Dear [insert name)],
[Explain how attending will improve your job performance: list specific workshops, sessions, or keynotes that enable you to be a more valuable employee.]
I would like to attend OLC Accelerate, the Online Learning Consortium’s annual conference for online, blended, and digital learning. OLC Accelerate will be the virtual program from November 9-18.
With continued COVID-19 precautions, OLC has opted to move to a fully virtual conference for OLC Accelerate 2020. We look forward to connecting with you virtually in November, and will carry forward with the new OLC Innovate 2021 Virtual Conference & OLC Velocity 2021 collaborative onsite program in March 2021.
The virtual OLC Accelerate event requires no travel, lodging, or per diem expenses. We can save even more by getting a full virtual pass for a group at our institution. This provides access to virtual-to-virtual sessions and asynchronous Discovery and Exposition Foundry Sessions (estimated to be 300+ sessions). Also, we get access to live and on-demand recordings for one (1) year post-conference.
For the virtual programs, I can choose from sessions spanning a wide variety of topics and special interest areas, including EdTech, research, proctoring, accessibility, gamification, K-12, open educational resources, and many more. Specifically, I can attend the keynotes to learn new strategies for teaching today’s students, who present unique challenges for teaching. I can attend the [your selection] workshop to improve my online teaching and course development skills.
[Explain how attending will benefit your institution and provide a competitive edge: list workshops and events that will provide information on current challenges faced by your institution.]
In the virtual exhibit hall, I’ll have the opportunity to engage with entrepreneurs and innovators to discover and evaluate new and exciting educational solutions that may help our organization to significantly improve our processes and services.
[List and describe networking opportunities that will empower your institution to learn and grow through peer support and shared solutions.]
In addition to the exhibit hall, the virtual program offers a speed networking lounge, various evening events, and the Field Guide program, all platforms to explore possible solutions to issues and challenges we face on our campus by discussing them with colleagues who have successfully addressed these same challenges.
[Describe your plan for collecting and sharing the valuable information and resources you acquire while attending the conference.]
Attending OLC Accelerate is an investment in professional development that will enable me and my colleagues to learn, explore, and discuss new theories, research, tools, and technologies that can benefit us as individuals and as an institution. I plan to collect up-to-the-minute information, innovative resources, and new connections that will improve the quality and success of our faculty and our institution. When the conference closes, I look forward to sharing the knowledge I gained with colleagues via a presentation with handouts and supporting materials.
You can learn more about OLC Accelerate at onlinelearning-c.org/AC20.
Thank you for reviewing my request. I hope you will share my enthusiasm for the opportunities this conference offers.
Sincerely,
[Insert your name]