Call for Proposals

DEADLINE EXTENDED
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Chair — Dr. Amardeep Kahlon­
Co-Chair — Dr. Myshie Pagel

Submissions Deadline: Friday, Feb 21, 2020
Presenter Notification: Friday, Mar 20, 2020

The Fast Track to Success Project invites you to submit proposals for presentations, panels, and round table discussion sessions in this fourth annual conference on competency-based education (CBE) in higher education. The theme of the conference is Connect, Share, Innovate! This conference will provide a forum for networking and sharing lessons-learned, strategies, outlooks, data, and elements of innovative models at all levels of instruction and learning in competency-based education. We look forward to receiving proposals on a wide range of topics related to CBE including, but not limited to, open educational resources (OER), badging, instructional and blockchain technology, mastery transcripting, faculty and student support, and competency-mapping. The program will be selected through this open call for submissions and a review by members of the conference steering committee.

Proposal submissions should align with one (or more) of the following tracks. Extra consideration will be given to proposals that additionally address equity, access, and inclusion.

Course Development/Program Design: What does an innovative program design look like in practice when applied to CBE or alternative learning courses or programs?

Tech Tools for New Learning Paradigms: What new technologies, applications, and tools have been shown to be effective in supporting CBE program development in higher education?

Faculty/Staff Development and Support: How can we provide professional development to faculty, staff, and other stakeholders on designing, developing, and evaluating CBE programs, with the goal of empowering these constituents towards self-sufficiency as well as mentorship?

Student Services: What are the ways to include student services as team members in the change management process when launching CBE and other innovative and disruptive programs? What issues, constraints, and strategies surrounding CBE disrupt financial aid, SIS, IT, and instructional technology systems, and what processes can be put into place to deal with these? How do we ensure that creating innovative programs and the use of tech tools create an equitable learning environment without leaving anyone behind?

Assessment, Evaluation, and Metrics: How do we assess student learning, evaluate whether and when CBE programs are working, and incorporate this gained knowledge into iterative improvement?

We encourage multiple ways of sharing ideas at this conference. All sessions will be 60 minutes in length. The Fast Track to Success Project is accepting proposals in the following formats:

Presentations: Presentation sessions offer a deeper view of a topic, issue, or project. Sessions can include a presentation from the speaker(s), audience interaction, activities and exercises, and discussion. Presenters should format the session to the topic and target audience.

Panels: The purpose of the Panel is to present diverse views and multiple perspectives on a specific question or topical area. An effective Panel includes up to three panelists and a moderator. The panelists can represent diverse areas of expertise, roles, and perspectives.

Round Table Discussions: Round Table Discussions provide a lively and exciting space for colleagues to interact and discuss a specific question or topical area. Presenters will provide a discussion topic and will help facilitate the discussion. There is no AV equipment provided for a Round Table Discussion. A Round Table Discussion can have more than one discussion leader.
Submission and Deadlines

Authors will submit using the submission form at http://bit.ly/FTTS2020_Submit

Please review the following dates and deadlines for presenters:

  • November 18, 2019 Call for proposals opens.
  • February 20, 2020 Proposal submission deadline.
  • March 21, 2020 Presenter notifications distributed.
  • April 15, 2020 Presenter confirmation deadline.
  • May 10, 2020 Presenter registration deadline.

Cost of Conference

  • $70: Presenters
  • $80: Early Bird registration ends May 15, 2020
  • $100: Regular registration after May 15, 2020

Conference Location

Doubletree by Hilton Austin

  • 6505 North Interstate 35
  • Austin, TX 78752

Conference hotel booking opens on January 31, 2020. Please visit sites.austincc.edu/cbec for information on making your hotel reservations.