51st Annual Meeting and Conference
Virtual
Friday, March 5, 2027
In-Person
Monday, March 8 - Tuesday, March 9, 2027
USC Conference Center, 8th Floor, Close-Hipp Building
Columbia, SC
Call for Proposals
Priority Proposal Deadline: December 18, 2026
Notification Date for Priority Proposals: January 15, 2027
Registration/Commitment to Present Deadline: February 5, 2027
CONFERENCE THEME
Grass Roots Development: Cultivating Instructional Growth and Momentum
Grass Roots Development: Cultivating Instructional Growth and Momentum
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
We invite educational developers, instructional designers, academic leaders, and educators at all career stages—faculty, staff, and graduate teaching assistants—to share their work. Whether you are reimagining teaching, developing programs, building partnerships, or leading institutional transformation, we welcome proposals that elevate learning and strengthen our collective capacity to shape the future of higher education.
PROPOSAL TOPICS
We welcome proposals that connect to one or more of the following areas:
SESSION FORMATS
We welcome a variety of session types designed to foster connection, creativity, and shared learning. Multiple presenters are welcome for all formats except Lightning Talks, which are limited to a single speaker.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Proposals will be submitted through a Google form linked above. To help you prepare, please be ready with a complete proposal before beginning the survey. We recommend drafting these in a separate file and then copying them into the fields in the survey:
We invite educational developers, instructional designers, academic leaders, and educators at all career stages—faculty, staff, and graduate teaching assistants—to share their work. Whether you are reimagining teaching, developing programs, building partnerships, or leading institutional transformation, we welcome proposals that elevate learning and strengthen our collective capacity to shape the future of higher education.
PROPOSAL TOPICS
We welcome proposals that connect to one or more of the following areas:
- Growth at Every Stage: Supporting Early, Mid, and Late Career Faculty
- Cultivating Ecosystems: Instructional Growth Across Modalities
- Listening to the Garden: Receiving and Responding to Feedback
- Front Porch Conversations: Dialogue and Community in the Classroom
- Pruning the Flower Bed: Revision and Reflection for Improvement
- Gentle Gardening: Community Care through Teaching and Learning
- Beneath the Crust: Deep Learning and Meaningful Experiences
- Heat, Pressure, Time: Conditions for Instructional Development
- Unearthing Geodes: Perseverance and Resilience in Higher Education
- Mapping the Landscape: Purposeful Choices in Course and Program Design
- The Right Tool for the Soil: Using Technology for Intentional Design
- A Plot for Every Plant: Differentiating Learning for Audiences
- Wildflowers: Whatever Else May Take Root
SESSION FORMATS
We welcome a variety of session types designed to foster connection, creativity, and shared learning. Multiple presenters are welcome for all formats except Lightning Talks, which are limited to a single speaker.
- Presentations (25 minutes, in-person) — Share a successful practice, program, or study that others can learn from. Presentations may include brief interactive elements, but the focus is on sharing insights, results, or lessons learned that advance teaching and learning in higher education.
- Interactive Workshops (50 minutes, in-person) — Guide participants through an active, hands-on session where they will create, plan, or apply something they can use in their own context. Workshops should give participants time to engage meaningfully with one another and leave with a concrete idea, plan, or artifact.
- Lightning Talks (10 minutes, in-person, one presenter) — Offer a concise, high-energy presentation highlighting a key idea, tool, or finding. Ideal for sharing emerging work, experiments, or insights that spark conversation and inspire collaboration.
- Posters (in-person only) — Present your project, research, or idea visually and engage attendees in one-on-one or small group discussions. Posters work well for projects in progress or topics that benefit from informal dialogue and feedback.
- Virtual Presentations (25 minutes, virtual conference day: Friday, March 5) — Share a successful practice, program, or study with colleagues attending remotely. Virtual presentations follow the same format as in-person presentations and include opportunities for live Q&A and discussion through the online platform.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Proposals will be submitted through a Google form linked above. To help you prepare, please be ready with a complete proposal before beginning the survey. We recommend drafting these in a separate file and then copying them into the fields in the survey:
- Presenter Information — Name, Institution, and email address for the lead presenter and all co-presenters.
- Proposal Category — Select one or more categories that best fit your topic.
- Session Format — Indicate whether your proposal is for a presentation, interactive workshop, lightning talk, poster, or virtual presentation.
- Title — A clear and engaging title for your session.
- Abstract (100 words) — This is the abstract for your presentation as it will appear in the conference program. The abstract should be geared toward your audience and be clear, concise, and engaging.
- Session Description (200 words) — Describe how your session connects to the conference theme. Include the purpose of your session, its structure or flow, and the goals or learning outcomes for participants.
- References (optional, up to 5) — Use this section to share any key references or sources that inform your session. We’re not looking for a full bibliography—just a brief glimpse into the scholarly or practical conversations your work engages. Depending on your session type and goals, it’s perfectly fine to leave this section blank.