Submissions

Open Date:	Thursday, February 22, 2024 12:00:00 AM
Close Date:	Thursday, April 18, 2024 9:00:00 AM
Time Zone:

A Joint Presentation by UPCEA and AACRAO 

Request for Proposals
Convergence 2024 is now accepting proposals for concurrent sessions that bring attention, resources, and focus to the emergent field of alternative credentials. Presenters will have the opportunity to share their expertise with a diverse audience of thought leaders from across the postsecondary landscape who are transforming learner mobility through credential innovation. Especially of interest are presentations that are highly interactive, feature multiple presenters and institutions/organizations, and can address the needs of a wide range of institutional types and sizes, as well as diverse populations of credit and noncredit learners. 


Proposal Topics Sought:  

Holistic, systematic approach, shared/common nomenclature
Guidelines, playbooks, case studies, successes
Employer engagement models, strategies
Quality standards for credit and noncredit credentials
Noncredit to credit pathways and practices
Examples of learner mobility, career support 
Faculty development which leverages alternative credentials 
Credential innovation that supports industry or professional standards
Proposal, review, and approval protocols 
Budget models and financial aid pathways 
Third-party provider engagement 
Academic Record and SIS considerations
Interoperability solutions 
Micro-credentials and global education 
Responses to new Carnegie Community Engagement Classification changes
Graduate education and the disruption/unbundling of post-bac credentials 
Examples and considerations involving state policy models, advocacy, regulatory  
Admissions, enrollment, and retention models in the alternative credential space 
Registrars who have successfully collaborated with PCO practitioners and vice versa
 


**Priority will be given to submissions which include professional and/or online teams collaborating with registrars and their teams**




Session Formats:

Workshop: 60-minute session providing a deep dive wherein participants are actively, tangibly engaged in their learning, via collaboration and hands-on interaction. Workshop presenters generally spend less than half of the session sharing their ideas, using the remaining time engaged in activity that promotes interaction and discussion, ending with a takeaway for participants.


Presentation: 60-minute session featuring one to three presenters who share a cohesive series of ideas followed by a robust discussion with the audience. Presentations are sought which involve multiple organizations, as well as content which may be scaled or optimized by attendees from a wide range of institutions.


Panel: 60-minute session featuring a moderator and two to three panelists from different organizations that can provide insights on a common area of interest. Panelists establish a problem or provide context in the first half of the session and then engage participants in a solutions-focused conversation/Q&A in the latter half.


*Collaborative: 60-minute session in which presenters of multiple, similar, proposed content are invited to collectively and holistically present their ideas, together, in one concurrent session. Collaborative sessions are curated by UCPEA staff to help support presenters get to know each other and suss out commonalities and themes of import between proposed ideas. 


*Roundtable: 25 to 30-minute table-based, small-group, guided discussion about a specific and timely topic, question, or issue. During one, 60-minute concurrent session, multiple Roundtable presenters concurrently share their ideas at one round table each (up to 9 attendees can fit at each table), and promote the sharing of thoughts, solutions, and questions among their respective tables’ attendees. Roundtables are designed to provide space and time to important but particularly nuanced topics which deserve attention, and as such, attendees are free to move between tables. The Roundtable session will have a moderator who will welcome attendees, invite them to find a topic/table of their choice, and watch the time, inviting presenters to host their discussions twice during the hour, to allow attendees to engage with up to two different topics. 


*Convergence Talk: Quickfire introduction of an idea by a single presenter without audience discussion, and with strict guidelines (presentation can be no longer than 6 minutes and use no more than 6 slides, with font no smaller than 28pt). Up to nine or ten Talks are scheduled in one concurrent session, in sequence, to offer attendees numerous, shallow forays into critical topics. A moderator will offer opening remarks, as well as work with Talks presenters to organize a thoughtful order of topics presented, and to ensure smooth, timed transitions between Talks. 


*Stop & Share: Hosted during one concurrent session in a large room with multiple tables, Stop & Share presenters will each have their own table, as well as a slide template of up to six slides, uploaded to the app and for presentation (on rotation) on their own laptop or tablet, to allow brief, synchronous conversations with attendees stopping in and milling about. Each informal conversation will center around a hot topic, best practice, or technological innovation. AV will be limited to one power cord per table, for presenters’ equipment. 

*Indicates multi-presenter session format


Essential Elements:
Proposals are expected to highlight a deeply relevant topic and to explore trends and developments in our field, share best practices and innovative solutions, and/or examine controversial ideas which evoke debate and discussion.
Proposals will offer learning outcomes/goals, a clear plan to engage the audience, and denote an anticipated presentation “level” (i.e. foundational, applied, or strategic).
Proposals must include complete contact information for all presenters.
Proposals which do not meet the above elements will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.
 


Selection Process:
Proposals will be peer-reviewed, and selected to ensure the program offers a comprehensive, noncommercial, objective, and diverse content. 
Attention will be given to diversity of institutions, presenters and geographic location. 
Note: due to demand, individuals may submit only one concurrent session proposal. 
We reserve the right to revise presentation titles, reassign the proposed track, or edit the session description of selected presentations for promotional and program publications.
There will be approximately 50 concurrent sessions, typically 60 minutes in length. Digital copies of presentation materials will be collected from presenters in advance of the conference for dissemination via the event platform and/or mobile app.  
 


Timeline

Mid February: Request for Proposals announced 
April 5: Proposals due
Late May:    Selected proposals notified
Early June: Sessions placed into program (presentation date/time)  
June 25: Presenter briefing 
July 8: Presenter priority registration deadline*
Early July: Moderators placed into program 
July 19: Final edits to program due 

*As Convergence 2023 sold out approximately a month in advance of the event, presenter registration will be prioritized through July 8; please plan accordingly.

Questions? Please contact Jacqueline Romero, jromero@upcea.edu

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