Conference delegtaes will be invited to vote for the best poster. Posters should be judged on the following criteria:
the contribution the poster makes to healthcare education
clarity of purpose and message
accuracy and quality of content
presentation and impact
innovation in design.

Guidelines on submitting your abstract

Abstracts for Core papers and Theme papers must be between 400–600 words.
Abstracts for a Symposium must be no more than 1000 words in total.
Abstracts for Posters must be between 300–400 words.
State clearly whether you are submitting a Core paper, Theme paper, Symposium or Poster.
Clearly state on your abstract if you would like it to be considered as a student paper and/or for the first-time presenter prize.
For core papers and theme papers only:

Please indicate which theme it is applicable to; include up to five key words that will enable reviewers to confirm the fit to your chosen theme.
At the end of each abstract, list three bullet points that indicate how your work contributes to knowledge development in the selected theme.

All abstracts must be written in English.
Abstracts should be free from jargon, abbreviations and 'shorthand'.
If multiple abstracts are submitted in different themes, please ensure that presenters are available to attend the conference to present the paper/s within the different theme/s.
State clearly the names, job titles and institutions of all authors, with full address and contact details of the main correspondent.
Selected abstacts will be standardised for inclusion in the conference booklet. However, it would be helpful if you could use Arial font or similar, and:

Title of paper: 11 point, bold
Author/s: Name, job title, organisation, town, country. 10 point bold
Text of abstract: 9 point

References
Kyriacos, U., Van den Heever, J., Phillips, B. (1999) A non-traditional curriculum for the preparation of nurse educators in a developing country. Journal of Nursing Education, 38: 7, 319-25.

Lave, J., Wenger, E. (1991) Situated Learning: legitimate peripheral participation (2^ndedn). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Lea, M., Street, B.V. (2000) Student Writing and Staff Feedback in Higher Education: an academic literacies approach. In: M.R. Lea, B. Stierer (eds) Student Writing in Higher Education. Buckingham: The Socieity for Research in Higher Education and Open University Press.

National Patient Safety Agency (2006) Safe Foundations: patient safety education modules for junior doctors. Available from: http://www.npsa.nhs.uk/ress/display?contentld=5186 (accessed 30 January 2010).

If you have any questions regarding any aspects of this conference please speak to Anna at Jill Rogers Associates.