LCI Annual Meeting 2025

The Learning Communities Institute invites you to submit abstracts for this year’s annual meeting, scheduled for October 10-11, 2025 (2 full days), and hosted by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine!

 We will accept abstracts in the following categories:

1. Workshop (90 minutes)

2. Oral presentation (10-minute presentation, with 5-minute Q&A)

3. Tools of the Trade (10-minute presentation, with 5-minute Q&A)

4. Poster

More details about the presentation categories can be found below, as well as on the abstract submission platform.

The abstract submission platform can be accessed here.

Deadline for submissions is May 2 at 11:59pm CT. (Please make note of the time zone).

If you have questions or trouble accessing the submission site, email lcimed2013@gmail.com, and someone from the meeting planning team will respond as quickly as possible. 

LCI 2025 Presentation Types and Guidelines

WORKSHOPS

Workshops provide opportunities for attendees to gain new knowledge, skills, or expertise in an area related to learning communities’ activities. They also value the exchange of ideas in these areas to enhance the learning of all participants. The most effective and highly rated workshops are very interactive and include a range of perspectives. 

Successful abstracts will demonstrate a clear connection to the work of learning communities at the local institution, multiple institutions participating in the same type of work, or to the LCI community more broadly. Abstracts where connection to learning communities or the LCI is weak, or where learning communities are primarily used as a way to organize students to participate in other activities, will not be considered as strong contenders for inclusion as a workshop. 

Workshops are 90 minutes in length, and should include a balanced combination of discussion, information exchange, and practical application of concepts/themes. 

The LCI includes panel discussions in the workshop category. 

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

The goal of oral presentations is to promote cross-institutional dialogue and collaboration in medical education, specifically by sharing learning community innovations, research, and outcomes. Oral presentations should reflect higher levels of scholarly activity and research at a single institution or with colleagues from medical schools. 

Oral presentations are typically presented in a research format with a specific question to be answered, proposed or actual implementation of intervention, as well as survey or other data to measure effectiveness of intervention. Submission of works in progress is encouraged. 

Successful abstracts will demonstrate a clear connection to the work of learning communities at the local institution, multiple institutions participating in the same type of work, or to the LCI community more broadly. Abstracts where connection to learning communities or the LCI is weak, or where learning communities are primarily used as a way to organize students to participate in other activities, will not be considered as strong contenders for inclusion as an oral presentation.

Examples of successful past submissions include those that feature: challenges identified and addressed within a learning community; innovations in mentoring and teaching (clinical skills, humanism, professionalism); assessments of the impact of learning communities on medical education. 

Each oral presentation will be 10 minutes, followed by a 5-minute Q&A/discussion period. All presentation rooms include computers and large monitors/screens.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE 

Tools of the Trade presentations provide an opportunity to share specific tools developed for teaching, administering, managing and evaluating learning community programs and to measure aspects of the medical school learning environment. While presentations will likely be highly practical, attention should be given to the specific problem being addressed; why the particular tool was chosen (or is being proposed) to address the problem; and some level of evaluation on the effectiveness of the tool as an intervention tool. 

Examples of Tools:  surveys, handbooks, trackers, instructional programs, faculty development programs. Presenters will be required to upload or otherwise make available to attendees, a 1-page PDF "How-To" Guide that describes: the tool, primary users, objectives/goals, methods/materials, audience/beneficiaries, resource requirements. Relevant images are welcome.

Successful abstracts will demonstrate a clear connection to the work of learning communities at the local institution, multiple institutions participating in the same type of work, or to the LCI community more broadly. Abstracts where connection to learning communities or the LCI is weak, or where learning communities are primarily used as a way to organize students to participate in other activities, will not be considered as strong contenders for inclusion as a tool of the trade.

Each oral presentation will be 10 minutes, followed by a 5-minute Q&A/discussion period. All presentation rooms include computers and large monitors/screens.

POSTERS

Posters provide an opportunity to share learning community innovations, research, outcomes, and scholarly activity. Works in progress are welcome. 

Successful abstracts will demonstrate a clear connection to the work of learning communities at the local institution, multiple institutions participating in the same type of work, or to the LCI community more broadly. Abstracts where connection to learning communities or the LCI is weak, or where learning communities are primarily used as a way to organize students to participate in other activities, will not be considered as strong contenders for inclusion as a poster.

This year’s meeting will host a physical poster session, meaning accepted posters will need to be printed and hung by presenters during the meeting, for presentation during the poster session. Specific guidance on poster size and orientation will be sent once abstracts have been reviewed and accepted. 

Posters and presentations will be judged and the winner will be announced during the LCI Update.

The Next LCI Quarterly Webinar will be at the end of April / beginning of May 2025

More details will be forthcoming……..