July 25 - 27, 2023
UPCEA, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is proud to present the 2023 DT&L conference in conjunction with the SOLA+R event, bringing two preeminent online events to one location, Madison, WI. For the first time since 2019, DT&L will be in-person and for the first time ever, SOLA+R will be held in the Midwest. Both events return to form, with DT&L’s historical home, Monona Terrace, setting the stage for a welcoming and transformative professional development experience for individuals and teams working in the field of distance and online education – from faculty and instructors to instructional designers and administrators.
Online learning is integral in the delivery of innovative teaching and learning experiences, the access mission, and the entrepreneurial focus of today’s institutions. The event program focuses on addressing the rapidly changing online and technology-enhanced learning landscape with the most current topics, technologies, and innovations that inform best practices, strategies, thought leadership, and enterprise considerations and improvements.
Especially of interest are presentations that are highly interactive in format, engage multiple presenters and institutions/organizations, and can address the needs of a wide range of institutional types and sizes, as well as diverse populations of students.
Deadline to submit is January 27, 2023
Speakers proposing sessions will need to create a user ID in UPCEA’s proposal system.
Unlike other UPCEA conferences, speakers do not need to be an UPCEA member to propose a session at 2023 DT&L/SOLA+R, however, in creating a user ID, speakers will have the ability to join their institution’s UPCEA member roster.
Both conferences will use a common proposal submission form. In years past, DT&L submissions needed to be completed in one instance. With UPCEA’s proposal system, draft proposals can be saved prior to submission.
In developing a common proposal form for both events, questions have changed. A preview of this year’s proposal questions can be found here. Of note:
Session format (e.g. workshop, panel, poster) and session content (e.g case study, research dissemination, exploratory) have been bifurcated, allowing for greater detail on session design.
The proposal system cannot path questions based on responses so all users will see specific questions on workshop and research sessions regardless of their selections.
Proposals should include the names of ALL speakers at the time of submission.
Proposals are expected to highlight a deeply relevant topic and explore trends and developments in our field, share innovative solutions, disseminate research, explore emerging or best practices, and/or examine controversial ideas which evoke debate and discussion.
Proposals will offer learning outcomes/goals and a clear plan to engage the audience, and will denote a particular presentation format as well as content “level” (i.e. foundational, applied, or strategic).
Presenters are expected to have knowledge and significant experience in online learning and must include complete contact information for all presenters.
Proposals by corporate members must include a current UPCEA institutional member as co-presenter. Information about UPCEA membership is found here.
Proposals which do not meet the above elements will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. Click here to view UPCEA Member-Curated Resources For Submitting Proposals
Selected presenters are responsible for all expenses incurred in conjunction with the event including registration, housing, and travel. There is no speaker discount for the 2023 event.
There will be approximately 5-10 workshops (1.5 hr) and 55-60 concurrent sessions (1 hr). A projector, screen, laptop, and internet access will be provided; presenters will be responsible for any printed handouts (if desired). Digital copies of presentation materials will be collected from presenters in advance of the conference for dissemination via the event app.
Conference organizers reserve the right to revise presentation titles, designate a conference track, combine sessions, or edit the description of selected presentations for promotional and program publications.
Proposals will be selected to ensure the event offers a comprehensive, noncommercial, objective, and diverse program. Attention will be given to diversity of institutions, presenters, and geographic location.
All proposals will be peer-reviewed and evaluated on these criteria:
Practical methods and techniques that others can use and apply
Clear learning goals and key takeaways
Relevance to the field of distance education and online learning
Depth of knowledge conveyed related to distance teaching, learning, and training
Inclusion of evaluation data and/or established theoretical models
Evidence of successful outcomes or lessons learned
If your proposal is accepted, you agree:
to register for the conference by June 27
to provide electronic versions of presentations, materials/handouts for attendees by Tuesday, July 19
to attend a training session (dates TBD)
that if stated deadlines are not met, the conference organizers reserve the right to select an alternate presentation in its place.
December 13: Request for Proposals announced
January 27: Proposals due
Week of March 27: Selected proposals notified
Please contact Jacqueline Romero, at jromero@upcea.edu