An item from the folks at the USDLA.

CALL FOR AWARDS The USDLA is now accepting award submissions and session proposals for our 2023 National Conference. The USDLA Awards Committee has five award categories, and your award submission fee for non-members includes a single USDLA membership for one year. 1 — USDLA Trendsetter in Distance Learning Award Award Description: The Trendsetter in Distance Learning award is given to an agency, institution, company, project, individual, or unique pedagogy that has shown innovation in the field of distance learning. The award recognizes pioneering initiatives in the field that have profoundly changed distance learning and existing practices or developed new and effective solutions. 2 — USDLA Rising Star Award Award Description: The Rising Star Award is presented to an individual demonstrating exceptional promise in the field of distance education. The individual will have spent less than 5 years in the field of Distance Education. 3 — USDLA Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching/Training Award Award Description: The Excellence in Distance Learning Teaching/Training award is given to an outstanding individual or team of individuals whose teaching at a distance demonstrates an extraordinary impact on student growth and engagement. The teaching or training must demonstrate effective learning facilitated through technology with measurable outcomes. 4 — USDLA Outstanding Leadership Award Award Description: This award is granted to an Individual leader demonstrating outstanding leadership in the field of Distance Education in their respective constituency (Pre-K-12; Higher Education; Government; Corporate; Health) through advocacy, professional affiliation, influence, and/or scholarship in the field of Distance Education. 5 — USDLA Excellence in Distance Learning Research Award Award Description: The Excellence in Distance Learning Research Award is given to a person(s) or organization(s) that currently conducts research in the field of distance education. This award recognizes high-quality research that serves to advance the field of distance learning. The USDLA 2023 Awards will be presented to the winners at the 2023 National Conference at the Orlando Wyndham Resort the week of July 17-20, 2023. Click here to learn more and to submit your award application today CALL FOR PROPOSALS We are now accepting proposals for the 2023 National Conference. Share your ideas, best practices and results with like-minded professionals. There will be several days of keynotes, presentations, team-building and fun in the sun! For those who can’t travel, the conference will be a hybrid event with our content being streamed to a diverse global audience. Click here to submit your proposal today Time to Shine: “Many lessons have been learned over the past few years, and countless new participants and practitioners are in the distance and digital learning space,” says USDLA executive director Pat Cassella. “To help us all to reflect on the power and importance of distance education and to collaborate on the ideas and innovations, we have selected the theme: “Distance Learning’s Time to Shine.” Be a session speaker: We welcome proposals from all who work in distance or digital education, across all constituencies. We have speakers and attendees from corporate, education (higher and K-12), telehealth, government, military, and more. While you may submit any topic you choose, we are providing feedback from our community that should be considered when submitting proposals. The following tracks will be featured this year: Distance and Digital Leadership Ensuring Quality, Flexibility and Access (OER, Hyflex, and more) Innovative Techniques and Technologies (e.g., AR/VR/XR, Gamification, and more) Policy, Regulation, and Governance in Distance Education Best Practices in Instructional Design and Learner Engagement Great IDEAs: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility Proposal Options Available Concurrent sessions: These 45-minute sessions allow you to give an interactive presentation on a specific topic. Conference attendees expect sessions to provide practical advice and the sharing of experiences. The committee seeks high-quality, thought-provoking, and engaging sessions – not lecture format. Co-presenters are encouraged. Also, the USDLA Program Committee reserves the right to select your proposal to be featured in a panel along with other presenters. Pre-conference and conference workshops: In addition to concurrent sessions, we are offering you the opportunity to submit for either a 2.5-hour pre-conference workshop or a 90-minute workshop that will be scheduled during the conference. These sessions must be hands-on with most of the time spent with participants actively involved. You should provide detailed information in your submissions about the types of interactions and engagement you have planned. Pre-conference workshops will be held on the afternoon of Monday, July 17, 2023; other workshops will be throughout the conference dates. Poster sessions and table talks: Rather than limiting participation to the traditional poster-style sessions, we are opening this category to additional options. Please consider submitting for this category if you want to: present your research; lead a discussion around a topic of interest; demonstrate how you solved a particular challenge; and share best practices in a less formal way than a full concurrent session. This is an excellent opportunity for first-time speakers. Participants will have an opportunity to visit several different presenters during the periods in which the poster sessions and table talks will be offered. Preparing Your Proposal: The committee recommends that proposals be specific about what will make the presentation valuable to attendees. Any proposal perceived as a “sales pitch” will not be considered. Your proposal should be focused on issues, and innovative working solutions and include information about how you intend to engage attendees. All presenters and co-presenters (regardless of session type) will be expected to register for the full conference. Note: You may submit more than one proposal and be a co-presenter on multiple sessions. The submission form will ask you for the following, so please gather this information before the time of submission: Contact Information: the names and emails of any presenter and co-presenters Session Type: Workshop, concurrent, or poster Delivery Format: In-person or virtual Constituencies: Who would benefit most from attending your session? Track: While you may submit on any topic, select the one that best fits your presentation Title: A succinct but descriptive title of no more than 10 words Abstract: 200 words (or less) – Please note: the session abstract will be used to promote your session. Make sure it accurately reflects your session and how it will benefit attendees. This is what draws people to your presentation. Description: A clear summary of learning objectives, session content, and takeaways. You are also encouraged to share the types of audience participation you will use (e.g., hands-on exercise, polls, small group discussion, Q&A, etc.) Bio: Provide a bio for the lead presenter; you will be contacted for additional information on co-presenters if accepted Review Criteria: Conference participants will expect well-delivered presentations containing quality information that is of practical value to their day-to-day professional lives. Members of the USDLA Program Committee will look for clear descriptions. Considerable weight will be given to proposals that specify session learning objectives, clearly describe why the content will be valuable to attendees, and how you plan to encourage audience participation. Specifically, reviewers will look for the following: Quality of the presentation: substance, clarity, and consistency between the title, abstract, and description within the proposal Measurable outcomes of the presentation and takeaways Evidence of innovation and effective practice Audience breadth, engagement, and the likelihood of future application Are you ready? Click here to submit your proposal today: https://usdla.org/2023-call-for-proposals/ Become a MEMBER of USDLA Become a SPONSOR of USDLA Higher Education Certification Professional Learning Certification Support USDLA When You Shop @Amazon Smile Thank You to Our National Sponsors D2L, Instructure, JDL Horizons, Logitech, NC SARA,  Poly,  TSU,  TEDU, Verizon, Edu-Alliance, Harmonize, IntelliBoard, IAP, IPX, Nearpod, Yamaha Unified Communications, Yellowdig, Anatomage,  Arizona Telemedicine Program and Southwest Telehealth Resource Center, Enrollment Resources, Proctorio, VDO360,  VirtualCare, Vyopta, XanEdu, Merlot, FlexPoint, Skills Commons, BocaVox, PIP, Quickly, Upswing,  WonUp, Thank you for supporting USDLA, our Sponsors, and our State Chapters. Eric Jones, President Chuck Sengstock, President-elect About United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) The USDLA, a 501(c) 3 non-profit association formed in 1987, reaches 20,000 people globally with sponsors and members operating in and influencing 46% of the $913 billion. U.S. education and training market. USDLA promotes the development and application of distance learning for education and training and serves the needs of the distance learning community by providing advocacy, information, networking, and opportunity. Distance learning and training constituencies served include pre-K-12 education, home schooling, higher education, and continuing education, as well as business, corporate, military, government, and telehealth markets. Visit USDLA.org USDLA | www.usdla.org

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