The Call for Presentations will close on Wednesday, January 20, 2027!

CCCSE/NISOD Conference

Advancing the Student Experience: The Next Frontiers

May 26-29, 2027, in Austin, Texas

See your college through students’ eyes. Discover what we can improve together.

Join faculty, staff, and administrators to explore how listening to students can strengthen teaching, support, and opportunities beyond college. The conference brings CCCSE’s expertise in the student experience together with NISOD’s commitment to excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership.

Inspired by CCRC’s More Essential Than Ever: Community College Pathways to Educational and Career Success, six tracks connect student perspectives with practical ideas for your college. Whether you are exploring an idea, testing an approach, or expanding effective efforts, you belong here.

Presenting at the CCCSE/NISOD Conference offers a range of benefits for educators:

  • Professional Recognition: Showcase your expertise and innovative practices in front of an international audience of educators and leaders in community and technical colleges.
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with colleagues from across the globe, opening doors to potential collaborations, partnerships, and career growth.
  • Contribute to the Field: Share your research, teaching strategies, and leadership practices, helping to shape the future of higher education by providing valuable insights and solutions to common challenges.
  • Professional Development: Gain valuable feedback, learn from other presentations, and expand your knowledge on the latest trends and best practices in teaching, learning, and leadership.
  • Enhance Your Institution’s Visibility: Represent your institution at a prestigious conference, highlighting its commitment to innovation and excellence in education.

Presenting at the CCCSE/NISOD Conference is an excellent way to make a lasting impact on the educational community while growing both personally and professionally.

To present at the CCCSE/NISOD Conference, you must:

  1. Be employed by a community college, technical college, or not-for-profit organization or university.
  2. Be available to present any day of the conference: Thursday, May 27; Friday, May 28; or Saturday, May 29.

Breakout Sessions

Breakout sessions are the core of the conference and are expected to be highly interactive and engaging. Each 45-minute session should go beyond a traditional presentation, with presenters and participants exploring ideas together, sharing experiences, and building practical solutions. Plan at least 15 minutes (about one-third of the session) for active participation, such as small-group discussions, hands-on activities, problem-solving, or case studies. Sessions should leave attendees with strategies, tools, or next steps they can adapt and use at their own institutions. Lecture-only presentations  are strongly discouraged.

For the detailed and comprehensive Conference Tracks handout, please click here.

Track One: Connecting Programs to Good Jobs and Transfer
Explore how students connect their education to opportunities ahead. Topics include programs that lead to living-wage jobs, career ladders for working students, affordable transfer pathways, and program maps that clarify options, time, and costs.

Track Two: Teaching for Different Learners in a Changing World
Explore teaching that responds to students’ varied experiences, strengths, and needs while building skills for life beyond college. Topics include active learning, instructional support, hands-on experiences, faculty development, and thoughtful use of AI and emerging technologies.

Track Three: Recruitment and Onboarding That Connect Students to Purpose
Help students move from an interest in college to a program and plan that fit their goals. Topics include personalized recruitment, program exploration, engaging first-year experiences, early connections with faculty and peers, and customized educational plans.

Track Four: Helping Students Stay on Schedule and Keep College Affordable
Explore how advising, scheduling, and support help students complete their programs while balancing work, family, and financial pressures. Topics include progress monitoring, schedules aligned with students’ plans, basic needs support, financial aid guidance, and affordable course materials.

Track Five: Dual Enrollment as an On-Ramp to College and Careers
Explore how dual enrollment helps high school students build confidence and take purposeful steps toward college and careers. Topics include expanding access, engaging instruction, career exploration, educational planning, and partnerships that support the transition to college.

Track Six: Turning Student Voice into Lasting Change
Explore how faculty, staff, administrators, and students turn what they learn together into sustained improvements. Topics include collaborative leadership, coordinated services, resource decisions, and using student feedback and institutional data to assess what is changing.

Share Your Work

We welcome proposals about classroom practices, student services, program improvements, and college-wide change—including work in progress. Every track welcomes contributions from faculty, staff, and administrators.

Show how students experience your approach, what you are learning from them, and what participants can apply at their own colleges. Student perspectives may come from feedback, survey findings—including CCCSE data, if available—stories, or student co-presenters. Participation in CCCSE surveys is not required.

Collaborative presentations with colleagues, students, and external partners are welcome.

The deadline for submitting a proposal is January 20, 2027.

Confirmation of accepted proposals will be sent between March 4-5, 2027.

Presenter RSVP deadline is
Saturday, April 10, 2027.

Presenters are responsible for their own conference registration, lodging, travel arrangements, and duplication of session handouts.