Invitation To Present

You are invited to present at the 2008 AECT International Convention in Orlando, Florida and to share your expertise and knowledge with your peers and those new to the field. Major shifts in learning, scholarship, research, and creative expression processes have precipitated a need for discussion and leadership to identify the opportunities these shifts present to professionals. The culture of our professional community within this dynamic setting changes daily as does our approaches to learning. The AECT International Convention brings together participants from across the nation and around the world offering practical applications, cutting-edge research, hands-on workshops, and demonstrations of the newest technologies and teaching/learning techniques in the field. Please use this opportunity to connect with your peers at the 2008 convention in Orlando.

This year's convention theme is On the Horizon: Rays of Change. As part of this theme, proposals may be submitted that include presenting both in real time and simultaneously in Second Life. The view of the horizon represents the current and potential visions of the individual and unique pieces of our profession that, in the light of day, create rays of continuously changing yet integrated patterns of practice. These rays surround both instructors and learners with a new culture of learning, a society growing out of the practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological processes and resources. Supporting the main theme are five sub-themed “rays”:

    (Ray 1) Virtual Worlds and Mobile Learning
    (Ray 2) Serious Gaming for Education
    (Ray 3) Educational Transformation
    (Ray 4) Professional Ethics
    (Ray 5) Instructional Design Culture

Thus, we are encouraging proposals that address these five “Rays of Change ”.

General Information

Regular Proposals
Proposals Open – December 3, 2007
Proposals Close – February 16, midnight (EST), 2008
              Review process timelines will be decided by each division.
              Check with division leaders for specific peer review process and dates.

Proposal Process
Proposal Process To be considered, a complete proposal must be submitted. Presenters are limited (as key presenter) to making no more than two (2) concurrent session presentations during the convention. Presenters are expected to follow the AECT Code of Ethics.

A panel of peer reviewers will read blind proposals. See each Division’s link below for further information on Division requirements. You will receive electronic notification that your proposal has been received and, at the appropriate time, whether it has been accepted for the program.

Proposals will be reviewed using the following criteria:
    • Clarity of proposal: how well it is written.
    • Relevance, timeliness, and general interest level of topic.
    • Match to the convention theme(s) and other demands of the program.
    • Suitability for division/affiliate or organization mission and membership.
    • Quality of proposed session’s content, organization and format.
    • Length and session type including appropriateness for needs of the convention program.

The vast majority of proposals are regular proposals. Such proposals must be submitted electronically (see How to Submit a Proposal Electronically below) to one primary AECT division/group or affiliated organization for consideration. That is, proposers must identify a division to which to submit and not submit the same proposal (or one that is largely the same) to any other division. Each group has a Convention Planner (usually the President-Elect). If this Convention Planner and/or the peer review panel for a group feel a proposal is not well suited to their group, they may recommend it for consideration by another group. This occurs without action by the proposer. In addition, a person may propose no more than two concurrent session presentations on which he or she is key presenter, although that individual may be a co-presenter on other proposals and may have roundtables/poster presentations.

The intent of (1) not allowing submission of the same (or a very closely related) proposal to more than one group and (2) limiting the number of presentations on which a person may be key presenter is the same: We wish to assure a diverse program, one in which many strong presentations are included and little duplication occurs.

If you are unsure of the suitability of your proposal to a particular group, we encourage you to contact the Convention Planner for that group or organization.The following list describes particular topics suggested by each group and identifies the planner for each group.

Group Name	Description
AECT Division/Group:   AECT/SL   Design and Development   Distance Learning   Division on Systemic Change   Featured Research   Fee-Based Workshops   International   Management   Multimedia Production   Research & Theory   School Media & Technology   Teacher Education   Training & Performance Affiliated Organizations:   ICEM   IVLA   KSET   MIM   NEEMA   SICET   Symposia

How to Submit a Proposal Electronically

To be considered, a complete proposal must be submitted electronically no earlier than December 3, 2007 and no later than February 16, 2008. A complete online proposal submission consists of:
   1. Presentation title
   2. A short (fewer than 75 words) description
   3. A 750-1000 word abstract that does not identify the presenter/s by name or content.
   4. Equipment request
   5. List of presenters
Procedure:
   1. Go to www.aect.org for guidelines and the online submission form.
   2. Read the guidelines for electronic submissions.
   3. Complete the requested information in the online proposal form.
   4. Complete the requested information in the online equipment request form (if you are requesting equipment).
   5. Complete the 750-1000 word anonymous abstract, following the directions provided. Remember, it’s best to write your narrative off-line to facilitate editing and ensure accuracy.

After you submit your proposal, you will receive electronic notification that it has been received. The peer review process begins shortly after the submission deadline. This process is discussed in the next section.

Notification of results of review process:
You will receive notification from the division/affiliate convention planner whether your proposal has been accepted or rejected after February 16, 2008. If accepted, you will be required to complete an Acceptance/Verification Form acknowledging receipt of an acceptance letter and verifying your commitment to make the presentation at AECT 2008, Orlando. Recognizing that all convention attendees are part of a shared community of research, practice, and professional growth and that convention registrations enable us to provide a strong convention, accepted proposers who do not register will not be scheduled for presentation (and thus will never appear in any printed program or other document). It is the responsibility of the key presenter to notify all individuals involved in the presentation as to the status of the proposal. All presenters participating at convention must preregister by September 7, 2008 in order to present. A reminder: Only those who present can submit papers that will be considered for the conference proceedings.

Funding
Presenters are required to assume responsibility for all costs associated with the presentation, including handout materials, convention registration, travel, lodging, meals, and related expenses.

Types of Sessions

Concurrent Sessions
These 30- or 60-minute sessions are primarily in presentation format and have comprised the majority of convention sessions in past years. The focus of these sessions is on sharing information, such as best practices and research results. Proposals for 60-minute sessions may include more than one presentation (as in symposia). In addition, concurrent presentations may be “bundled” with others of related content to form one 60-minute session.

Workshops
As half- or full-day sessions, workshops are intended to provide intense professional development opportunities that result in participants’ acquiring new skills. Workshops are targeted to specific interest groups and delivered the day before the convention and on the last day.

Roundtables
Roundtables are designed for small group discussion of specialized topics, with the presenter leading the discussion. This participatory format allows for a highly interactive presentation lasting 60 minutes. Typically, several Roundtable discussions are scheduled simultaneously in one large room, with minimal audiovisual use.

Poster Sessions
Poster Sessions are designed to showcase a project, program, process, activity, or the like in an informal setting. A small table is provided to support a display board, laptop, handouts, and the like. Posters may be set up for much of a morning or afternoon, allowing attendees to browse them. While passive exhibits are acceptable, poster sessions are most effective when the presenter is present at the poster to answer questions.

AECT/Second Life - Concurrent Sessions
Presenters and their avatars present in a 60-minute session both in real life (RL) and Second Life (SL) on key issues in the field related to one of this year’s themes and sub-themes AECT/SL presenters would prepare for presenting in both venues. AECT will provide a presentation room with a facilitator in Orlando and a computer connected to a data projector so attendees can view the 'AECT/SL' simulcast presentation on a large screen. Following the presentation, the onsite and/or in-world facilitator will coordinate live questioning of the presenter.
 
Follow the standard guidelines for proposal submission but include in the 750-1000 word abstract the names of presenters and their avatars as well as a description of their Second Life experience. Select 'AECT/SL' as the "group" in the drop down box. The special review panel will examine your proposal and if they feel it has promise, you will be contacted to arrange your RL/SL session. If you have someone who would be serve as a facilitator in RL and/or SL, please include contact information. We anticipate accepting no more than 5 such presentations for Orlando, but once again, the quality of the proposals will be the deciding factor.

Presidential Sessions
Presidential sessions are selected by the AECT President-Elect, Mary Herring. These limited sessions will be selected based on their strong alignment to the five conference “rays” and their importance to the work of the AECT membership. Sessions are submitted through divisions and then recommended to the President-Elect by the division planner. These sessions may be 60 or 90 minutes long.