Present at OLC Accelerate 2024

Pioneering the Future of Online Education Through Technology and Creativity

This track explores the intersection of cutting-edge technologies and innovative pedagogical practices that redefine online learning. It invites contributions to the deployment of AI, VR/AR, and mobile technologies to create engaging, interactive, and effective learning experiences. Emphasis is placed on leveraging these technologies to support online course design, STEM education, and the exploration of new trends in digital education environments.

• AI-supported pedagogies and methods
• Mobile learning and applications
• Game-based learning and gamification
• Digital courseware for adaptive and personalized learning
• Trends in instructional design for online STEM education and other experiential disciplines
• Innovative methods for supporting equitable uses of educational technology
• Virtual reality and augmented reality in education

Crafting Accessible and Engaging Online Learning Experiences

Focused on the art and science of online learning design, this track covers the strategic planning, development, and assessment of online courses. It delves into effective practices for enhancing engagement, ensuring accessibility, and measuring the success of online learning. Special attention is given to DEI principles, UDL, and the integration of open educational resources to enrich online learning environments.

• Online, blended, and digital course design for engagement and impact
• Instructional strategies promoting engagement and student motivation
• Instructional design processes and methods to support the modern learner
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility
• Open educational practices (OEP) and open pedagogy
• Evidence-based practices in digital learning
• Effective practices for curriculum development
• Innovative and inclusive assessment strategies
• Microcredentialing, competency-based instruction, lifelong learning, and competencies for reskilling/upskilling the future workforce

Building Inclusive and Accessible Online Learning Communities

This track emphasizes the critical importance of fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the digital learning space. It invites discussions on policies, practices, and technologies that support equity and access, promote cultural responsiveness, and ensure educational materials are accessible to all students, including those from traditionally marginalized groups.

• Culturally responsive teaching in digital environments
• Inclusive student support, particularly for diverse learner populations (i.e. BIPOC, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, first generation, poverty-affected learners)
• Institutional strategies for enhancing access to digital learning through the expansion of technology infrastructure (computer access, internet access, mobile-friendly learning experiences)
• Implementing DEI principles in online education
• Accessibility and affordability of educational technologies
• Sustainable actions related to equity, access, diversity, and social justice

Empowering Leaders and Fostering Innovation in Online Education

This track focuses on the development of leadership and collaboration skills essential for advancing online and blended learning. It covers strategic planning, faculty development, and fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to innovate and improve digital education practices. Contributions that highlight effective leadership models, diverse professional development offerings, and collaborative initiatives are encouraged.

• Creating inclusive pathways for emerging digital leaders
• Effective practices for managing up, down, and across
• Building sustainable and comprehensive digital strategy
• Collaborative initiatives between institutions and industries
• Innovative leadership practices in the digital education landscape
• Strategies to identify/expand resources and opportunities to drive academic innovation
• Policy and practice for the future of digital learning
• Faculty development for online teaching excellence

Enhancing Student Success and Well-being in Digital Environments

Dedicated to showcasing effective strategies for supporting students’ academic and emotional well-being in online and blended learning contexts. This track explores advising, mentoring, support services, and initiatives that humanize the digital learning experience, with a focus on creating inclusive, supportive communities that cater to the unique needs of all students.

• Student affairs and building community for diverse populations of online learners
• Online advising and success coaching
• Mental health and well-being support services
• Inclusive and equitable support models
• Approaches to peer-to-peer learning, mentoring, and tutoring
• Humanizing online learning experiences
• Career pathways for current students and alumni of online programs

Elevating the K-12 Student Experience in Digital Learning Environments

This track is focused on sharing best practices, innovative teaching methodologies, and other creative ideas tailored for K-12 education. It includes a spotlight on the effective use of technology tools, strategies for student engagement within the learning ecosystem as well as contributions centered around AI integration, gamification, fostering digital citizenship, facilitating the transition from K-12 to higher education, nurturing critical thinking abilities, and empowering students with essential skills to navigate their digital landscape. ***Sessions will also be selected from this track for the K-12 Symposium. .

• K-12 EdTech Innovations
• Strategies for Engaging K-12 Students Online
• Cultivating Digital Citizenship in Young Learners
• Pathways from K-12 to Higher Education
• Critical Thinking among Online Learners
• Building Digital Learning Competencies

• Discovery Sessions allow presenters to share their work, ideas, and innovations in a more personal format. Using a laptop, these sessions allow for a greater exchange of ideas and in-depth conversations about important topics to the OLC community. These digital presentations can include works in progress, research ideas, collaboration opportunities, best practices and practical applications, or pilot projects.

  Note: Each presenter must bring his or 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.

  Key Features:

  • Typically 5-7 minutes of information sharing by the presenter, followed by discussion. (Presentation is repeated 2-3 times over a 45 minute timeframe).
  • 1-3 presenters engaging in meaningful conversations with attendees.
  • Presentation style is conversational, concise and impactful.
  • Interactivity is personalized based on audience members stopping by the presentation display. Allows for deeper connections and more detailed discussions.
  • Presenters are expected to bring their own laptops and provide handouts. OLC will provide tables and power strips.

Proposals may include works in progress or completed research results. Graduate Student Discovery Sessions provide an excellent opportunity to present your ideas to your peers in a community forum. 

We seek submissions by students currently enrolled in or recently graduated (within one year) from a Graduate (Master or Doctoral) program whose research is relevant to online teaching and learning. The proposal submission must follow the guidelines of the OLC Accelerate 2024 conference sessions. Those presenting as a graduate student through this CFP process will receive a discounted registration rate of $300 for onsite attendance.

Graduate Student Discovery Sessions allow presenters to share their work, ideas, and innovations in a more personal format. Using a laptop, these sessions allow for a greater exchange of ideas and in-depth conversations about important topics to the OLC community. These digital presentations can include works in progress, research ideas, collaboration opportunities, best practices and practical applications, or pilot projects.

Key Features:

• Typically 5-7 minutes of information sharing by the presenter, followed by discussion. (Presentation is repeated 2-3 times over a 45 minute timeframe).
• 1-3 presenters engaging in meaningful conversations with attendees.
• Presentation style is conversational, concise and impactful.
• Interactivity is personalized based on audience members stopping by the presentation display. Allows for deeper connections and more detailed discussions.
• Presenters are expected to bring their own laptops and provide handouts. OLC will provide tables and power strips.

Attendees should expect to listen to lecture-like material before having group discussions during Education Sessions.

Education Sessions provide an opportunity for presenters to share their work, innovations, or new opportunities with the OLC community. The presenters are responsible for driving the conversation and encouraging deep thinking about a topic, sharing practical applications of their work, or providing new and varying perspectives. There are two primary formats for this session type: presentations and panel sessions. Although these are more traditional formats, the presenters/panelists should strive to make the sessions as engaging as possible through polls, audience discussions, and other forms of interaction.

Key Features:

• 45 minutes total. Time allotments may vary but each session should include approximately 5 minutes for introductions, 35 minutes for the main presentation, and 5 minutes for questions.
• 1-4 individuals conducting the session (panel sessions must include a moderator).
• The presentation style is similar to a lecture, while a panel session is similar to an interview.
• Interactivity can range from simple to highly engaging. Uses strategies to engage the audience in active learning.
• Accompanied by a slide presentation (important for accessibility purposes and for virtual audience viewing should your session be selected to be live streamed)

Note: With education sessions, there is a strong preference for proposals that include unique strategies for engaging the audience.

Lightning Sessions are short, 15 minute presentations that offer opportunities for authors to showcase their research and practices in a format that captures audience attention and provides opportunities for reflection. These presentations should focus on a well developed topic that supports innovation and provides resources for audience take away. Proposals for a lightning session must align with the field while compellingly presenting the highlights of their work.

Note: Presenters are responsible for providing all Lightning Session materials. Instructions for uploading materials will be provided to all accepted presenters. Presenters are also responsible for ensuring all attendees can actively engage in the session. Please see the Presenter Services site for resources on making the session fully accessible. 

Key Features:

• 15 minutes of presentation in-person, in the style of a TED Talk or Ignite Talk, with no Q&A
• Presentation style is conversational, sharing concise but impactful information
• Lightning talks are focused on sharing one key idea that leads to participants making broader connections to the talk and their work
• Attendees should leave with a driving question to answer for themselves that connects the talk to their own contexts within online and blended learning

Attendees should expect to be actively involved during Workshops. This means participating in question and answer sessions, potential group work, possible project completion, and interactive activities.

Proposals for this session type should be interactive, 90-minute workshops designed to engage a group of participants in an activity related to one of the conference tracks. Non​-​traditional, cutting-edge ​interactive workshops that are forward thinking are desired. Example topics for Workshops may relate to innovations in design thinking, makerspaces, conducting educational research in online and digital learning, designing experiential online activities and labs, removing barriers to online learning, and other related topics of interest aligned with this year’s tracks.

Workshops should be designed with 2-4 meaningful and measurable participant learning outcomes (LOs) with opportunities explicitly outlined by the presenters showcasing collaborative and/or interactive group activities​ that will be used during the session to achieve stated learning goals​.

Proposals for workshops should clearly address the following questions for reviewers:

• What are the explicit participant learning outcomes for the workshop?
• What types of collaboration or interactivity will occur during the workshop with the instructor-participants and within the participant-to-participant group themselves?​ Please outline time allotments for any presentation vs. interactivity (i.e., 15-minute presentation; 65-minute interactive workshop; 10-minute Q & A).
• How will workshop participants be able to apply the effective practices shared in the workshop at their home institution?
• Who do you envision as the primary audience types who would get the most out of this session and why do you believe they will benefit?
• What takeaways and/or activities will your workshop participants engage in that make your workshop unique, innovative, and relevant to the OLC Accelerate 2024 theme and track you have selected?
• What materials are required for the presenters, and what materials are required of those in attendance? This must be clearly outlined within the proposal submission.

Presenters must provide an opportunity for questions, answers, and/or whole or small group discussion within the course of the workshop and must describe how this element will be used to best engage participants. Elements of the workshop may be flipped to extend the amount of time participants can engage with the workshop content. Sessions that​ ​offer the opportunity to earn a​ ​credential, badge, or certificate are encouraged.

Workshops are offered free to all participants on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that computers are not provided for this or any session at OLC Accelerate; therefore, all sessions are designated as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Each presenter must bring his/her own laptop/device and must specify in advance what device and/or software requirements (i.e., mobile device or laptop required for participation, required apps for full participation) are expected of participants attending the workshop. The program committee reserves the right to change a workshop’s proposed presentation type if another is deemed more appropriate for engagement and participation given its content.

Competition for workshop slots is highly competitive at Accelerate 2024. Please understand that you may be considered for an alternative format session instead of a workshop at the program committee’s discretion.

• • Focused on Blended Learning
  • For Educators at Community Colleges
  • Focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)
  • For Educators at HBCUs
  • For Instructional Designers
  • For Leaders and Administrators
  • For Educators at MSIs
  • Focused on Open Education
  • Presenting Original Research
  • International
  • K-12