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Conference Background
Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Continuous Improvement in an Era of Change

The conference will be held at the New York Tech Vancouver campus on April 10, 2025 and is open to academics, students, education administrators, professionals, and industry stakeholders whose works are based on and can broaden our understanding of the conference theme. Students at the bachelor’s- and graduate-levels are particularly invited to share their work.

Building on the success of the last PDGIA conference in 2023, our next event will focus on higher education in an era of multiple changes and crises. These include global conflict, climate change, political polarization, demographic and labour market challenges, ongoing housing supply problems, and more. The 2025 conference will explore emerging best practices in post-secondary education of particular interest to independent, degree-granting institutions in British Columbia and beyond.

Conference Theme
Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Continuous Improvement in an Era of Change

We invite submissions for conference papers or presentations on a wide variety of topics related to the theme of turning challenges into opportunities, including:

  • Technological innovation, particularly artificial intelligence
  • Indigenization in higher education, and other social justice initiatives
  • International students in BC and Canada
  • Independent institutions in the BC post-secondary system and provincial economy
  • Internal quality assurance and the student experience at independent institutions
  • Leadership and governance challenges, including succession planning
  • Curriculum development, teaching and learning
  • Partnerships (with industry and/or amongst educational institutions)
  • Student services and student life, including career services
Submissions
Submissions of papers/presentations and participation in this conference are open to all stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, and administrators, as well as representatives from industry and government. Perspectives from all academic disciplines, educational services, and relevant agencies are warmly invited to enrich this event.


Proposals should be in the form of a 300-word maximum abstract. Strong submissions will have a clear topic identified, a central question and/or thesis, a distinct methodology, and evidence of relevant, substantive research. Send your proposal, along with a brief biography of the author(s), by clicking the submission link below no later than end of day on January 30, 2025.

Review Process

Extended abstracts of all submissions are subject to double-blind review by two members of the conference Academic Committee for each submission to ensure they meet the standards and follow the requirements.


What Are Reviewers Looking For?

During the peer review process, reviewers look for:

·         Scope: Is the paper appropriate for the scope of this conference?

·         Novelty: Is this original material distinct from previous publications?

·         Validity: Is the study method well designed and executed?

·         Advancement: Is this a significant contribution to the field?

·         Data: Are the data collected, analyzed, and interpreted correctly and clearly?

·         Clarity: Are the references used appropriately, cited accurately, and formatted correctly?

·         Compliance: Are all ethical and publication requirements met?


If your submission meets the requirements, please submit your abstract online at http://pdgia.ca/presenter/.


Peer Review Decisions

Conference peer review occurs within a fixed window of time. All authors are notified of the peer review decision on their paper at the same time.

You may receive one of three possible decisions:

·         Accept: Your extended abstract is accepted without edits.

·         Accept with revision: Your extended abstract is accepted after you implement edits suggested by the reviewers. You will be asked to provide a revised version in given time.

·         Reject: Your paper will not be presented at the conference or published in the electronic conference proceedings to be made available shortly after the conference concludes.

Submission Process
The Private Degree-Granting Institutions Association (PDGIA) invites all academics, students, practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders to submit 300-word abstracts for the 2025 PDGIA conference.

Note that students at the bachelor’s- and
graduate-levels are invited to submit their work in any of the
categories above. Student presenters will receive a Certificate of
Participation and are exempt from conference registration fees.

This fourth annual PDGIA conference will be hosted at the Vancouver campus of the New York Institute of Technology
Suite 130 - 2985 Virtual Way, Vancouver on April 10, 2025

Become a Presenter - call for Proposals

We call for submissions that fit within the context of the general theme Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Continuous Improvement in an Era of Change.
The purpose of the conference is to explore key themes and multiple perspectives on various aspects of higher education. Please see the detailed information in the Submissions tab above.

Submission Proposals are now closed for 2025!  Thank you!

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Presentations
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Keynote Speakers
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Hours of Expert Experience
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Member Institutions