Educators

Select staff and Register

Decide who at your school or program will be the lead CIC Educator and contact person for your program. This person will register for the program and receive regular updates from us. Registration runs from September through December. Depending on how you want to implement CIC, you can involve any other educators, coordinators and staff as needed – many different people can play a role. 

Decide population and schedule for the program

There are many different ways to successfully implement CIC. You can involve as many students as you like, and can target one particular grade, or multiple grades. CIC has successfully been run during science, STEM, enrichment, talented and gifted and after-school formats just to name a few! 

Most programs implement CIC in late fall and winter in preparation to send students to our state semi-finals virtual round in mid-March. You'll want to plan to have any in-school invention showcases or competitions completed by early March, so that your chosen semi-finalists have time to submit their project information and videos to us by the deadline. 

Our pacing guide outlines how the program can be run over an eight-week period, taking inventors through all the stages of invention. This is just a suggestion however. Some programs will have less time to devote, and some will have more. There is a lot of flexibility in our programs.

Set date and location for your school/district’s local convention

Know your target date for the culmination of your local curriculum – your school/district Invention Convention.  You will need to hold your school/program event prior to the CIC event registration deadline dates, so that you have enough time to select and register your inventors moving on to the CIC online semi-finals event. Your school event can be big or small depending on your timing and resources, and CIC staff is here to support you when planning your school events. 

Set budget and secure funding

While running an Invention Convention program at your school is not expensive, some funds are required. The average school will spend the following each year:

• School Registration- $250 per school/site. 
• Professional Development cost – Our virtual professional development sessions are included in your registration fee. Customized and school-specific PD is also available and may incur an additional cost. 
• Awards and incidentals for you local school convention, if needed.
• Finals registration fees for any students going to the CIC State Finals Event (school or parent pay options). 
• Teacher stipend (if required)
• Supplies - some activities require basic and inexpensive office supplies. Schools may want to provide tri-fold display boards for their inventors. 

CIC runs professional development sessions for new and veteran teachers

• We strongly encourage educators new to running Invention Convention attend one of our training sessions (virtual or in-person) to become familiar with the program. Returning educators and those looking for a refresher are also welcome.
• PD sessions are offered during the fall and winter. Site-specific PD is also available on request. 
• CIC PD is a great opportunity to meet other CIC teachers that are running Invention Convention programs.
• Please visit our PD page for current training opportunities!

Hold a “Kick-Off Meeting” for all interested students

Get students excited and motivated to participate in the program. This is particularly important if you are running the Invention Convention program outside of your normal school curriculum. Tell parents about your plans and ask for their support. The CIC offers resources to registered schools to help get your students excited about the program (videos, flyers, success stories).

Plan instruction time

Instruction typically takes 6-12 weeks depending on how often classes are held. Some schools build this into their daily or weekly coursework during school; some make this an after school or enrichment program. Plan enough time for students to engage in invention skill building activities, plus create their own invention. Students can work on their inventions outside of school time as well. Once you are ready, begin the program.

Hold your own local Invention Convention

At the conclusion of your school program, host a school or district Invention Convention event. This can be as big or small as you like. You can engage local businesses, civic organizations and other volunteers to come and judge the exhibits using CIC-provided judging materials. Invite families and other classes to come in and view the displays. 

Select the inventors to attend the CIC Semi-Finals Event

The number of inventors who can move on to the CIC State Semi-Finals from your school or program will be communicated to you in January, once we know how many students overall in the state are participating. Each school or program chooses the inventors they would like to move on to the Semi-Finals, and we provide you with detailed directions for parents to submit their inventor's project online. 

While parents are asked to register their child's project if they are selected as a semi-finalist, educators can be very helpful with this process. For example, teachers may assist with scanning inventor logbooks and in helping finalists film their short submission video. 

We will notify program leads of any semi-finalists from your school/program who will be moving on to the in-person finals competition - typically this happens in late April after our virtual and sponsor judges have had time to review all the projects online. 

State finalists' parents will then RSVP/register for the in-person event, which takes place in early June at the University of Connecticut Storrs campus. Again, educators are often important here in helping ensure their finalists inventors and their projects are ready for the state competition. Teachers are welcome, but not required, to attend state finals as guests or volunteers.