Presentation Guidelines

Guidelines for Panel Sessions

Panel sessions are a defining feature of the CRIEI conference model. These sessions are intentionally designed to foster coherence, critical dialogue, and collective inquiry across disciplines, methodologies, and professional roles. Presenters are expected to actively support this collaborative format.

Important Note:

  • Each room will be equipped with a projector and a screen.
  • Wi-Fi access is not available in the conference rooms. Please plan materials and activities accordingly.

Session Structure

  • Each panel session is two hours in length and includes three invited or selected presentations.
  • Panels must be organized around a clearly articulated overarching inquiry or thematic question that frames the session and connects all presentations.
  • Individual presentations should be concise and complementary, designed to advance the shared inquiry rather than serving as standalone research talks.
  • Each CRIEI committee member has been assigned as a panel facilitator to a CRIEI panel during the CRIEI conference. Panel Facilitator will serve as the host and the timekeeper for the Panel.
  • Some panels will also have a discussant and this role is described below.

Purpose and Focus

  • Panel sessions are intended to support in-depth examination of:
    • Complex issues in early intervention research and practice
    • Systemic or structural challenges
    • Methodological, conceptual, or ethical debates
  • Presenters are encouraged to emphasize implications, tensions, unanswered questions, and cross-cutting insights, rather than detailed reporting of isolated study findings.
  • At least 45 minutes of the session must be devoted to dialogue, analysis, and audience engagement.

Role of Panel Chair

  • The Panel Chair will begin the session with a brief introduction to the overarching topic of the presentations.
  • Panel chairs are responsible for protecting time for discussion and interaction.
  • Chairs should work with panelists in advance to:
    • Coordinate presentation content and timing
    • Clarify discussion goals and guiding questions
    • Support an atmosphere of inclusivity and openness to diverse perspectives
    • Promote an atmosphere of collaborative problem-solving and critical exchange
    • Communicate any changes with the discussant and facilitator.

Role of the Discussant

The discussant plays a critical role in fostering equal participation and open communication among all participants while also ensuring that presenters’ work is respected.

The Discussant will

  • Highlight connections across panelists, raise deeper issues, and facilitate audience engagement.
    • Actively guide the discussion to maintain focus on the overarching inquiry
    • Integrate perspectives across presentations.
    • Engage participants and facilitate discussion and collective reflection.
    • A panel may decide that the Panel Chair and the Panel Discussant may be the same individual.  In this case the Panel Chair will introduce the panel and will also close the panel with guiding questions to promote conversation and encourage audience participation in the discussion.

Expectations for Panelists

  • Panelists should:
    • Engage with one another’s ideas during the session
    • Be prepared to respond to questions that span disciplines and perspectives
    • Contribute to collective sense-making rather than parallel presentations.

Guidelines for Poster Presenters

Poster sessions at CRIEI are designed to promote interactive exchange, critical reflection, and collaborative learning across disciplines, methodologies, and professional roles. Poster presenters are expected to actively engage with attendees and discussants, using the poster as a catalyst for dialogue rather than a static display of findings.

Student Poster Session and Opening Night Poster session will have Discussants to frame individual posters within broader conceptual, methodological, or policy-relevant conversations

Important Note: Wi-Fi access is not available in the conference rooms. Please plan materials and activities accordingly.

Poster presentations provide an opportunity to:

  • Share research-in-progress, completed studies, methodological innovations, or practice-based insights
  • Engage in meaningful dialogue with peers, practitioners, and scholars
  • Receive constructive feedback that can inform future research, practice, or policy
  • Contribute to the conference’s emphasis on collective inquiry and interdisciplinary exchange

Poster Specifications

  • Poster size: Maximum dimensions of 4 feet (height) × 6 feet (width)
  • Orientation: Landscape is recommended to best fit the poster boards
  • Poster boards: Will be provided by CRIEI at the conference venue
  • Presenters are responsible for bringing their printed poster and any handouts (if desired)

Presenters are encouraged to:

  • Use clear headings, concise text, and visual elements to support discussion
  • Minimize dense text; posters should be readable from a distance
  • Design the poster as a conversation tool, highlighting key ideas, questions, or tensions rather than exhaustive detail

Session Structure and Format

  • Poster sessions are interactive and discussion-focused.
  • Presenters are expected to be present at their posters for the entire assigned session.
  • Posters will be displayed for the duration specified in the conference schedule.
  • Presenters are responsible for putting up and removing their posters at the end of the session.

Guidelines for Roundtable Sessions

Roundtable sessions, introduced in 2026, are designed to create intentional space for open, critical dialogue around pressing issues in early intervention and early childhood special education research. These sessions respond to the growing need for collective inquiry that cuts across disciplines, methodologies, and professional roles. Roundtables prioritize conversation, reflection, and shared problem-solving over formal presentations, and participants are expected to actively support this collaborative format.

Important Note: Wi-Fi access is not available in the conference rooms. Please plan materials and activities accordingly.

Session Structure

  • Each roundtable session is two hours in length and runs concurrently with panel sessions.
  • Roundtable topics are proposed by participants and selected by the CRIEI Executive Committee.
  • Each session is organized around a clearly articulated overarching inquiry or thematic question that anchors the discussion.
  • Sessions are intentionally designed to engage all participants in sustained, open dialogue, rather than formal or sequential presentations.

Role of the Facilitator

  • Each roundtable session includes a designated facilitator/moderator who plays a critical role in shaping the quality of dialogue.
  • The facilitator is responsible for:
    • Managing time to ensure the session remains on schedule
    • Preparing guiding questions and comments in advance of the presentation. 
    • Guiding and focusing the discussion during the presentation on the overarching inquiry or guiding questions
    • Encouraging inclusive participation, welcoming diverse perspectives, and creating space for respectful exchange
    • Facilitating dialogue that promotes reflection, connection across viewpoints, and collective sense-making
  • Facilitators should approach the session with flexibility, allowing the discussion to evolve organically while maintaining a clear focus on the session’s purpose and goals.

Guidelines for Poster Discussants

Poster sessions at CRIEI are designed to promote interactive dialogue, critical reflection, and collective learning. The role of the poster discussant is central to moving beyond a one-way presentation format and supporting meaningful scholarly exchange across disciplines, methodologies, and professional roles.

Discussants are expected to engage actively with presenters and attendees to deepen analysis, surface connections, and stimulate thoughtful discussion.

Important Note: Wi-Fi access is not available in the conference rooms. Please plan materials and activities accordingly.

Poster Discussants help:

  • Frame individual posters within broader conceptual, methodological, or policy-relevant conversations
  • Encourage presenters to reflect on implications, limitations, and future directions
  • Foster inclusive dialogue that invites participation from a range of conference attendees
  • Support students and early-career scholars through constructive, generative feedback

Role of the Discussant

  • The discussant is responsible for:
    • Reviewing assigned posters topics in advance.
    • Viewing the posters during the session
    • Initiating discussion by posing thoughtful, open-ended questions related to theoretical or conceptual framing, methodological choices and challenges, and equity, systems-level, or practice implications
  • Preparing a summary to share by drawing connections across posters to highlight shared themes or contrasting perspectives
  • Maintaining a constructive and collegial tone that supports learning and exchange
  • Discussants should:
    • Prioritize dialogue over critique, using feedback to advance collective understanding
    • Create space for multiple perspectives, particularly those that challenge dominant assumptions or highlight underrepresented voices
    • Support the CRIEI mission of interdisciplinary and collaborative inquiry