2025 AECT International Convention
Theme: Refocus: The Future in Educational Technology
Las Vegas, Nevada
October 20-24, 2025
Note: dates may be subject to change
You are invited to attend and present at the 2025 AECT International Convention in Las Vegas, NV (October 20-24, 2025). The conference supports ongoing efforts of continuous improvement by bringing together a diverse array of expertise from around the world to share practical technology solutions, high-quality research, hands-on workshops, and demonstrations of innovative approaches to instructional design, performance improvement, and educational uses of technology.
The theme for the 2025 AECT convention is “Refocus: The Future in Educational Technology.
Technology continually changes just as AECT has continually changed over its century as a premier professional organization in the field. As researchers and practitioners, it is important that time is taken to re-focus on the future. Some of the topics of the field have included:
- Strengthening the connections between the academic and the practitioner
- Integrating technology with pedagogy
- Determining the impact of cutting-edge technologies on the field
- Enhancing professional development and training
- Examining the role of data in learning, training, and performance
- Addressing the challenges to effective learning environments
- Creating accessible learning for all
At this year’s convention, we want to facilitate a conversation that moves past topics to unpack the problems in the field that can be addressed through research and practice. And, what problems should AECT focus on for the future as a strategic direction?
We invite high-quality presentations from a wide diversity of disciplines whose expertise can be orchestrated to positively address topics and issues in the field. While we continue to prioritize empirical and theoretical scholarship, we also specifically encourage and invite practitioner-oriented presentations focused on using evidence-based practices on topics and issues in the field.
Submissions should be 700-1000 words
Presentation Formats
Presentations should plan for one of the following session formats:
· Concurrent
o These concurrent sessions are traditional stand-up presentations. The focus of these sessions is on sharing information. When proposing a concurrent session, make sure to describe how you will engage and encourage interaction with your audience - reading slides to your audience is not acceptable. Planners may group concurrent presentations of related content to form one 60-minute session.
· Panel Discussion
o Lasting one hour and comprising a minimum of four and a maximum of six discussants, Panel Discussions focus on vibrant topics of contemporary concern and professional interest. Panelists quickly compare and contrast disciplinary expertise with an active, participating audience. Submissions require a designated lead discussant who organizes and facilitates the inclusion of participants. Proposals must state all panelists' names, affiliations, and relevant expertise. Planners will automatically reject proposals without panelist details.
· Poster Presentation
o Poster presentations showcase a project, program, process, activity, or similar experience in a visual and interactive setting. Poster presentations may highlight projects in the concept phase, in progress, or completed. Presenters will design and bring their own posters (48” x 36” horizontal/landscape layout) to be attached to tri-fold panels provided by AECT.
· Roundtable
o 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 50 minutes. Typically, many roundtable discussions happen concurrently in a large open room. A moderator will divide the time into two 25-minute sessions, so participants can visit multiple tables during the 60-minute session.
· Design & Development Showcase
o The Design and Development (D&D) Division invites practitioners, faculty, and students to showcase their completed and innovative training and educational programs. These projects should be grounded in theory and research related to the instructional design field. The D&D Showcase provides an opportunity for prospective and practicing instructional designers, training specialists, and others to explore high-quality examples to enhance their ability to design effective learning experiences and develop different types of instructional materials and environments. Proposals must describe key components of the program (e.g., goal/intent, target learners, theoretical and research foundations, design and development process, team members, cost). Design & Development Showcase submissions are only available when submitting to the Design & Development Division.
· Design in Practice
o Design-in-Practice (DiP) Sessions last one hour and focus on concentrated, practical applications of effectively implementing evidence-based teaching, training, and learning strategies. Participants in DiP sessions expect to leave ready to implement new evidence-based practices or to use technology to implement evidence-based practices in new ways. DiP sessions might focus on using a specific app (e.g., Kahoot, Desmos), implementing specific evidence-based practices, using specific hardware (e.g., VR goggles, iPads) to implement evidence-based practices, or using other specific mediational means to implement evidence-based practices. DiP proposals must include a focal statement that identifies the session’s focal app, hardware, or other mediated engagement and specific evidence-based practice. Planners will automatically reject proposals without a focal statement.
· Featured Research
o As the premier professional organization in instructional design and technology, AECT actively fosters the dissemination of important research findings. Featured Research proposals report on a novel, concluded empirical research study with data analysis completed at the time of submission. Planners will automatically reject proposals representing literature reviews, conceptual manuscripts, and other non-empirical papers. Authors who fail to submit accepted Featured Research papers to their discussant/facilitator by July 31, 2025 will be removed from the program. Featured Research submissions are only available when submitting to the Research & Theory Division.
· Fee-Based Workshop
o Fee-based workshops are intended to provide intense professional development opportunities that result in participants acquiring new skills. Fee-based workshops may be two-hour, half-day (3 hours), or full-day (6 hours) in length. Workshop proposals should identify specific learning goals or outcomes for attendees. The proposal’s short description should indicate if attendees should bring any equipment, software, or materials with them to the session. Please note that only a digital projector is provided in the room; presenters and attendees must supply their own computers and cables.
Proposal Scoring Rubric
Following AECT policy, all submissions are assessed against submission criteria and evaluated by blinded two peer reviewers.
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Criterion
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Points
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Relevance - Proposal provides explicit discussion of the Refocus: The Future in Educational Technology topic and how it is being addressed through practice or research.
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10
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Significance – Proposal describes novel or new concepts, knowledge, fundamental skills, application, or other significant contribution to research, theory, or practice addressing a grand challenge of the field.
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10
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Timeliness and general interest level of the topic
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5
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Alignment – Proposal is appropriate for AECT and the Division/SIG
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5
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Clarity – Proposal is written clearly and concisely
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5
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Note: Individual divisions may choose to add supplemental criteria to this list, but all proposals will be scored according to at least these core criteria. See division calls for further information.
Key Dates & Deadlines
- December 2, 2024 – Call for proposals is released
- January 6, 2025- Proposal system opens for submissions
- February 17, 2025 – Proposals due by 11:59 P.M. US Pacific Time (note: there will not be a deadline extension)
- March 1, 2025 – Proposals assigned to reviewers
- May 5, 2025 – Proposal reviews due by 11:59 P.M. US Pacific Time
- May 16, 2025 – Notify authors of submission decision
- May 30, 2025– Accepted presenters confirm intent to present
- August 2025 – Full convention schedule available
- October 20-24, 2025 (Pending final approval) –Las Vegas Convention activities
Presentation Rooms and Equipment
All Presentation rooms, excluding sessions scheduled for roundtables and poster displays will be supplied with a digital projector. Presenters must provide other equipment, including laptops, tablets, or cables.
Accessibility
AECT is committed to making all reasonable arrangements that will allow conference presenters to participate in convention events. Please include any information necessary to help with scheduling or accommodating the presentation, if accepted.
Registration Requirement and Code of Conduct
All listed presenters on an accepted proposal must register and participate in the presentation at the convention. Non-presenting authors should be designated as a “contributor.” All presenters - as well as other convention participants - are required to follow the Association’s Code of Conduct.
Thank You!
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the educational technology field through practice, research, and teaching. There are always going to be challenges for the field to address, but you provide significant contributions to addressing these challenges. We look forward to learning from and with you at the 2025 AECT International Convention.
Christopher T. Miller, Ed.D., AECT President-Elect, 2025 Convention Planner
John Curry, Ph.D., Convention Co-Planner
Lauren Bagdy, Ph.D., Convention Co-Planner