Information for Faculty

“For undergraduate and graduate students, Showcase is a time to show off all the hard work that they’ve put in during the year. For faculty, it is a moment to be proud of the tremendous progress that students have made.”  

"I love getting to learn about student research from across the University, so I was happy to spend considerable time in the poster halls at the Lecture Center.”

"It was neat to see the students so engaged in their projects and with each other's projects. This is a great event and opportunity for students to showcase what they have been working hard on.”

"I loved working with my students on the project, and they really enjoyed it as well. It was also wonderful to see some of my students presenting work from other courses. I think it truly fosters a strong sense of community on campus."

“I think this is a great opportunity for students and made them highly motivated in my courses.”

“Seeing the student presentations highlights just how fantastic our student body really is.”

My favorite part of Showcase was...

• “Visiting my students' posters.”
• “Seeing the students present their work with confidence and pride. The event is a great opportunity for them to realize their voices matter.”
• “When the University President took time to talk to my students about their CEHC research topics.”
• “Seeing the diversity of research being done by students outside my department.”
• “Seeing the smiles of pride in my students’ accomplishments when viewed by friends, family and faculty.”
• “Talking to students and seeing my undergraduate students reading the posters of our graduate students.”

Showcase Advisors may be a graduate mentor or faculty member from an undergraduate capstone, honors course, independent study, or other extended research project or creative effort. For example: 

• A chemistry student who has been working on a project under the supervision of a faculty member would ask that faculty member to serve as their Showcase Advisor.
• A history student who wants to present a capstone research paper would ask the faculty member who taught (or is teaching) that capstone class to serve as their Showcase Advisor.
• An MS or PhD student in atmospheric sciences who wants to present research conducted under the guidance of a faculty member would ask that faculty member to serve as their Showcase Advisor.

All Showcase Advisors are responsible for ensuring student presentations, performances and posters are well-prepared before students submit their work. Showcase Advisors' names will be included on all student work.

Students must submit their posters and online presentations, if applicable, by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, 2025. 

Eligible students received access to the appropriate submission portal via email after they submitted their abstract. Only students presenting posters may submit posters for printing. Only students enrolled in online programs may present online (via poster or pre-recorded video). 

As a Showcase Advisor, you must review your students’ posters and/or pre-recorded videos before submission. You’ll also receive a copy of their submission information via email.

Detailed instructions and deadlines for student presenters are available on the Information for Students webpage.

Identify which presentations and poster sessions are taking place during your normal class meeting time. Ask your students to determine which offerings contain concepts from your course and to select one to attend.

Then, consider using one (or a variation) of the assignments below:

Asking Questions: Prepare specific and open-ended questions for the presentation or poster session you have decided to attend.

Report: Write a short report summarizing a presentation or poster session you attended, identifying the following information:  

• Title and brief summary of the project
• Indicate a concept, test or something else relevant to class
• Discuss their thoughts on how the project relates to that concept

Looking for a Major or Minor: View a poster or presentation and take note of the academic discipline in which it was produced. Write down the name of the student's Showcase Advisor and then read the Showcase Advisor's biography on the UAlbany website. Write 250 words on why you think the subject they teach could be a good major or minor for you. 

Connections to the Classroom: Write a 250-word reflection that connects a poster session or presentation you attended to one of the texts you’ve read in class.  

Selfie: Take a selfie in front of a poster, post it to your course’s Brightspace discussion board and explain why you found that poster interesting.

Scavenger Hunt: Find a poster related to the topic of your class. Take a picture of it and in a brief reflection explain how it connects to a topic discussed in class. Post this to your course’s Brightspace discussion board.

Oral Presentation Evaluation: Attend an oral presentation and evaluate the speaker. Consider these questions: What did the speaker do right? What did the speaker do wrong? Was the argument clear? Was there evidence? And did the presenter interpret the evidence in ways that supported the project’s central claims?

Poster Presentation Evaluation: Attend a poster presentation and evaluate the poster’s design as well as the author’s presentation of it. Ask the author, “Can you tell me about your research?” and compare the response to how it was presented on the poster. Consider these questions: What was the poster’s central research question or hypothesis? How was the research conducted? What were the results and were they clearly conveyed?  

Performance Evaluation: Attend an artistic performance and evaluate the work. Consider these questions: Can you connect the performance to themes and/or concepts discussed in class? Did the performance evoke any feelings or emotions? What message did the performance send? 

If your course includes a semester-long project, ask your students to present at Showcase. The Minerva Center for High Impact Learning has online resources to help your students draft abstracts and create posters. 

If your course does not include a semester-long project, ask your students to attend presentations and/or poster sessions relevant to your course content and provide them with reflection questions to answer.  

Alternatively, identify which presentations and poster sessions are taking place during your normal class meeting time. Ask your students to determine which offerings contain concepts from your course and to select one to attend.

Then, consider using one (or a variation) of the assignments below:

Quotation-Comment-Question (QCQ): Select a quotation from a poster. Interpret and/or comment on that quotation in light of the poster’s subject. And then ask a new question that could form the basis of future research in that subject.

Future Research: After attending Showcase, describe a research project that you would like to conduct and present at next year’s event.

Interdisciplinary Thinking: Visit the posters and/or presentations of an academic discipline different from yours and make connections between that subject and your own. Reflect on how you might tackle a similar problem in your major. 

Ask your students to form groups (or place them in teams yourself) and create a poster presentation, panel discussion, lightning talks or other presentations relevant to a reoccurring theme or topic in your course.  

Groups can collectively develop an individual project idea, or you can assign each group a specific theme or topic.  

Ideally, these projects will translate into presentations and/or poster sessions during next year's Showcase Day. To that end, the Minerva Center for High Impact Learning has online resources to help your students draft abstracts and create posters.

In lieu of an assignment or project, ask your students to volunteer as support staff on Showcase Day. They'll gain valuable experience managing logistics and help ensure a smooth day of events.

Additional information about volunteering at Showcase is forthcoming and will be posted to the Showcase website as soon as it becomes available.