OLC Accelerate 2017 CFP Session Types & Details

Carefully review the session type descriptions below before submitting a proposal. 

1. Education Session** (45 minutes)

1-2 presenters (for standalone presentations)

These 45-minute sessions will feature a 35-40 minute presentation and 5-10 minutes for questions, answers, and discussion with the audience. These sessions typically involve one or two individuals presenting their research or projects, completed or works-in-progress, in a single/standalone presentation format. Presentations include: sharing valuable insights on research, projects, or practical applications for online teaching and learning with attendees.

**This session category includes Best-in-Strand selections for award and Best-in-Strand presentations sessions.
**Best-in-Strand Sessions will have opportunity to submit to OLC Journal for publication

2. Panel Discussion (45 minutes)

1-2 organizers; 3-4 expert panelists

Panel discussions are 45-minute interactive sessions, providing a diverse, conversational, and open forum between the panelists and the audience around a chosen topic or trend that (1) relates to a selected strand and (2) is of broad, but inspiring interest to the OLC community. Panels engage the audience in a dialogue through interactive and creative ways (e.g., Q&A, voting, discussion, other).

Panels have a diverse composition and are typically comprised of one to two organizers and three to four expert panelists (with diverse backgrounds, experience, affiliation, location, other) who will discuss, debate, and inspire perspectives and ideas on a specific emerging topic or issue. Panels are not a lecture presentation like an education session in which one or two individuals present their research, practical applications, or projects together as in a single presentation. Panel proposals should follow the standard Conference Submission Checklist format, but also should include the names and affiliations of the organizer(s) and the names and affiliations of invited panelists. All presenters – organizers and panelists – will need registered user accounts and will need to be listed as presenters on the submission. (Organizers must establish the panel at the proposal/submission level; panelists cannot be proposed TBA.)  

Proposals should explain how the session will include audience involvement (e.g., Q&A, voting, discussion, debate, other).

3. Express Workshop (BYOD) (45 minutes)

1-2 presenters

These 45-minute mini-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.

4. Discovery Session (45 minutes)

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. These digital presentations can include works in progress, research ideas, collaboration opportunities, best practices and practical applications, or pilot projects.

This session type provides an excellent opportunity to present your ideas to your peers in a forum in which you can interact informally.

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.

5. Pre-conference Workshop (3 hours)

These half-day, 3-hour 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?
• Did you address the specific criteria outlined for each session type? 

Specific Criteria:

Presenters should include active engagement methodology during presentations to encourage audience/participants to ask questions. The CFP ratings are based on the following major categories:

• Relevance to the conference
• Clarity
• Audience Appeal
• Interactivity (Active Engagement)

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, 2017.
• Submissions to the Research strand may be eligible to submit their full research manuscript for consideration for the OLC Online Learning Journal.

• Proposals due by 11:59pm ET June 5, 2017 
• Notification of acceptance by August 4, 2017
• Deadline for presenters to accept is August 21 2017
• Deadline for presenters to register is September 20, 2017
• Final date for presenters to edit abstracts is September 20, 2017
• Final presentation upload date is November 1, 2017

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, 2017. 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 track for presentation. Presentations must be non-commercial, and focus specifically on the track 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 tracks 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.