We welcome submissions from students in any of the formats, at #SocMedHE15 we had several students sharing research and discussion papers, and we hope to do so again.  

This year, we want to feature an hour of Thunderstorms dedicated to sharing the student view of the conference theme, and to this end we will award eight free delegate speaker places to students (any level, discipline or institution*) submitting a Thunderstorm presentation.

*please see conditions below

Rationale for offering 8 free places to students presenting Thunderstorms

Thunderstorm sessions are a collection of very short presentations in the space of one hour.  We aim to split the hour into two halves with 4 speakers in each, each presenter speaking for 5 minutes before sharing 10 minutes for questions from the floor. The second half repeats the first. For #SocMedHE16 we aim to have two Thunderstorm sessions. One dedicated to the student view, and one open for any submissions. This information applies only to the former.

For the Student View Thunderstorm session, there will be 8 free student places. Our reason for this dedicated section is our desire to ensure representation of undergraduate or postgraduate students who may not be formally writing up, but do have valuable experience, or viewpoints to share.  

The 5 minute Thunderstorm slot is ideal for students who would like the active experience of conference submission and presentation in a supported way, and to experience a Higher Education conference as an active delegate. They are welcome to speak independently, or in conjunction with a tutor/s.

Conditions

Before submitting, please note:

• All submissions for Student Thunderstorms will be subject to the same peer review process as other submissions for the conference, and as such, all will receive constructive feedback
• The 8 places will be allocated through the blind peer review process, and final selection made by the organising group
• Only one free-of-charge student place will be awarded per accepted thunderstorm paper
• Staff who may be employed in HE while also studying are welcome to apply for this section (assuming they have a ‘student view’ to share), however they will not eligible for the free place
• Tutor-Student collaborations are welcome, with the proviso that the student(s) take an active role in the presentation. Tutors will be required to fund their own places
• There will be an attractive student rate for additional students to attend the conference as speakers
• Interested students may apply independently without sponsor, mentor, or tutor from their institution
• Students are welcome (and encouraged) to submit papers in other formats to  #SocMedHE16!, however, the free places only apply to the Student View Thunderstorm session

Successful students:

• You must be able to attend the conference in Sheffield in person on 16th December 2016, and arrive by 9am for briefing
• You will need to register your place on the conference by a certain date (we will remind you)
• The free place does not include any travel to Sheffield, or accommodation for the duration of the conference
• The free place does not include the pre-conference dinner on the 15th, however you are welcome to buy a ticket
• If you find you cannot attend, you must let us know (we will check with you in the run-up to the conference)
• You will need to provide us with evidence that you are an eligible student on registration (e.g. copy of transcript from your institution) to benefit from a free place