What
This is one of the oldest and largest conferences in North America on distance education, and covers the full range of target audiences from k-12 through universities and colleges to corporate training and adult education/lifelong learning. The conference provides an exchange of current resources, research, and best practices from around the world that are relevant to the design and delivery of distance education/training. This is the 30th annual conference they have organized.
Where
The face-to-face conference will be hosted in Madison, Wisconsin, but the conference also offers a virtual option to attendees at a distance with selected presentations. The conference is organized and sponsored by Distance Education Professional Development (DEPD) in the Division of Continuing Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in affiliation with the University of Wisconsin-Extension’s Instructional Communications Systems.
I couldn’t find any information on the site about accommodation. Presumably this will come.
When
August 12-14, 2014
How
The call for proposals for papers/presentations officially closes tomorrow (January 22), although many conferences extend their deadlines, depending on the number of proposals submitted.
Papers must be submitted by May 12.
Registration for the conference must be by June 12. However, I couldn’t find out how to register so I assume it’s not open yet.
Comment
Given the size of the conference, I understand the need for early submission of paper proposals, and that in itself is not a large commitment. However, it is difficult to commit in advance to doing a paper if you don’t know what the fees are if accepted, and what accommodation is likely to cost when you get there. Practical information, such as accommodation and fees, should be in place before the call for proposals goes out. This is not the only conference guilty of this oversight, but the days when faculty could just get on a plane whenever they felt like it and have their expenses paid have long gone – if they ever existed.
Nevertheless, if you are in distance education (and by definition, if you are teaching fully online courses, you are) then this is usually a very good conference to go to, if you can find the money.
Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.
