July 22 - 24, 2024 in Minneapolis, MN
UPCEA, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is proud to present the 2024 DT&L conference in conjunction with the SOLA+R event, bringing two preeminent online events to Minneapolis, MN.
Join your friends and colleagues for the 40th anniversary of DT&L as we look back at all that online learning has offered learners in terms of technology enabled learning. Of equal importance is the current and future states of artificial intelligence (AI) and all other digital transformations in postsecondary education.
The 2024 event will continue the tradition of 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. In addition, those involved in campus-wide digital transformations will feel at home in Minneapolis, MN.
Online learning and digital transformation is integral to the future of higher education, particularly in the delivery of innovative teaching and learning experiences, access missions, and the entrepreneurial focus of today’s leaders. The event program will address 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.
Proposals are due January 12, 2024
The following topics, relevant to online learning and digital transformation, are of particular interest for the 2024 event:
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Teaching and Learning
AI in the Administration/Management of Online Enterprises
Digital Transformation
Graduate Professional Education
Online Enterprise Administration and Leadership
Strategic Enrollment Management
Learner Engagement and Supports
Emerging Technologies (VR, AR, etc.)
Learning/Instructional Design and Development
Personalized and Adaptive Learning
Microcredentials and Credential Innovations
Assessment & Evaluation
Instructor & Faculty Professional Development
Research & Emerging Topics
Student Success, Inclusivity, Accessibility/UDL, and Equity
Regulatory Landscape, Policy, and Compliance
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).
Proposals should include the names of all speakers at the time of submission.
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 are no speaker discounts.
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.
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.
Unlike other UPCEA conferences, speakers do not need to be an UPCEA member to propose a session at the event, however, in creating a user ID, speakers will have the ability to join their institution’s UPCEA member roster.
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 April 29
to provide electronic versions of presentations, materials/handouts for attendees by June 26
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.
Proposals are due January 12, 2024
November 20: Request for Proposals announced
January 12: Proposals due
Week of February 19: Selected proposals notified
Roundtables are 25 to 30-minute table-based, small-group, guided discussion about a specific and timely topic, question, or issue. During one, 60-minute concurrent session, multiple Roundtable presenters concurrently share their ideas at one round table each (up to 9 attendees can fit at each table), and promote the sharing of thoughts, solutions, and questions among their respective tables’ attendees. Roundtables are designed to provide space and time to important but particularly nuanced topics which deserve attention, and as such, attendees are free to move between tables and encouraged to do so at the midway point of the session (after 25-30 minutes). The Roundtable session will have a moderator who will welcome attendees, invite them to find a topic/table of their choice, and watch the time, inviting presenters to host their discussions twice during the hour, to allow attendees to engage with up to two different topics.
Stop & Share are hosted during one concurrent session in a large room with multiple tables, Stop & Share presenters will each have their own table, as well as a slide template of up to six slides, uploaded to the app and for presentation (on rotation) on their own laptop or tablet, to allow brief, synchronous conversations with attendees stopping in and milling about. Each informal conversation will center around a hot topic, best practice, or technological innovation. AV will be limited to one power cord per table, for presenters’ equipment.
Please contact Jacqueline Romero, at jromero@upcea.edu.