Graduate Research Symposium
Dear Members of the Faculty of Education Community,
As we begin a new academic year, we are pleased to introduce the Robert Macmillan Symposium in Education (RMSE) 2027, an annual scholarly conference hosted by the Faculty of Education at Western University.
Whether you are an undergraduate student, graduate student, faculty member, postdoctoral scholar, educator, practitioner, or community-based researcher, RMSE offers an opportunity to share ideas, engage in meaningful dialogue, and connect with others who are interested in advancing educational research, practice, and innovation.
For those who may be new to academic conferences, this message provides an overview of what conferences are, what RMSE is, and how you might become involved.
What Is an Academic Conference?
Academic conferences bring together researchers, educators, students, practitioners, and community members to exchange ideas, share scholarly work, discuss emerging issues, and build professional and intellectual connections.
Conference presentations can take many forms, including formal research papers, posters, roundtable discussions, workshops, performances, and creative or arts-based projects. While conferences often showcase completed research, they are equally valuable spaces for discussing projects that are still developing. Participants frequently present works in progress, preliminary findings, conceptual explorations, methodological reflections, classroom innovations, and community-engaged initiatives.
Attending or presenting at a conference can be an important part of academic and professional growth. Conferences provide opportunities to receive feedback, learn from others' experiences, discover new perspectives, and become part of broader scholarly conversations. They can also be a supportive environment for those presenting their work publicly for the first time.
What Is RMSE?
The Robert Macmillan Symposium in Education (RMSE) is a scholarly conference organized within Western University's Faculty of Education. The symposium is graduate student-led and dedicated to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where members of diverse educational communities can come together to share knowledge, explore ideas, and engage in meaningful dialogue.
While RMSE places a strong emphasis on supporting student scholarship and emerging researchers, participation is not limited to graduate students. We welcome contributions from undergraduate researchers, faculty members, postdoctoral scholars, educators, practitioners, and community partners whose work contributes to conversations about education.
One of RMSE's central goals is to create a space where participants at different stages of their academic and professional journeys can learn from one another. We believe that educational research and practice are strengthened when multiple perspectives, experiences, methodologies, and ways of knowing are brought into conversation.
RMSE 2027 Theme
Reimagining Education: Equity, Innovation, and Belonging
Subtheme: Local Roots, Global Impact
This year's theme invites participants to think critically and creatively about how education can be reimagined in response to changing social, cultural, political, technological, and institutional contexts.
Questions of equity, access, inclusion, community, innovation, identity, and belonging continue to shape educational experiences across diverse settings. We encourage submissions that explore these and related issues through a wide range of theoretical, empirical, methodological, practitioner-based, and creative approaches.
Our subtheme, Local Roots, Global Impact, highlights the importance of place, community, and lived experience. Educational insights often emerge from specific classrooms, schools, communities, cultures, languages, and local contexts, yet these experiences can inform broader conversations about teaching, learning, policy, and social change. We welcome work that examines these connections and contributes to ongoing discussions about the future of education.
What Can Be Presented at RMSE?
RMSE 2027 will feature four presentation formats designed to accommodate different types of scholarship and knowledge sharing.
Paper Presentations
Paper presentations provide an opportunity to discuss empirical studies, theoretical or conceptual research, methodological approaches, literature-based inquiries, or ongoing projects. Presenters typically share their work through a structured presentation followed by questions and discussion.
Poster Presentations
Poster presentations allow participants to communicate their work visually while engaging in informal conversations with attendees. This format is especially well-suited to developing projects, emerging findings, classroom-based research, and community initiatives.
Roundtable Discussions
Roundtables provide opportunities for collaborative dialogue around a shared topic, issue, question, or area of inquiry. Rather than emphasizing a traditional presentation format, roundtables encourage collective reflection and discussion among presenters and participants.
Arts-Based Showcases
Arts-based showcases create space for participants to share knowledge through creative, embodied, performative, visual, multimedia, or other non-traditional forms of scholarship. We encourage innovative presentations that explore alternative ways of communicating educational ideas, experiences, and research.
Is My Work Appropriate for RMSE?
A common misconception is that conference presentations must be based on completed research. In reality, many conference presentations focus on ideas and projects that are still evolving.
Potential submissions may include:
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Undergraduate honours or capstone projects
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Master's theses and doctoral dissertations
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Ongoing research projects
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Pilot studies
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Preliminary findings
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Emerging research ideas
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Conceptual or theoretical explorations
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Methodological reflections
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Course-based projects
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Collaborative research initiatives
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Professional practice innovations
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Community-engaged work
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Arts-based or creative projects
You do not need to have all the answers before presenting. RMSE aims to create opportunities for dialogue, feedback, reflection, and intellectual exchange, allowing ideas to grow through conversations with others.
When and Where Will RMSE 2027 Take Place?
RMSE 2027 is tentatively scheduled as a hybrid event:
Thurs. March 11, 2027: In-Person Conference
Faculty of Education
Western University
Fri. March 12, 2027: Virtual Conference Program
The hybrid format is intended to enhance accessibility and create opportunities for participation both on campus and online.
Call for Proposals (CFP) Coming in October 2026
The RMSE 2027 organizing committee is currently preparing the Call for Proposals (CFP).
A CFP is the formal invitation for presenters to submit proposals describing the work they wish to share at the conference. The CFP will outline:
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Conference themes and areas of interest
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Presentation formats
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Proposal requirements
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Submission procedures
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Important deadlines
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Review and acceptance processes
Proposals will be invited for all four presentation formats:
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Paper Presentations
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Poster Presentations
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Roundtable Discussions
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Arts-Based Showcases
The CFP is tentatively scheduled for release in October 2026. At that time, detailed instructions and timelines will be provided.
Although no action is required at the moment, we encourage prospective presenters to begin thinking about projects, ideas, questions, or experiences they may wish to share. Whether you are exploring a new research direction, completing a major study, implementing an innovative educational practice, or reflecting on your professional experience, RMSE provides a welcoming venue for scholarly engagement and exchange.
Stay Connected
Additional information about RMSE 2027, including the official Call for Proposals, keynote announcements, and registration details, will be shared over the coming weeks and months.
If you have any questions about the symposium, conference participation, presentation formats, or the upcoming CFP, please feel free to contact us at rmse@uwo.ca.
We look forward to welcoming you to RMSE 2027 and to creating a dynamic, inclusive, and inspiring space for learning, collaboration, and scholarly exchange.
