All; Planning has begun for the next United States Conference on Teaching Statistics (USCOTS), which will be held at the Penn Stater Conference Center and Hotel on May 28 – 30, 2015 and hosted by the Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate Statistics Education (CAUSE). We are seeking ideas for active, participant-focused breakout sessions addressing the conference theme of Making Connections. Examples of the types of connections that will be addressed include those that directly benefit students: - Making connections with fellow students, both face-to-face and virtually; - Making connections among statistical concepts, methods, and applications; - Making connections with earlier educational experiences; - Making connections with material and skills being learned in other courses; - Making connections with later educational experiences; - Making connections with employment and other professional opportunities; - Making connections with news reports in popular media. Other examples include making connections that directly benefit teachers: - Making connections with other instructors of the same course, with instructors of quantitative courses in client disciplines, or with statistics teachers at other institutions; - Making connections with practicing statisticians and other professionals who use statistical ideas and methods; - Making connections with former students and with employers; - Making connections with education professionals with expertise in educational research and educational technology and other areas. We are now requesting proposals for 80-minute breakout sessions that relate directly to the conference theme and focus on actively engaging participants. It is *not* appropriate for a breakout session to consist primarily of a presentation. To propose a breakout session, send a description of your proposed session to Program Chair Allan Rossman (arossman(a)calpoly.edu) by December 8, 2014. Your proposal of no more than 1000 words must include: - a title for proposed session, - names, e-mail addresses, and brief biographical sketches for all leaders of the session, - description of how the session relates to the conference theme (making connections), - explanation of how the session will actively engage participants, and - discussion of how participants will be able to implement ideas presented in the session. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee, and notifications will be made by January 15, 2015. Proposals for “poster and beyond” sessions will be solicited at a later date; those proposals will be due on February 1, 2015. USCOTS is designed to model good teaching in its sessions, its social activities, and its hallways. T his conference consists of plenary sessions, breakout sessions, “poster and beyond” sessions, "birds of a feather" lunch discussions, technology demonstrations, and a banquet dinner. More information can be found at: www.CAUSEweb.org/uscots/ . Best wishes, Allan J. Rossman Professor and Chair Statistics Department Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 arossman(a)calpoly.edu http://statweb.calpoly.edu/arossman/