Call for Applications

Introduction

In 2007, the Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education (APSCE) established a financial aid and scholarship program known as the APSCE Merit Scholarship Award (MSA) that aimed at advancing the mission of fostering and sustaining a vibrant community of young researchers within the region — a key objective of the Society. For the past 16 years, the MSA supported more than 100 promising young leaders within the student community who lacked adequate funding to participate in ICCE.

Starting from the year 2024, this program is now officially recognized as the APSCE Excellence Scholarship Award (ESA), aligning more closely with its overarching goal of acknowledging and encouraging par excellence. This change was implemented to ensure a more inclusive recognition of outstanding students.

Eligibility Criteria for Applicants

1. Open to graduate students (Masters and Doctoral students) who will be attending ICCE 2024. Those who have graduated with a Master’s degree within the past 12 months from the date of the ICCE 2024 conference (25 November 2024) and are waiting to enroll in a PhD program may also be considered.
2. Presenter and author of at least one accepted paper with overall favorable ratings from ICCE 2024 reviewers (e.g., fall in the "inclined to accept" or "definitely accept" category).

Selection Criteria

The ESA will prioritize applicants based on the following criteria, listed in ascending order of preference:

1. Papers recommended by the paper review panel for Best Student Paper Award / Best Paper Award / Best Technical Paper Award.
2. Papers accepted in the theme-based main conference (both Full or Short papers categories) will be given the highest priority. For papers accepted in other categories (e.g., posters in theme-based main conference) and other programs (i.e., workshops, DSC, WIPP, ES, and SATELUC), thorough consideration will be given to reviewer comments and evaluations.
3. Contributed to the research community in any form, or have participated in prior ICCE(s).
4. Applicant's financial circumstances will be taken into account during the final selection process, particularly when there is a strong pool of candidates vying for the ESA.
5. Those who have not received subsidized support through APSCE for attending past ICCEs will also be given priority.

Application Procedures and Documentations

The following documents must be uploaded to the APSCE ESA online submission system:

• A copy of the acceptance letter/email for accepted papers in ICCE 2024 (including information on the overall ratings of the accepted paper) from the respective chairs.
• A letter of recommendation from your advisor/supervisor endorsing your contribution to the research community in the past and detailing your financial needs status.
• Your supervisor/advisor must verify that you are an author and presenter of ICCE 2024.
• A copy of postgraduate (Master/PhD/EdD) admission letter or a copy of student's ID or evidence of PhD/EdD application.
• Submit application form through the APSCE ESA online submission system together with supporting documents.

Amount Awarded

Eight successful applicants will be awarded the amount of USD 500 each. Successful applicants will receive the award certificate in an open ceremony during ICCE 2024 (e.g., welcome party, open ceremony, or closing ceremony). Awardees who are unable to attend the ceremony (physically) for which they have been selected to receive this award must forfeit their award. Awardees are required to attend all possible sessions throughout the conference.

Reimbursement of Award

All ESA recipients are required to attend the ICCE 2024 conference at the stipulated conference date and location in order to receive their award. Recipients must be registered participants of ICCE 2024. To ensure these criteria are fulfilled, award recipients will only receive the reimbursement of their award after the conference.

Submission Link and Deadline

All applications must be submitted online by 16 September 2024 (Thursday).

Notification

Applicants will be notified via e-mail of the result of their applications. Successful applicants will be required to formally inform the Program Committee of their decision to accept the Merit Scholarship award.

Queries

Any queries can be directed to both Chair and Co-chair.