altc22: ALT Annual Conference 2022 University of Manchester Manchester, UK, September 6-8, 2022

Conference website	https://altc.alt.ac.uk/2022/
Submission link	https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=altc22
Poster	download
Submission deadline	June 6, 2022

For the return of the ALT Annual Conference to Manchester, UK, from 6-8 September 2022, we will bring together different critical perspectives from across our community that will examine the challenges ahead and question the shape of things to come. 

We are putting our values into practice and Members at the heart of the conference, so in this spirit the event will be chaired collaboratively by the Trustees of ALT.

Call for Proposals

We are inviting proposals for a range of sessions including presentations, workshops, posters and discussion panels.

Your proposal needs to show clearly how your session will address the conference title and one or more of the conference key questions and should include recent research, case studies, practice or learner perspectives from any educational context, including schools, colleges, universities, industry, training and skills, and/or community contexts.

Keep in mind that the proposal you submit for review now will, if accepted, be used for inclusion in the conference programme and is the primary way that participants will choose which sessions to attend.

In Person Session formats

Reflective practice or research presentations	Reflective practice presentations offer a contribution towards the practice of open education, e.g. case studies, descriptive accounts, etc., but with a reflective and critical component. Time: 25 minutes (typically 20-minute presentation, 5 minutes Q+A) Abstract word limit: 500
Workshops	Workshops may follow a variety of formats, but all are virtually hands-on, engaged and interactive. Due to the high demand for these sessions, we have to limit the number of workshop proposals to those who clearly demonstrate how participants will engage. Time: 60 minutes Abstract word limit: 500
Short Session	Short sessions can be any format, e.g. demos, Pecha Kucha, spoken word, TED-style talk, multimodal presentations, performance, improvisation, screening a digital story, web content, etc. This format asks you to be creative, to share an idea in a way that speaks to hearts and minds. Time: 10 minutes Abstract word limit: 500
GASTA	GASTAs are short and snappy 5 min talks that should focus on a creative, or community based topic. All GASTA sessions take place in one session hosted by a GASTA Master and involve a lot of audience interaction. If you are not familiar with this format, have a look at GASTA goes global to get a feel for this format.
Discussion Panel	Facilitate spaces for people to engage in emerging conversations. We invite experienced facilitators to create a space for participants to interact and engage with issues during the conference. Please provide as much information as possible regarding suggested topic/question, format, anticipated time requirements, anticipated number of participants, how participants will engage, etc. Time: 30 minutes Abstract word limit: 500

Online Session formats

Reflective practice or research presentations	Reflective practice presentations offer a contribution towards the practice of open education, e.g. case studies, descriptive accounts, etc., but with a reflective and critical component. Time: 25 minutes (typically 20-minute presentation, 5 minutes Q+A) Abstract word limit: 500. These sessions can be live or pre-recorded.
Pre-Recorded Video Poster	Pre-recorded video posters are scheduled within the programme and involve synchronous discussion with participants chat. Videos will be uploaded to ALT's YouTube Channel for inclusion in the programme and should be suitable for this in format and content. Abstract word limit: 500
Pre-Recorded Short Session	Pre-recorded short sessions are scheduled within the programme and involve synchronous discussion with participants chat. Short sessions can be any format, e.g. demos, Pecha Kucha, spoken word, TED-style talk, multimodal presentations, performance, improvisation, screening a digital story, web content, etc. This format asks you to be creative, to share an idea in a way that speaks to hearts and minds. Time: 10 minutes Abstract word limit: 500

Conference Themes

• Digital transformation beyond the crisis: what is your vision for learning, teaching and assessment? This theme is focused on how we are transforming education and training through digital practices in a post-pandemic world.
• Co-creation with learners: this theme explores how to use digital technology in partnership with learners to design sustainable approaches that work for everyone. How can we co-create student engagement and enjoyment and make the learning experience more open, inclusive and equitable? 
• Emerging leadership for a new strategic vision: we are seeing a growth in more strategic responsibilities in roles with a focus on digital education and training. This theme is dedicated to the work and vision of both emerging and established leaders in both institutional and community roles seeking to share their expertise and learn from like-minded colleagues in a dedicated leadership strand of this year’s event. 
• Developing Digital Fluency: there has been a big shift in the digital skills and capabilities that we need to develop and recognise in both students and staff: from digital citizenship to critical data literacy and ethical considerations, what does it mean to develop digital fluency? 
• AmplifyFE: this conference strand is dedicated to proposals from the FE and Vocational Education sector, and we encourage submissions that share expertise around digital tools and technologies, skills development and collaboration (not competition). 
• Creativity wildcard: if your work doesn’t fit into the traditional research or practice themes, then this theme enables you to submit research, practice or policy proposals from any sector including Further Education, schools, vocational learning and training, lifelong learning and work-based learning.

The conference Co-Chairs would particularly welcome collaborative submissions from different perspectives, including students’.

Submission, reviewing, and acceptance process

All submitted proposals will be double-blind peer-reviewed by members of the Conference Committee. After review and one cycle of revision and resubmission, the Conference Committee will select proposals for inclusion in the conference. 

Submission criteria

• The maximum word count for proposal abstracts is 500 words. Proposals that exceed the word limit will not be accepted or reviewed.

• Presentation proposals should include references, which will be counted towards the 500-word limit. Ideally presentation proposals should include two or three references, and six at most. References should follow the Harvard System (parenthetical referencing – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parenthetical_referencing).

• All proposals will be double-blind peer-reviewed, so abstracts should not include the names or affiliations of the authors.

• Contributions should not have appeared elsewhere in their entirety, although it is understood that earlier versions or portions of submitted contributions may have been openly published prior to the conference.

• To ensure a suitably diverse programme, no individual can be named as the main author or presenter of more than one proposal, though they may be named as co-authors.

Note for proposals with a commercial focus

We do not accept proposals with a primary focus on demonstrating services or products offered by a commercial provider and which do not explicitly address the conference theme(s) in a learning context. If you are unsure of how best to submit your proposal, we encourage you to attend our author webinars or contact us directly.

Review criteria

Proposals will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

• Relevance to one or more of the conference key themes
• Usefulness to conference participants globally, and from across all sectors of education 
• Contribution to the provision of reliable evidence for scholarship and research into Open Education 
• Demonstrated evidence of reflection, evaluation, and criticality
• Engagement of participants 
• Creativity and innovation
• Clarity, coherence and conformance to guidelines.

Education is considered broadly, incl. formal and informal learning settings in schools, colleges, universities, the workplace, homes and communities, at any stage in learners’ lives.

Submission process

Please submit your proposal in the following format:

• Title
• Abstract including chosen conference theme and preferred session format.
• Please include details of references and resources (and where possible specify how materials/activities related to the session will be shared openly before, during, and after the conference. 

Deadline for submissions 31 May 2022. (All deadlines at 23:59 Anywhere on Earth time.)

Scholarship support

The conference will be a paid for hybrid event and participants in need will also be able to apply for free scholarship places. 

Increasing impact and widening dissemination

Resources and recordings from the event will be made available openly to all post-conference.  If you are seeking to increase the impact of your work or looking to disseminate research beyond the conference, we encourage you to make a submission to the Research in Learning Technology journal. The journal is a Gold Open Access journal and we do not levy any charges to ensure researchers can disseminate new work in learning technology as widely as possible.