OLC Accelerate 2019 Co-Chairs Sherri Restauri and Tracy Cosker share why you should submit a proposal to present at the 25th anniversary this fall.

Why should I attend/present at OLC Accelerate?
One of the best ways to share experiences, learn new techniques, and build a peer-support network of like-minded colleagues is to gather together with them in person, right? At OLC Accelerate, attendees have over 500 formal and informal, hands-on presentations to choose from, all lovingly-curated by our conference team to allow attendees to filter by tracks, level of experience in online learning, preferred learning format, general interest areas (i.e., Diversity and Inclusion, Blended Learning, and so many more!), and numerous other ways to make the OLC Accelerate conference entirely personalized and meaningful for exactly what you need to suit your learning, collaboration, and leadership goals.

How can I ensure the best possible presentation submission?
Individuals choosing to serve as presenters can select from 6 tracks, 5 presentation format styles, and a myriad of incredible services to help develop the best conference proposal and presentation they’ve ever built. OLC (and specifically OLC Accelerate this fall) offers incredible opportunities for presenters that are not available at peer-level conferences. Did you know that, in addition to an online presenter training webinar, OLC now offers a webinar focused on building your best proposal PRIOR to submitting to the CFP? If that was not enough, presenters at Accelerate have additional options to “perfect” their presentation abilities through coaching – both before and at the conference – in conjunction with our Presenter Services and OLC Accelerate Presenter Coaches. You’ll not only have the opportunity to present at an internationally-acclaimed conference, but you’ll grow your presentation skills in the process.

What are some of the most compelling focus areas at OLC Accelerate?
One of the most incredible opportunities available at the OLC Accelerate conference in November comes in the form of one of our six high-interest presentation tracks – the Research track. This is the only track dedicated to presenting formal research of completed or well-developed studies that relate to digital, online and/or blended learning. Proposals to this category allow for presenters to be showcased in our field and are also strongly encouraged to submit their original research papers to OLC’s flagship journal, the Online Learning Journal. This particular track seeks to not only move forward the pivotal research in online learning via formal presentation but distribute this research out to the masses to strengthen the field globally.

Some other incredible opportunities you will see at OLC Accelerate this year include the fun option to submit your proposal as an Express Workshop (Exploration) or as a Gamified Session (Interactive); these two formats, the latter NEW this year at OLC Accelerate, ask presenters to exemplify core values of the OLC organization by presenting using best practices for interactivity and engagement. We’re excited to see not only your wonderful topics but also the methods you use to interact with and engage your workshop participants this year.

Something else that readily distinguishes OLC Accelerate from many technology tool-focused conferences in the field is that we have a specific conference track dedicated to Leadership and Institutional Strategies, geared towards online learning administrators who are working to strengthen their institutions and organizations blended, hybrid, online, or distance learning programs. With focus across areas of best practice, faculty and learner support, policy implementation and affirmation, retention, and other high-impact administrative areas of concern for online learning leaders, this track is one that leaders may follow throughout the multi-day conference to cull the best solutions to take back to their institutions.

View the on-demand OLC Accelerate 2019 Call for Proposal Information Session Webinar, where Program Chairs and representatives from OLC Presenter Services discuss how to submit a winning proposal to OLC Accelerate.

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OLC Accelerate emphasizes research and networking and provides a comprehensive list of sessions and activities to appeal to your particular area of interest. Our curation of conference tracks and exhibits promises a cross section of timely eLearning topics, offering something for everyone involved in providing the highest quality educational experiences in 2019.

We chose the name OLC Accelerate for this annual conference because it is devoted to driving quality online learning, advancing best practice guidance and accelerating innovation in learning for academic leaders, educators, administrators, digital learning professionals and organizations around the world.