This year we are introducing several new Education Session types, and ask that you carefully review the descriptions below before submitting a proposal. Note that ALL Education Sessions are 45 minutes long.

1. Education Sessions

• Individual or Dual Presentations (1-2 presenters): These sessions will feature a 35–40 minute presentation and 5–10 minutes for questions, answers, and discussion with the audience.
• Panel Discussions (2-4 presenters): These sessions will feature an organized panel discussion of a specific theme, trend, issue, or question. Panelists will each present their core views on the topic in the first 15-20 minutes, and follow with 25-30 minutes of discussion in response to audience questions. Diversity of panelists (experience, affiliation, location, other) and diversity of ideas are strongly encouraged. Proposals should explain how the session will include audience involvement (e.g., Q&A, voting, discussion, debate, other).
• Express Workshops (BYOD) (1-2 presenters): These 45-minute workshops will feature a topic introduction, and practical hands-on learning activities for participants to increase their understanding and skill in a particular area of interest through this micro-learning approach. Proposals must include measurable outcomes and activities for the 45-minute Express Workshop learning experience. Note that all sessions are designated at BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), and presenters are responsible for providing all Express Workshop materials.
• Research Highlights (1-3 presenters): Research Highlights proposals provide authors the opportunity to present original work related to the conference program strands. Proposals must be on a completed or well-developed project. Proposals must contain sufficient information regarding the research problem, research question, methodology and potential results for the review committee to ascertain relevance to the conference program and to future practice or research with the corresponding strands.  Submissions to Research Highlights may be eligible to submit their full research manuscript for consideration for OLC Online Learning Journal.

2. Discovery Sessions

Discovery Sessions will include a brief (10-15 minutes maximum, repeated to attendees over a 45 minute time period) electronic presentation to elicit ideas from your peers, virtually and in person. These digital submissions can include works in progress, research ideas, collaboration opportunities, or pilot projects. 

This session type provides an excellent opportunity to present your ideas to your peers in a community forum.

Please note that each presenter must bring his/her own laptop. A small table for your laptop and power to the table will be provided. Wireless Internet will also be available to allow for further exploration of related Discovery Session content.

3. Pre-conference Workshops

These 3 hour pre-conference workshops will provide participants with tangible “take-away” information, models, and/or processes and will offer a more in-depth look into tools and approaches than the 45-minute Education Sessions.

Pre-conference workshops should be designed with specific, identifiable learning outcomes with in-session opportunities to support collaborative and/or interactive group learning activities. Presenters must provide an opportunity for questions, answers, and/or whole group discussion within the course of the workshop and must describe how this element will be used to best engage participants in related learning activities.

Competition for pre-conference workshop slots is very selective. Please understand that you may be considered for an information session instead of a workshop at the workshop chair’s discretion.

The following rubric will be used to evaluate all proposals in the refereed proposal review process.

• Do the title and abstract clearly describe the session?
• Is the proposed topic timely and/or appropriate?
• What are the session outcomes?
• Will this session positively contribute to the conference and to the field?
• Are the format and session type selected for the presentation the most appropriate to the topic and format of the presentation?
• Is the session designed to be interactive and engage the audience?
• Are you sharing research data or assessment information during the session?

Specific Criteria:

• Relevance to the conference
• Clarity
• Audience Appeal

During the review process, reviewers are also asked to indicate whether or not your proposal meets Effective Practice criteria and would be a good candidate for EP submission. We encourage, but do not require, Effective Practice submissions from conference presenters.  EP submissions from conference presenters will be eligible for Effective Practice Awards selection; awards will be presented onsite at the conference. With regard to effective practices, reviewers will consider proposals in light of this question:

• Does this proposal include all 5 of the following elements: innovation, replicability, impact, evidence and scope?

If your proposal is accepted, you will be asked to:

• Register for the conference and pay the published fees.
• Edit all materials used in your session.
• Transmit your PowerPoint Slides, Handout (PDF files), data charts, or other presentation materials to the conference repository by the deadline of November 1, 2016.
• Submissions to Research Highlights may be eligible to submit their full research manuscript for consideration for the OLC Online Learning Journal.

• Proposals due by June 6, 2016 (extended from May 23)
• Notification of acceptance by August 5, 2016
• Deadline for presenters to accept is August 22, 2016
• Deadline for presenters to register is September 21, 2016
• Final date for presenters to edit abstracts is September 21, 2016
• Final presentation upload date is November 1, 2016

Note: The following standard audiovisual equipment will be provided in each room: data projector equipped with a universal VGA cable to accommodate both PC and Macintosh platforms, an Internet connection, and a screen. (Note: Presenters should plan to provide their own computer equipment or other specialized equipment).  Microphones will be supplied as needed in larger rooms.

If your presentation is accepted, you are strongly encouraged to post it as link or a pdf or PowerPoint file to the presentation repository by November 1, 2016. The contributions will remain online as part of the conference materials after the conference. You will be notified of the presentation repository site at a later date by the conference management team. Session abstracts and information about the presenters also will be included on the site.

IMPORTANT:  Presenters will be provided instructions on how to upload their presentation materials to the conference management system at a later date (after acceptance of proposals).

Companies and vendors provide value to OLC Conferences through program presentations, exhibits and sponsorships.  Vendors may submit presentations in any of the program tracks or presentation formats:

1. Academic Presentations:

• Vendors are encouraged to submit with institutional partners, but any individual or group may submit papers to the traditional academic presentation strand for presentation. Presentations must be non-commercial, and focus specifically on the strand topics.  Presentation content will be reviewed by the conference committee as part of the regular review process.   Presentations must contribute new knowledge to the field through the presentation of original research or applications.  Presentations of an academic nature should be submitted through the call for papers system.
• Vendors will be limited to one proposal where they lead the presentation.

2. Solutions Showcase Presentations:

• Solutions Showcase presentations are established as part of the conference program schedule to allow sponsors/exhibitors to make presentations on their products and services during the conference.
• Solutions Showcase presentations may include submissions to the CFP system that are moved from academic strands in the CFP system to the Solutions Showcase schedule at the recommendation of the Program co-chairs.
• Solutions Showcase proposals from sponsors and exhibitors may be submitted through our Solutions Showcase form as part of the sponsorship/exhibit process. Showcase proposals will be reviewed by the Director, Conferences, and conference chairs for approval of content.
• National and Gold sponsors are guaranteed a Solutions Showcase presentation slot. Remaining Solutions Showcase slots are assigned to sponsors by level, then to exhibitors in the order exhibit contracts were received, and finally to non-sponsor/exhibitor companies on a space-available basis.
• These sessions are distinctly marked as Solutions Showcase presentations in conference materials including the program book, website and room signage.
• Conference program materials include language that these presentations should be expected to include some sales promotional language in them. These sessions are clearly marked as sessions that have not been peer-reviewed.