Category Archives: EDUCAUSE

EDUCAUSE Annual Conference 2019

Call for Proposals

October 14-19, 2019

Chicago, Illinois

https://events.educause.edu/annual-conference/2019/call-for-proposals#_zspW3Le1_zlEJQT5

Presenting at the EDUCAUSE Annual Conference provides an opportunity to build your professional network and experience lifelong learning with lifelong friends. Presenting a content-rich session individually or as part of a team is a wonderful way to share knowledge, experiences, and ideas.

The conference’s program will showcase future directions, best practices, stories of successful collaborations, lessons learned, and solutions to community-wide issues within various program tracks.


Program Tracks

Creating a Culture of Data-Informed Decision-Making

Explore the application of data, information and analysis to institutional challenges. The goal? Build a data-informed culture to facilitate decision making at all organizational levels and across all areas. Topics include policy, organization, processes, governance, leadership, and infrastructure that supports data initiatives, as well as how these initiatives are integral to the mission of every institution.

Evolving Infrastructure and Enterprise IT

The practices of IT service delivery and digital transformation—increasingly important to realizing institutional strategy—rely on the successful convergence of information systems, cloud computing infrastructure, and a support and skills model that makes it all work across the breadth of a higher education institution (not just central IT). Evolving infrastructures can increase agility and flexibility, bolster data protection, and encourage innovation. Other topics in this track include infrastructure services and enterprise architecture/systems, as well as frameworks and strategies for effective, efficient IT service management.

Exploring New Boundaries in Teaching and Learning

How do IT practices enable and empower the core academic mission of teaching and learning, as well as the research and scholarship that support that mission? These IT practices include instructional design, immersive learning, distance education, online and blended learning, learning space design, accessibility and universal design, and mobile learning. This track includes support for libraries, pedagogical research and scholarship, and the utilization of new tools in the areas of research computing and data visualization.

Leading and Partnering Across the Institution

This track encourages discussions around the key role that IT plays in serving the needs of the entire institution—administrative, teaching and learning, and research. IT leadership must ensure that the technology organization’s resources and efforts are strategically aligned with the institution’s vision and goals and that the institution is fully leveraging technology and talent to achieve its goals. Leaders must also ensure that the IT organization provides excellent operational-level services and support. This track also includes issues related to institutional and vendor partnerships, remote campus relationships, and partnerships outside the institution.

Making an Impact with Innovative Ideas

New ideas, interesting interventions, wild successes, and educational failures–these are the tools for building the IT organization of tomorrow. Share emerging work, reflect on innovation in process, and propose bold new frameworks for doing the core work of an IT organization.

Managing and Reducing Institutional Risk

IT organizations share accountability for managing institutional continuity of operations within an open and shifting environment. The pace of change, such as the growing use of cloud services, challenges these efforts, as do changing compliance requirements and increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. From preventing data breaches to sending emergency alerts to protecting privacy, the real-time tactical and long-term strategic need for risk management is vital to all higher education IT leaders.

Navigating Change

One of the most pressing challenges in today’s fast-paced environment is navigating rapid change, an issue is complicated by culture and climate, change fatigue, and the difficulty of measuring the impact of change. How do factors such as institution type and size, private versus public, and centralized versus distributed affect how we manage and adapt to changes in process, impact, and culture? What skills and competencies do we need to successfully navigate change? What tools and frameworks can help us plan for and successfully execute change? How do we drive change from the highest levels of leadership down to individuals and teams? Sessions in this track could cover change in a major system, how to include stakeholders, communications for an open process, decision tracking and agreement, the role of governance, and formal change management processes.

Supporting the Institution

IT organizations must mature by developing a workforce that meets current and emerging demands as technology advances and higher education institutions adapt to new markets and new models. This track focuses on new and future skill sets, emerging needs in the profession, and how to remove barriers to develop and create a modern workforce. Topics include issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including how to attract, hire, retain, and develop skilled employees from different backgrounds while creating an inclusive environment where all staff can thrive and contribute.

Transforming the Student Experience

The digital student experience is evolving to support learners from recruitment through their careers. Technology informs, supports, and transforms the way colleges and universities recruit, educate, and retain students and connect with alumni. Institutions with adaptable and student-centered technology designs effectively connect students with the campus through engagement in institutional activities and academic success tools to enrich their experience. Explore the ways in which higher education has successfully responded to the changing expectations of learners, families, and alumni.


Delivery Choices

Your proposal will be carefully evaluated and may be accepted for any of the following formats below, depending on the scope of content and engagement strategies proposed.

Preconference Workshop (Full day = 7 hours; half day = 3.5 hours)

Offered as full- or half-day options, preconference workshops provide participants a deeper examination of various topics, facilitated by leaders with extensive experience in those areas. Workshops are highly interactive and give participants the chance to discuss in-depth approaches to challenges they are facing on campus, share solutions, and learn strategies. These workshops are considered part of EDUCAUSE professional learning and career development offerings and as such require learning outcomes. Maximum of three presenters plus a moderator.

Facilitated Discussion Session (Typically 45 minutes)

Discussion sessions are opportunities for presenters to share campus challenges and solutions through conversational exchange. By actively engaging audience participants in dialogue about hot topics or broad issues, presenters of these sessions will rely on collective community experience among session attendees. This is more formal than a Meet and Mingle but less formal than a traditional breakout session. There is no room for “sage on the stage” in a facilitated discussion session; this is a chance to have organic, topically relevant, peer-to-peer learning experiences at the conference. Maximum of two facilitators.

Interactive Presentation (Long form: 45 minutes; Short form: 10 minutes)

These sessions are opportunities to share topics of interest, lesson learned, foresight, or evidence of impact related to the conference tracks. Long-form sessions are an opportunity to present in detail on a project, idea, or experience. These can be done solo or have multiple presenters (i.e., panel, moderated interviews, stacked presenters, etc.). Short-form sessions will be organized as lightning-round talks. These are best done solo because they will be stacked in a session block with related content. Regardless of length, these sessions should be innovative, thought provoking, and engaging. Maximum of three presenters plus a moderator.

Poster Session (two 60-minute sessions, Tuesday or Wednesday)

Posters give participants and presenters the opportunity to share and examine problems, issues, and solutions in a casual, personal environment through informal, interactive, brief presentations focused on effective practices, research findings, or technical solutions. As attendees visit this informal setting, presenters can discuss and share their work on a one-to-one basis. Presenters will use a poster display (and laptop and print materials if they wish) to demonstrate the features and functionality of the tool or program, as well as to provide a visual overview of the project. Presenters should also prepare a few introductory remarks to engage listeners in the subject. Maximum of two presenters.

Important Reminders

Registration: All accepted presenters are responsible for registering for the conference by the early-bird date, paying the conference registration fee, and securing and paying for travel and lodging. Please plan and budget accordingly before submitting your proposal. (Exceptions include accepted full- and half-day preconference workshop presenters, who may receive modest compensation in the form of an honorarium or a complimentary conference registration. EDUCAUSE will not cover any additional costs such as travel and lodging expenses, online tools, assessments, books, or other presentation materials.)

Sharing Resources: Presenters will be asked to upload related resources (documents or links) prior to their presentation. These resources provide support for the presentation and then become a part of the conference proceedings so that your valuable information is accessible beyond your session. If your proposal is selected, you will be provided with instructions on uploading your presentation materials.

Selection Process

Proposals are selected to ensure the conference offers a comprehensive, nonpromotional, objective, and diverse program. Attention will be given to diversity of institutions/organizations, presenters, and geographic location. Note: You may be invited to present in formats other than the one you selected or those noted in the proposal submission form.

Proposals will be reviewed by the Annual Conference Program Committee and Proposal Reviewers using the following criteria:

  • Relevance of topic: Is the topic of relevance, importance, value, and/or interest to higher education?
  • Proposed topic coverage: Does the proposal adequately cover content related to the proposers’ learning objectives or key stated outcomes?
  • Presenter knowledge: Does the presenter or presenters have sufficient knowledge, expertise, and authority to address this topic based on evidence provided in the proposal and/or prior experience with or knowledge of the presenter?
  • Engagement strategies: Does the presenter include specific strategies relevant to event size, audience, and maturity of topic for engaging participants in the session content, and do those strategies align with the session’s learning objectives/outcomes?

Submit Your Proposal

Call for proposals for the 2019 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference is now open. Proposal notifications will be sent via email mid-June 2019.

SUBMIT PROPOSAL

Create/Update Profile

An EDUCAUSE profile is required to submit a proposal.

Create or update your profile with a short bio, photo, and link to a professional URL (this could be a personal web page or your unit/department web page).

Note: It may take up to one business day to activate a new profile and 24 hours to update an existing profile. Your profile information will help reviewers and attendees understand your qualifications. Make sure your privacy setting is not too restrictive. We recommend the option of “Limit to Authenticated (Logged-in) Users.”

Key Dates

  • January 31: Proposal deadline
  • Early June: Registration Live
  • Mid-June: Presenters notified
  • Mid-July: Conference Agenda Live
  • October 14: Preconference Workshops
  • October 15-17: Conference Sessions
  • October 15-16: Poster Presentations

Corporate Participation

Proposers with corporate affiliation are welcome, either on their own or in collaboration with campus partners.

Proposals must be transparent in representation of products or services, free from overt marketing, and of wide and general interest to the EDUCAUSE community.

Proposals must make clear how the session demonstrates thought leadership, addressing key challenges and themes universal to innovation in higher education IT.

For corporate involvement (outside of the CFP), please visit our Corporate Opportunities page (coming soon).

Program Committee

Special thanks go to the dedicated community members who give their time and experience to the EDUCAUSE 2019 Program Committee.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about the call, please contact your speaker liaison, Sarah Reynolds.

For advice on crafting your proposal, please visit our Presenter Concierge pages.

For general information about this conference, including registration, please contact the EDUCAUSE Membership Team:

NERCOMP Annual Conference

March 18–20, 2019
Providence, Rhode Island

https://events.educause.edu/nercomp-annual-conference/2019/call-for-proposals

The NorthEast Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) partners with EDUCAUSE to bring together leaders in the higher education IT community from across the region.

The NERCOMP Annual Conference plays a pivotal role in bringing together a community of higher education library and IT professionals to build expertise and share information on the latest issues in the field. This conference is the place to connect with peers, share successes (and struggles), and enhance our collective learning.

Program Tracks and Key Topics

The program committee has outlined a series of tracks and key topics they believe will make an interesting and useful program. The program sessions will focus on these key topic areas:

Session Formats

Standard Presentations (45 minutes)

These sessions are 45 minutes long; presenters and panels are asked to allocate at least 10 to 15 minutes for Q&A with the audience. Standard presentations are opportunities to present in detail on a project. Proposals will be evaluated against the selection criteria listed below.

Interactive Presentations (45 minutes)

These sessions are opportunities to share topics of interest through an innovative, thought-provoking format that encourages audience participation and interaction. Participant feedback and response to issues will be encouraged throughout the session.

Panel Discussions (45 minutes)

These sessions feature two to four dynamic presenters offering case studies about how their institutions have approached a shared topic, or they may feature presenters taking different and sometimes controversial perspectives on a topic. Examples may include the evolving role of the CIO, security, privacy and cloud, advancing IT innovation within budgetary constraints, or other critical issues in higher education. Participant feedback and response will be encouraged for all panels.

Poster Sessions (60 minutes)

A poster session demonstrates the use of an emerging technology or innovative practice for teaching and learning, typically in the early stages of development. Presenters may use a laptop, a poster, or both to demonstrate the unique features and functionality of the tool or program and to assist in providing a visual overview of the project. As attendees visit, presenters have the opportunity to discuss the poster topic with them. Therefore, presenters should prepare a few introductory remarks (1–2 minutes) to engage listeners in the subject.

The standard setup for a poster includes the following:

  • 6′ skirted table or a high cabaret skirted table
  • Wireless internet access
  • 40″ × 30″ foam boards

Selection Process

Proposals will be reviewed by the NERCOMP Annual Conference 2019 Program Committee and Session Proposal Reviewers using the following criteria:

  • Quality of Topic: Is the topic of importance, relevance, value, and/or interest to the targeted area of information resources in higher education?
  • Proposed Topic Coverage: Does the proposal cover the topic adequately?
  • Speaker Knowledge: Does the speaker appear to have sufficient knowledge, expertise, and authority to address this topic?
  • Speaker Presentation Style: Has the speaker provided sufficient evidence of his or her ability to effectively present on the topic?
  • Event-Specific Criteria: Has the speaker included strategies that will effectively engage the attendees and result in effective learning?
  • Overall Rating: What is your evaluation of this proposal overall?

Proposals will be selected to ensure the conference program offers a comprehensive, noncommercial, objective, and diverse treatment of issues related to the theme and key topics.

Applicants will be notified of proposal status in mid-November. Note: the selection committee may invite you to present in formats other than the one you selected or those noted in the proposal submission form.

 

 

EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI)

The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) is a community of higher education institutions and organizations committed to advancing learning through IT innovation. The ELI Annual Meeting provides an opportunity for those interested in learning, learning principles and practices, and learning technologies to explore, network, and share. Find more information about the ELI mission and philosophy here.

Transforming Higher Education: Exploring New Learning Horizons

The horizon of teaching and learning today is characterized by ever greater degrees of agency for learners, instructors, instructional designers, and technologists. From active learning classrooms to integrated student advising and from rapidly improving XR technologies to learning analytics, we all have more options for invention, innovation, and new designs in support of our teaching and learning mission. Join your colleagues as we collectively explore this ever-changing landscape of the new possibilities for learning, addressing these and many other questions:

  • What new kinds of leadership are required for this new teaching and learning landscape?
  • What are the best methods and techniques that promote innovation and creative thinking to support student learning?
  • What new educational technologies seem most promising?
  • What role should data and analytics play, and what are the trade-offs between analytics and privacy?
  • How can we best determine the efficacy of our learning innovations and technologies?
  • What learning spaces and environments best promote active learning?

2019 Annual Meeting Tracks

The strategic use of information technology has the ability to transform teaching and learning, helping institutions realize EDUCAUSE’s mission to advance higher education through the use of information technology. The following tracks include the best ways to navigate the learning horizons. Proposals that clearly describe innovative and creative work will receive the highest priority in the selection process.

  1. Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
  2. Analytics: Privacy, Learning Data, Student Advising, and Interventions
  3. Digital and Information Literacy
  4. Faculty Development and Engagement
  5. Innovation in Instructional Design and Course Models
  6. Leadership and Academic Transformation
  7. Learning Efficacy: Impact Evaluation, Learning Research and Science
  8. Learning Environments and Spaces
  9. Learning Horizons: Emerging Technology, Ground-Breaking Practices, and Educational Futures
  10. Open Education
  11. Student Success
  12. Other

Learning Objectives and Participant Engagement Strategies

The ELI proposal reviewers will closely examine and rate each proposed session’s learning objectives, which should clearly describe what participants will know or be able to do as a result of participating in the session. A successful proposal must also include the specific and creative ways in which the presenter(s) will engage with participants through active learning strategies. ELI encourages innovative and participatory session design, the creative use of technology, and active engagement by all participants.

Session Types

All ELI Annual Meeting sessions will be conducted face-to-face in the meeting venue.

Preconference Workshops

Preconference workshops will be held Tuesday, February 19, from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. (PT), face-to-face, in Anaheim, California. Up to two presenters from each seminar will be provided with a full complimentary registration to the annual meeting. Preconference workshops are intended to provide attendees with significant assistance in addressing their needs and opportunities to navigate the learning horizons. If you have questions, please contact the speaker liaison.

Present and Engage Sessions

Please note that your presentation session proposal will be carefully evaluated and may be accepted for any of the following formats below, depending on the scope of content and engagement strategies proposed. If you have questions, please contact the speaker liaison.

  • Interactive Presentation: Interactive presentations are opportunities to present in detail on a project, idea, or experience while enabling audience participation. These sessions require continuous engagement tactics, interspersed activity tactics, or intensive Q&A tactics. They are scheduled for 45 minutes, and at least 15 minutes of this time should be interactive.
  • Short Presentation Pairs: Presentation pairings include two 15-minute presentations (by different presenters) followed by a 15-minute question/discussion period, for a total of 45 minutes. This is a great way to organize closely related content with two unique perspectives. When you submit your proposal, you can suggest that your solo presentation be paired by the ELI Annual Meeting Program Team or you can coordinate with colleagues to suggest your paired team. Final pairings will be determined by ELI, based on proposal content. These highly visible sessions highlight pioneering practices by giving institutions a spotlighted venue with condensed presentation time. Please note these are not poster sessions.
  • Hands-On Workshop: Workshops are 45-minute sessions where participants experience technology or pedagogical practices firsthand. Note that these are not presentation sessions—they are activity sessions. Session descriptions should clearly indicate how presenters will guide a hands-on, tutorial-like experience using applications and resources. Participants are asked to bring a mobile device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop) to the session in order to fully participate and to experience an emerging, innovative technology or practice. Hands-on workshops, by virtue of their robust interactive learning design, will have priority consideration for the active learning space (designed by Steelcase Education). Presenters are responsible for providing any additional technologies needed to ensure an engaging hands-on experience.

Discuss and Connect Sessions

  • Discussion Circle: This is ELI’s version of an unstructured, topic-driven discussion, somewhat like a conceptual jam session. The Discussion Circle is a way to engage with colleagues seeking common solutions to today’s greatest challenges on the learning horizon. Eschewing any presentation, discussion circle hosts facilitate conversations in small, intimate settings, allowing participants to take a deep dive into a pressing issue the community is tackling and for which the resolution is not obvious. These 45-minute sessions are highly interactive and provide a unique learning and bonding opportunity.
  • Posters: Posters give participants and presenters the opportunity to share and examine problems, issues, and solutions in a more casual, personal environment through informal, interactive, brief presentations focused on effective practices, research findings, or technical solutions. The standard setup for a poster includes a 6′-foot skirted table, wireless internet access, and boards. Posters are allocated 45 minutes of action, with ample time for setup and breakdown.

Please take a moment to view this 5-minute video on how to write an effective proposal. Following the tips in this video will increase the likelihood of your proposal being selected.