Overview
Consultations, Study Groups, and Sections are responsible for one session of invited papers at the Annual Meeting. The steering committee is responsible for putting together the slate of invited papers.
Normally, presenters, panelists, and respondents must be ETS members. Requests for exceptions should be done through the Program Units Chair, Gerry Breshears (gbreshears@westernseminary.edu). Exceptions are granted on a limited basis. Each program unit is allowed to invite one outside presenter or respondent for whom the conference registration fee will be waived.
In addition to the invited session, Sections are also responsible for one open session of papers selected from the queue of proposals submitted in response to the call for papers. All participants in the open session must be ETS members.
Each program unit has control of its session to fulfill the purposes of that unit. There may be other groups of papers on similar topics in the discipline specific sessions which come from the queue and are arranged by the program chair. The Annual Meeting program will differentiate between Program Unit sessions and the discipline specific sessions.
Program units are required to provide full records of their sessions, including all papers and presenters, and an accurate count of attendees at each session. These should be submitted online.
Timeline
Mar 1 - Mar 31
Proposal submissions accepted via the website
Mar 31
Program Units (Consultations, Study Group, and Sections) invited session building data due
April 30
Program units (Sections) open session building data due
May 1 - May 15
Program unit proposal notifications are made and initial scheduling is completed
June 15
Discipline specific and theme committee ratings are due
June 15-30
Discipline specific and theme proposal notifications are made and initial scheduling is completed
July 15
First program draft is sent out for review
August 15
Final program draft completed and ready for layout
Handling Invited Presentations
Invited Presentations from Non-Members
If the invited speaker is not an ETS member, the presenter’s paper and contact information will be entered by the program chair when the session building information is submitted. (See Submitting Session Building Data section below.)
Invited Presentations from ETS Members
If the invited speaker is an ETS member provide them with the invited speaker link (sent out via email to program unit chairs). This link will not be posted and should only be sent to confirmed, invited, ETS members. The ETS member will login and input the information for their presentation. The member must login prior to using the link. If they do not login first, the link will display an empty drop down listing and they won't be able to properly select the program unit. So, remind your presenters to login first and then use the link. Invited presentation information from ETS members should be entered into the online system by the end of the paper proposal process, Mar 31.
Handling Proposals from the Queue
If your unit is receiving proposals from our members through the online system (i.e. "the queue") you will need to prepare your steering committee members to evaluate, rank, and select the submissions. This process will begin April 1 and should be completed by April 30th. Final selections for your unit must be submitted by April 30th.
Evaluating and Rating Proposals
Beginning April 1, steering committee members will be able to login to the website and view submissions to your unit. Committee members will read each proposal and rate it as to overall quality on a scale of 1-5 stars. (1 star means the proposal should not be used in any way in the program, 5 means the proposal should definitely be included if at all possible). Committee members should leave evaluative comments as to fit for the session.
Please note that if a proposal is not accepted for your unit and it is rated highly enough, it will be passed on to the general session committee for review. Your ratings and evaluative comments will be of great service as we consider proposals that you do not include in your unit's session(s). Please remember to rate based on quality and comment on fit for your unit. A low rating based on fit will impact consideration of the proposal for an open session.
For a complete tutorial on using the system to rate papers, including screenshots, please view the Proposal Review Guide (www.etsjets.org/review_process).
Submitting Session Building Data
To build the unit’s session, the program unit chair will login to the ETS website and click on the Submit Session Building Data link in the Program Unit Session Building menu on the left side of the ETS website. (This menu and links will only be visible to program unit chairs. If someone other than the chair or co-chair will be entering this data for your unit, you must notify us at meeting@etsjets.org so we can grant access to that steering committee member.)
For a complete guide to the online session building system, please view the Session Building Guide (www.etsjets.org/session_building_guide).
The chair will enter the basic information for the session which includes:
- The name of the program unit
- The session theme (if applicable)
- The estimated attendance
- Standard Time Blocks
The standard time blocks allot 40 minutes for each presentation and accompanying interaction followed by a 10 minute break. This allows for 4 presentations per session. If your unit will use a different time format, select no and you will be able to enter specific times (duration) for each participant. For the purposes of this section, use the times for your first schedule preference. If necessary, we will adjust the times should your first preference not be available.
- AV Requests
- Possible Conflicts/Notes
- Schedule Request (see below for the 2012 session schedule)
Then the chair will enter each participant in the order in which they should appear in the program. The information captured for each participant includes:
- Participant name
- Participant affiliation
- Participant role (moderator, presenter, panelist, respondent, co-presenter)
- If non-standard time blocks, participation begin and end times
- Presentation title (if applicable)
- Membership status**
- If a non-member the chair will also provide:
- Complimentary registration
- Email address
- Mailing address
If the participant is a non-member, a box for additional information will appear. Each program unit is allotted one complimentary registration that may be used for a non-member participant. If this participant should receive a complimentary registration select yes and the ETS staff will complete the registration and notify the participant. We will also need the participant's email and mailing address. These will only be used for communicating conference related information. We will not be able to complete the participant's registration and program entry without both addresses.
Reviewing the Program Draft
When the first draft schedule is produced (currently targeted for July 15) we will send you an email with your unit's information. Please be prepared to proof this information. We will also notify you when complete program drafts become available for review.
The 2012 Daily Schedule
Wednesday, Nov 14
- 7:45-8:15 am Morning Prayer
- 8:30-11:40 am Parallel Sessions A
- 11:45-12:45 pm Lunch
- 1:00-1:40 pm Business Meeting 1
- 1:50-2:40 pm Plenary Session 1
- 3:00-6:10 pm Parallel Sessions B
- 7:30-8:20 pm Plenary Session 2
Thursday, Nov 15
- 7:45-8:15 am Morning Prayer
- 8:30-11:40 am Parallel Sessions C
- 11:45-1:15pm Lunch
- 1:20-1:40 pm Worship
- 1:50-2:40 pm Plenary Session 3
- 3:00-6:10 pm Parallel Sessions D
- 7:00-9:00 pm Banquet and Presidential Address
Friday, Nov 16
- 7:45-8:15 am Morning Prayer
- 8:30-9:00 am Business Meeting 2
- 9:10-10:00 am Plenary Session 4
- 10:10-11:40 am Plenary Panel Discussion
- 11:45-12:45pm Lunch
- 12:50-4:00 pm Parallel Session E