Open Education Conference Nov 7-9, 2023. Virtual.
 

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

NOW CLOSED

See below for conference tracks, session types, and submission requirements. To submit a proposal, click the button below to create a free Oxford Abstracts account. Download a template of the submission form.

The 2023 Open Education Conference is inviting proposals for live and pre-recorded virtual sessions to be held on November 7-9. Proposals are enthusiastically welcomed from everyone with an interest in sharing about open education, especially student presenters. 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 Monday April 17, 2023 at 11:59pm PDT (the form will remain open for a brief grace period following the deadline, but submissions are no longer accepted once the form is closed).

Proposal notifications will be delivered by May 26. Submission requires creation of a free Oxford Abstracts account. Submit a proposal through Oxford Abstracts.

Theme

The theme of the 2023 Open Education Conference is “Innovation and Praxis: Building on 20 Years of Community.” As this year will mark the 20th annual gathering of the Open Education Conference community, it is an exciting time to reflect on the progress that has been made in the field of open education and to celebrate the many innovations and successes of the past two decades. 

This year’s conference will acknowledge how far open education has come and also look to the future, recognizing that there is much work still to be done to promote equity, accessibility, and inclusivity in education. As we continue to discover the potential of open education, it is important to recognize the ongoing challenges facing the field, including a persistent digital divide, rising costs of education, and the need to ensure that open education reaches more learners and communities while maintaining quality of education.

By focusing on innovation and praxis, the 2023 Open Education Conference seeks to bring together educators, researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders to share their experiences and perspectives, collaborate on solutions, and advance the cause of open education. Whether you are a longstanding member of the open education community, new to the field, or somewhere in between, we invite you to join us for this exciting event and be part of shaping the future of open education.

Tracks

The conference invites session proposals that are applicable to one of the following six tracks. Building on the theme “Innovation and Praxis,” these topics are intended to be broad and high-level in order to inspire a wide variety of sessions. The six program tracks are:

  1. Innovation in open educational resources 

  2. Innovation in open pedagogy

  3. Praxis in open (applied learning, best practices, case studies, research, tools and toolkits)

  4. Sustainability in open (professional development, recognition, metrics, strategies)

  5. Social justice in open 

  6. Community in open (collaborations, instructional design, student-led initiatives)

We are accepting proposals relevant to any educational context including K12, Higher Education, Trades and Vocational Training, and other informal learning contexts.

We invite proposals that cater to open education practitioners at all levels:

  • Beginner - new to the field of open education, little to no familiarity with terminology and practices

  • Intermediate - familiarity with basic definitions and some best practices, some practical experience in the field

  • Advanced - thorough knowledge of definitions, substantive practical experience in the field, familiarity with scholarship in the field

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 Available for On-Demand 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.

Presentation

Live (Recorded*) • 25 min, 40 min, 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.

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: Monday, April 17 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 the Oxford Abstracts platform, which requires the creation of a free account. You can download a template of the submission form here.

To submit a proposal, click the button below to create a free Oxford Abstracts account.

REQUIREMENTS

  • Abstract Requirements: Proposal abstracts will be used as the public description of the session in the conference program. Abstracts should be 300 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 and may only be the lead presenter on 2 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 available in Sched for on-demand viewing. All videos will be captioned. Breakout rooms are available upon request for live sessions 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

  • March 13, 2023 - Open Call for Proposals

  • April 17, 2023 - Submission Deadline

  • May 26, 2023 - Acceptance Notifications

  • August 1, 2023 - Schedule Published

  • October 6, 2023 - Pre-Recorded Video Deadline (Tentative)

  • November 7-9, 2023  - 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 #OpenEd23 Proposal Selection Committee will then review the results and make final decisions based on the available time slots. Presenters will receive a decision on their proposal by May 26.

Review Criteria

  • Relevance of Topic: Proposal relates to the use, practice, creation, evaluation, research, advocacy, or critique of open education and the selected conference track.  Stronger proposals will be more timely or make a unique contribution to the field, and show especially strong alignment with the selected conference track 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 and relevant to the target audience type. (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 #OpenEd23 Board of Directors and reflects many layers of input from the community. The theme “Innovation and Praxis: Building on 20 Years of Community” and six conference tracks were developed based on feedback submitted through community meetings and conference surveys. Updates to the session types, selection criteria, and submission guidelines are the result of valuable feedback from the past three conferences. Thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute.

The conference team would also like to acknowledge the organizers of OER20, OER21, and OER22, from whom we continue to draw inspiration, best practices, and great ideas.