CALL FOR PROPOSALS

See below for program topics, session types, and requirements. To submit a proposal, click the button below to create a free EasyChair account. Download a template of the submission form.

The 2022 Open Education Conference is inviting proposals for live and pre-recorded virtual sessions to be held on October 17-20. Proposals are enthusiastically welcomed from everyone with an interest in sharing about open education, especially from students. This document outlines the conference theme, topics, session types, and guidelines, and we ask that all presenters read it carefully before submitting a proposal. Download a template of the submission form.

The deadline for proposal submissions is May 27, 2022 at 11:59pm PDT. Proposal notifications will be delivered by July 31st. Submission requires creation of a free EasyChair account. Submit a proposal through EasyChair.

Theme

The theme of the 2022 Open Education Conference is “Rise to Action.” By building on the last two themes, “Reimagining Open Education” and “Making Open for All”, “Rise to Action” focuses on the many ways the Open Education Conference community can take action to advance open education work, no matter where we are in our journey.

“Rise to Action” is a call to move forward and act in concrete ways that make education more accessible, affordable, equitable and inclusive to everyone regardless of their background, experience, or level of access to resources. It is a call to rise up against the inequitable structures that have always existed in education, but have been further magnified by the complexities of the last few years.

This year, organizers encourage conference attendees to “Rise to Action” whether they’re at the start of their open education journey or are already established in the field. Emphasis will be placed on conversations that span learning how to engage in open education work through a lens of care and equity, taking action to advance open education in local, regional, and international contexts, as well as understanding, refining and sustaining open educational practices. Special emphasis will also be placed on conversations as they pertain to open education in the K-12 space.

TOPICS

The conference invites session proposals that relate to one or more of the five program topics in open education. Building on the theme “Rise to Action,” these topics are intended to be broad and high-level in order to inspire a wide variety of sessions. The five program topics are:

Open with Care: Examinations of Equity in Open Education 

(Discussion areas might include: Inclusion, Accessibility, Anti-Racism, Indigenization, Decolonization, Social Justice, Agency, Labor, Privacy, Consent, etc.)

Open in Action: Working to Advance Open Education 

(Discussion areas might include: Best Practices, Strategy, Advocacy, Policy Development and Implementation, Cross-Contextual Collaboration, etc.)

Open in Practice: Understanding and Refining Open Educational Practices

(Discussion areas might include: Open Education Basics, Case Studies, Research, Literature, Pedagogy, etc.)

Open in K-12: Approaches in Primary and Secondary Education

(Discussion areas might include: K-12 Open Educational Practices, Partnerships and Collaborations in K-12, Advocating for Open in K-12, etc.)

Building Open: Sustaining the Movement Through Crisis and Complexities 

(Discussion areas might include: Sustainability, Resiliency, Open Infrastructure, Professional Learning, Bringing in New Voices, Addressing COVID-19, etc.)

Session Types

Lightning Talk

Pre-Recorded Video With Live Viewing • 10 min 

Lightning talks are short pre-recorded videos that offer a quick take on a story, case study, idea, or technique. Lightning talks will be available for on-demand viewing throughout the conference and streamed live at a specific time slot with simultaneous chat.

25 MIN Presentation

Pre-Recorded Video With Live Viewing • 25 min 

Pre-recorded presentations are created and submitted in advance. The presentation video will be published for on-demand viewing throughout the conference and will also be streamed live at a specific time. Presenters can join via simultaneous chat to answer questions during and after the video. 

Presentation

Live (Recorded*) • 40 or 55 min

Live presentations are delivered during the conference and can include audience interaction. Proposals should address how the session will engage participants, in addition to reserving at least 5 minutes for questions. 

Discussion

Live (Recorded*) • 40 or 55 min

Discussion sessions provide space to engage participants in an exchange of ideas or experiences. These sessions should be interactive and allow for multiple voices to be heard, whether it is structured as a panel or as a conversation with the audience. Proposals should address both the topic and how the session will be facilitated.

POSTER SESSION

Asynchronous Format

The Poster Session format is an opportunity to showcase multi-format, asynchronous content that may range from formal research poster submissions to blog posts, video series or modules. 

*Where justified, presenters may opt-out of having their session recorded and distributed. 

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Deadline: Friday May 27th at 11:59pm PDT

Proposals are enthusiastically welcomed from anyone with an interest in sharing about open education, including all countries, educational contexts, and professional roles. Students are especially encouraged to submit proposals.

Proposals are submitted through EasyChair. Click the button below to create a free EasyChair account or log into an existing account. You can also download a template of the submission form.

To submit a proposal, click the button below to create a free EasyChair account or lo are submitted through the EasyChair platform, which requires the creation of a free account.

REQUIREMENTS

  • Abstract Requirements: Proposal abstracts will be used as the public description of the session in the conference program. Abstracts should be 400 words or less and written in English. In-text citations are not required.

  • Submission Limit: Each individual may be listed as a presenter or author on a maximum of 3 proposals.

  • Correspondence: The person who submits the proposal is the primary contact and is responsible for all communications and coordination on behalf of all co-presenters.

  • Technology: All sessions will be held via Zoom. Live session types will have presenter screen sharing, live chat, and automatic captions. Pre-recorded session types will be scheduled for a live viewing in Zoom. All videos will be captioned. Breakout rooms are available upon request for non-recorded session types only.

  • Scheduling: The conference is based in North American time zones and welcomes worldwide participation. Accepted presentations with large time differences will be prioritized in the scheduling process.

  • Recording & License: Unless an exception applies, session abstracts and video recordings (if applicable) will be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license and released openly following the conference. Authors retain copyright, but will be required to sign a release granting nonexclusive publication rights to the conference.

Timeline

  • May 27, 2022: Submission Deadline

  • July 31, 2022: Acceptance Notifications

  • August 30, 2022: Schedule Published

  • September 16, 2022: Pre-Record Deadline (Tentative)

  • October 17-20, 2022: Conference


Selection Process

Proposal selection will be conducted through a community-driven process. The first round of reviews will be conducted by Proposal Reviewers, who signed up in an open call for volunteers. Members of the #OpenEd22 organizers will then review the results and make final decisions based on the available time slots. Presenters will receive a decision on their proposal by July 31.

Review Criteria

  • Relevance of Topic: Proposal relates to the use, practice, creation, evaluation, research, advocacy, or critique of open education and at least one conference topic. Stronger proposals will be more timely, original, and/or show especially strong alignment with the conference topic(s) and overall theme.

  • Value to Attendees: Proposal specifies learning outcomes that will meaningfully contribute to attendees’ understanding of open education. Learning outcomes are achievable through the session described. (Note: Proposals that discuss the use of a proprietary product or service must have learning outcomes that are applicable outside the context of that product or service.) For tips on writing strong learning outcomes, take a look at this blog post from #OpenEd21.

  • Quality of Proposal: Abstract clearly and succinctly communicates to prospective attendees what the session will cover. Description aligns with the proposed session type, and responses provide sufficient information to evaluate the proposal’s relevance and value to attendees.

  • Diversity: Extra consideration will be given to proposals that support or include diverse perspectives. Diversity encompasses many dimensions such as racial identities, ethnic identities, Indigenous peoples, languages, geographic locations, ages, persons with disabilities, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and lived experiences.

Acceptance Requirements

  • Registration: If accepted, the primary contact is expected to register for the conference, but may request a cost waiver/scholarship at the time of acceptance (especially students, those located outside of North America, and others for whom cost would be a barrier). Co-presenters are not required to register in order to present only (but must register in order to attend the full conference).

  • Licensing & Recording: All accepted presenters will be prompted to sign a speaker agreement prior to the session, including a release to publish any session recordings and pre-recorded videos under a Creative Commons Attribution license. Presenters may request alternative licensing or to opt-out of recording at the time of their proposal.

  • Accessibility and Training: Accepted presenters will be required to review a series of short videos and logistical information in order to prepare for the conference. This will include information on how to design inclusive and accessible presentations. Support will also be available for pre-recorded session types, including information on recording and editing videos.

  • Code of Conduct: All participants in the conference, including presenters, are subject to the conference’s code of conduct.   

Attribution 

This work by Open Education Conference is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The development of this Call for Proposals was led by the #OpenEd22 Board of Directors and reflects many layers of input from the community. The theme “Rise to Action” and five topics were developed based on feedback submitted through the monthly community meetings hosted by the Board in March and April. Updates to the session types, selection criteria, and submission guidelines are the result of valuable feedback from the past two conferences. Thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute.

The conference team would also like to acknowledge the organizers of OER20 and OER21, from whom we continue to draw inspiration, best practices, and great ideas.