Presenter Resources

PRESENTER RESOURCES

Submit your Proposal here

The ResNet Student Technology Conference has always been peer driven.   It is our hope that you will be an active participant in the 2024 Student Technology Conference as a presenter. Below you will find the proposal themes and session types – take a moment to explore them both.  We look forward to learning about what you are doing at your institution! We will be accepting proposals on a rolling basis, so don’t delay in submitting your presentation.

We are requesting that you also submit a one-page slide to promote your presentation. This slide will be displayed at the Opening Dinner. You will have an opportunity to update your slide closer to the conference if necessary.

Example Proposal themes:

  • Leadership and Management – Leading your team, developing training, drafting policy, and collecting data. Sessions in this track focus on administrative and decision making topics. Topics may include Data collection, report generation, training, hiring and management, understanding employees, customer service, organizational structure, and processes and procedures.
  • Success in a Male-Dominated Environment: Explore the challenges and opportunities of technology careers for women in this session.
  • DEI in Higher Education Technology: Discuss strategies for earning respect, achieving goals, and fostering cultural change in traditionally white and male-dominated environments within higher education technology.
  • Network Technology – WiFi troubleshooting and implementation, NAC, bandwidth management, and other connectivity and network services. Sessions in this track include a heavy networking focus. These may be highly technical or policy based sessions. Topics may include wireless networking, client support of a network, network access control, traffic and bandwidth control, network security, and network rules and policies.
  • Support Services and Cool Tools – Tips from the trenches: tools and strategies that make supporting technology easier. Sessions in this track focus on the things that make technical support easier, from one colleague to another. This may include software solutions, diagnosis tools, tracking systems, processes and procedures, wikis and knowledge base systems, policies, feedback systems, and strategic planning. What have you done really well that you want to share with someone else in your position?
  • Current Computing Technology – HCI, Cloud Solutions, IOT, Blockchain Credentialing, unique in-house software development, mobile technology and more! Sessions in this track focus on technology solutions like the ones listed above. This track can also discuss the policies and culture change that these items may force in your organization.
  • Emerging Technologies – The future is now! Are you and your institution on the bleeding edge, implementing something so new few (if any) have tried it? Share your experiences with those who will have to follow in your footsteps, letting us benefit from the knowledge you gained while blazing that training.

Session format:

  • Short Lecture – 30-minute session, including questions
  • Long Lecture – 60-minute session, including questions
  • Structured Discussion – 60-minute session, proposal submitter will serve as moderator
  • Panel Discussion – 60-minute session, proposal submitter will be responsible for pulling together a group presentation from different institutions. Post on the listserv to gather participants!
  • Hot Topics – An informal conversation during meal times. Can be done ad-hoc, but having a planned session will attract participants who plan out their time.

How to make your presentation effective, engaging and fun

  1. Know your audience!
    • Past attendees include: Help Desk Managers,  Technology Support Analysts, Directors and Assistant Directors of IT Services, Network Engineers and Administrators, as well as many other various Computer Support and User Services roles.
  2. Highlight the objectives and goals of your presentation early on.
  3. Engage your audience by asking questions, implementing games, or activities.
  4. Include stats, facts, and other ideas to drive your point home.
  5. Practice your presentation at least once. A timed dry run in front of a small audience can be very beneficial.

Pro Tip: Keep your slideshow short and sweet. Too much text is distracting, and you want your audience to pay attention to you!  If you want your audience to read long text on your slides, make sure you allow them that time. Each presentation should have a title slide, a slide with facts about your institution, and a “Questions” slide with your contact info.

Need help creating a great presentation? We can help!

  1. Schedule a 1:1 online meeting with a Resnet Board member. We can offer tips, bounce ideas and give feedback based on our experience with previous years. We can also schedule dry runs to give you the opportunity to present and go through your material in a stress-free environment.
  2.  Attend our presenters’ webinars. We will be there to answer any questions and offer some tips to help guide you to prepare a great presentation. Webinars will be scheduled and announced in the near future.