USDLA  2016  Annual  Conference  Distance  Learning:  Hit  it  Out  of  the  Park!  

The  United  States  Distance  Learning  Association  (USDLA)  is  pleased  to  announce  the  2016  Annual  Conference  Call  for  Proposals.  Proposals  are  now  being  accepted  based  on  the  conference  theme,  Distance  Learning:  Hit  it  Out  of  the  Park!  

May  10th  –  12th,  2016  The  Hilton  St.  Louis  at  the  Ballpark,  St.  Louis,  MO  

CALL  FOR  PROPOSALS  Submission  Deadline:    Monday,  November  2,  2016  

We  welcome  proposals  from  all  corporate,  education  (higher  and  K-­‐12),  telehealth,  government,  and  military  organizations  on  distance  learning  topics  related  to  these  tracks:

• Spring  Training  o Laying  the  groundwork  for  distance  learning  o Instructor  buy-­‐in  o Managing  Your  Campus/Organization  o Innovative  Policy  and  Procedure  o Collaboration  across  disciplines  

• Game  Day  o Daily  operations  o Faculty/student  support  o Persistence  and  completion  

• Making  the  Playoffs  o New  Technology  o Creative  applications  for  existing  technology  o Inspirational  Learning  Models  o Connecting  with  Social  Media  o Mobile  Learning  and  Innovative  Apps  

• World  Series  o Leadership  and  Governance  o Partnerships  o Global  Perspectives    

USDLA  2016  Call  for  Proposals     Hit  It  Out  of  the  Park!    

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Proposal  Options  Available  

• Concurrent  information  sessions  provide  an  opportunity  for  you  to  give  an  interactive  presentation  in  one  or  more  of  the  conference  topic  areas.  Conference  attendees  expect  sessions  to  provide  practical  advice  and  the  sharing  of  experiences.  The  committee  seeks  high  quality,  thought-­‐provoking  and  interactive  sessions,  not  lecture  format.  Co-­‐presenters  are  encouraged.  Also,  the  USDLA  Program  Committee  may  select  your  proposal  to  be  featured  in  a  panel  along  with  other  like  presenters.  (60  minutes)

• Poster  sessions  allow  presenters  to  prepare  a  standing  tabletop  poster  that  describes  a  project,  process,  research  or  other  activity.  Presenting  a  poster  session  will  give  you  an  opportunity  to  meet  and  network  with  a  majority  of  conference  attendees  and  USDLA  Award  Winners  as  these  posters  are  held  during  the  Awards  Dinner  Reception.  (60  minutes)

• Pre-­‐conference  workshops  are  offered  as  a  vehicle  to  get  the  conference  started,  set  the  stage  for  the  conference  theme,  and  discuss  relevant  issues  in  the  field  of  distance  learning  (3-­‐hour  sessions  on  Tuesday,  May  10th  from  8:30    –  11:30  a.m.,  time  subject  to  change.)

There  will  also  be  the  potential  to  present  your  session  in  our  virtual  classroom  setting,  which  means  you  will  be  viewed  by  face-­‐to-­‐face  as  well  as  remote  attendees.  You  will  be  able  to  note  your  interest  in  doing  this  in  the  online  proposal  form  and  be  advised  if  selected.  

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  should  address  the  conference  theme.  All  presenters  and  co-­‐presenters  (regardless  of  session  type)  will  be  expected  to  register  for  the  full  conference.

All  conference  proposals  should  be  submitted  using  the  Online  Proposal  Form.  For  your  information,  the  automated  proposal  system  will  ask  you  for  the  following,  so  please  gather  this  information  prior  to  the  time  of  submission:

1) Contact  Information:  the  name  and  full  contact  information  for  the  lead  presenter  and  any  co-­‐presenters  2) Session  Title:  a  succinct,  but  descriptive  title  of  no  more  than  ten  words  3) Format:  concurrent,  poster,  or  pre-­‐conference  workshop  4) Abstract:  50-­‐words  (or  less)  -­‐  Please  note:  the  session  abstract  will  be  used  in  the  printed  program.  Make  

sure  it  accurately  reflects  your  session,  as  it  will  be  what  draws  people  to  your  presentation.  5) Content:  a  clear  summary  of  learning  objectives  and  session  content  in  no  less  than  300  words,  not  to  

exceed  500  words  6) Conference  Tracks(s):  session  can  cover  more  than  one  track  7) Audience  Focus  by  Constituency:  K-­‐12,  higher  education,  corporate,  government,  military,  and  telehealth  

-­‐  USDLA  serves  multiple  constituencies,  from  the  local,  state,  national,  and  global  perspectives.  Please  tell  us  who  will  benefit  from  your  session  (may  be  more  than  one  group;  strongly  encouraged.)  

8) Internet:  standard  setup  of  projector  and  screen  provided  -­‐  If  Internet  access  is  needed,  you  must  include  that  information  in  your  proposal.  We  cannot  accommodate  a  request  made  during  the  conference.  If  you  need  sound  please  bring  your  own  speakers.  

9) Virtual  Session/Live  Feed:  indicate  desire  to  be  considered  or  not  considered  as  a  virtual  presenter  for  virtual  conference  attendees  

   

USDLA  2016  Call  for  Proposals     Hit  It  Out  of  the  Park!    

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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  2016  Conference  Program  Committee  will  look  for  clear  descriptions.  Considerable  weight  will  be  given  to  proposals  that  specify  session  learning  objectives  and  clearly  describe  why  the  content  will  be  valuable  to  attendees.

Specifically,  reviewers  will  look  for  the  following:

• Topic  relevance  to  distance  learning  and  the  conference  theme,  Distance  Learning:  Hit  It  Out  of  the  Park! • Quality  of  the  presentation:  substance,  clarity  and  consistency  between  the  title,  abstract,  and  content  

within  the  proposal;  proposal  organization • Measurable  outcomes  of  the  presentation • Evidence  of  innovation  and  effective  practice • Audience  breadth,  engagement,  and  likelihood  of  future  application

 

 

Equipment

The  conference  will  provide  a  standard  set  up  (LCD  data/video  projector  and  screen).  You  will  need  to  provide  your  own  laptop  computer.  If  you  require  Internet  access  for  your  session,  please  indicate  so  in  your  proposal.  Please  note  that  we  are  unable  to  provide  audio  resources  (house  sound  or  speakers)  for  concurrent  and/or  poster  sessions.  

 

Status  of  Proposal  and  Notification

The  2016  Program  Committee  will  review  proposals  and  you  will  be  contacted  about  the  status  of  yours  by  January  15,  2016.  Presenters  are  eligible  for  the  Early  Bird  registration  rate  ,even  after  the  close  of  Early  Bird  registration.  

 

 

Submit  proposals  here  after  gathering  the  required  information:  

USDLA  2016  Online  Proposal  Form