Click HERE to Submit your proposal today
Submissions accepted from 12:00am EST on 12/23/2022 to 11:59pm EST on 02/28/2023
The USDLA National Conference 2023 will be a hybrid event with the physical location at the Wyndham Orlando Resort in Orlando, FL. This hybrid approach will allow us to reach and serve a diverse and global audience. Please note that some virtual components of the conference experience may be scheduled outside of the July 17-20, 2023 time period.
Many lessons have been learned over the past few years and there are countless new participants and practitioners in the distance and digital learning space. To help us all to reflect on the power and importance of distance education and to collaborate on the ideas and innovations that will move everyone forward, we have selected the theme: “Distance Learning’s Time to Shine.”
We welcome proposals from all who work in distance or digital education, across constituencies. We have speakers and attendees from corporate, education (higher and K-12), telehealth, government, military, and more. While you may submit any topic you choose, we have received feedback from our community that you may want to consider when preparing proposals. The following tracks will be featured this year:
- Policy, Regulation and Governance in Distance Education
- Distance and Digital Leadership
- Ensuring Quality, Flexibility and Access (OER, Hyflex, and more)
- Innovative Techniques and Technologies (e.g., AR/VR/XR, Gamification, and more)
- Best Practices in Instructional Design and Learner Engagement
- Great IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility
Proposal Options Available
- Pre-conference and conference workshops. After the popularity of last year’s workshop sessions during the conference, we are offering you the opportunity to submit for either a 2.5 hour pre-conference workshop or a 90 minute workshop that will be scheduled during the conference. These sessions must be hands-on with the majority of the time being spent with participants actively involved. You should provide detailed information in your submissions about the types of interactions and engagement you have planned. Pre-conference workshops will be held the afternoon of Monday, July 17, 2023; other workshops will be throughout the conference dates.
- Concurrent sessions. These 45-minute sessions provide an opportunity for you to give an interactive presentation on a specific topic. Conference attendees expect sessions to provide practical advice and the sharing of experiences. The committee seeks high-quality, thought-provoking and engaging sessions – not lecture format. Co-presenters are encouraged. Also, the USDLA Program Committee reserves the right to select your proposal to be featured in a panel along with other presenters.
- Poster sessions and table talks. Rather than limiting participation to the traditional poster-style sessions, we are opening this category up to additional options. Please consider submitting for this category if you want to: present your research; lead a discussion around a topic of interest; provide a demonstration of how you solved a particular challenge; and/or share best practices in a less formal way than a full concurrent session. This is an excellent opportunity for first-time speakers. Participants will have an opportunity to visit several different presenters during the time periods in which the poster sessions and table talks will be offered.
Preparing Your Proposal
The committee recommends that proposals be specific about what will make the presentation valuable to attendees. Any proposal that is perceived to be a “sales pitch” will not be considered. Your proposal should be focused on issues, innovative working solutions, and include information about how you intend to engage attendees. All presenters and co-presenters (regardless of session type) will be expected to register for the full conference.
You may submit more than one proposal and/or be a co-presenter on multiple sessions.
The submission form will ask you for the following, so please gather this information prior to the time of submission:
- Contact Information: the names and emails for any presenter and/or co-presenters
- Session Type: workshop, concurrent, or poster
- Delivery Format: in-person or virtual
- Constituencies: who would benefit most from attending your session
- Track: while you may submit on any topic, select the one that best fits your presentation
- Title: a succinct, but descriptive title of no more than ten words
- Abstract: 200 words (or less) – Please note: the session abstract will be used to promote your session. Make sure it accurately reflects your session, and how it will benefit attendees. This is what draws people to your presentation.
- Description: a clear summary of learning objectives, session content, and takeaways. You are also encouraged to share the types of audience participation you will use (e.g., hands-on exercise, polls, small group discussion, Q&A, etc.)
- Bio: provide a bio for the lead presenter; you will be contacted for additional information on co-presenters if accepted
Review Criteria
Conference participants will expect well-delivered presentations containing quality information that is of practical value to their day-to-day professional lives. Members of the USDLA Program Committee will look for clear descriptions. Considerable weight will be given to proposals that specify session learning objectives, clearly describe why the content will be valuable to attendees, and how you plan to encourage audience participation.
Specifically, reviewers will look for the following:
- Quality of the presentation: substance, clarity, and consistency between the title, abstract, and description within the proposal
- Measurable outcomes of the presentation and takeaways
- Evidence of innovation and effective practice
- Audience breadth, engagement, and likelihood of future application
Submissions accepted from 12:00am EST on 12/23/2022 to 11:59pm EST on 02/28/2023