Submissions for Summit 2013

Summit 2013 will explore issues and ideas relating to “Education across space and time: Meeting the diverse needs of the distance learner” and will be relevant to representatives from all education sectors: schools (K–12), vocational education and training (VET), technical and further education (TAFE), higher education, government, industry, corporate, community and the lifelong learning sectors.

Submission must contribute to at least one of the following Summit 2013 themes:

1. Social, mobile, emergent, informal learning
2. Analytics
3. Equity and access
4. Open educational resources
5. Curriculum and teaching
6. Teacher roles in changing environments
7. Student-driven learning / student-developed content
8. Managing and leading open and distance education.

We are seeking proposal submissions in the following categories:

• Full papers (up to 7000 words, including references)
• Concise papers (up to 3000 words, including references)
• Innovation showcases
• Posters
• Symposia/panels
• Workshops.

Notes

• New authors or researchers may submit an abstract for initial review and feedback. 
• All submissions will be reviewed for alignment with the Summit themes. 
• Submissions of full papers will be refereed using a double-blind peer-review process. 
• At least one author must register in order for the submission to be included in the Summit program. 

New author abstracts

We encourage the submission of abstracts from new authors and researchers. New authors are encouraged to submit abstracts for feedback prior to the formal submission. If you would like assistance in preparing and developing your paper, the Summit Committee will provide feedback on these abstracts for development into a formal submission in one of the above categories (full or concise papers). New author abstracts are due by 15 July 2012.

Full papers

A full paper will be between 5000 and 7000 words (including references), and should represent original work of the authors and address one or more of the proposed Summit themes. Contributions covering a range of methodologies are sought, and both conceptual and applied papers are welcomed. At the time of submission for review, authors will be asked to clearly identify the Summit theme(s) being addressed.

Full papers will be refereed using a double-blind peer-review process. Authors of full papers adjudicated as eligible for “best paper” awards will be invited to have their paper included in a special themed issue of the ODLAA journal – Distance Education.

Concise papers

Concise papers are smaller works of between 2000 and 3000 words (including references) and which will be reviewed by a double- blind peer review process. Concise papers may be works in progress, emerging ideas, case studies or similar and should represent original work of the authors and address one or more of the proposed themes. Contributions covering a range of methodologies are sought, and both conceptual and applied papers are welcomed. At the time of submission for review, authors will be asked to clearly identify the Summit theme(s) being addressed.

Innovation showcases

We encourage those who are working on projects or products that demonstrate innovation in distance education to submit a proposal for the Summit. Innovations will be considered from a broad range of activities including teaching and learning practice, information and communications technologies, leadership, management and strategic planning. Innovation Showcases are encouraged in particular from schools (K–12), vocational education and training (VET), technical and further education (TAFE), higher education, government, industry, corporate, community, and lifelong learning sectors.

Proposals for an innovation showcase should be a maximum of 1500 to 3000 words (including references) and should clearly describe the showcase and its relevance to a conference theme or themes. Links to relevant websites and further information can also be provided.

Posters

Posters are welcomed and need to address the Summit themes. Posters will be displayed on Tuesday 5 February and Wednesday 6 February, and be the highlight of an afternoon drinks event on Tuesday 5 February. Posters should be sent as an abstract submission of no more than 500 words which describes the content of the poster. If your abstract is accepted, you will be expected to prepare a visual for presentation at the Summit.

Detailed specifications of how to prepare this visual display will be given at the time of notification of acceptance. Please note that all costs incurred in poster presentation are the responsibility of the presenter. The poster may include text, graphics, photographs and other visuals. However, authors need to acknowledge sources of photos and ensure that what they are sharing is free of intellectual property issues. Authors are also expected to attend the Summit and stand with their posters to give a brief overview and answer any questions from other delegates.

Symposia/Panels

Symposia are designed for groups of 4–5 people who wish to speak to one Summit theme from multiple perspectives. Three symposia/panels of 1-hour duration will be scheduled throughout the Summit. Submissions under this category should clearly identify the participants, the topic and their focus in 1500 to 3000 words and clearly address the Summit themes.

Workshops

Workshops as part of the Summit program are encouraged. Description of the workshop should be provided in a 1500 to 3000 word submission and clearly address the Summit themes. Workshop leaders are asked to consider a high level of interactivity for their workshop and select either a half-day or full-day duration. The proposal should clearly explain the structure of the workshop with the selected time scale, describe the forms of interactivity anticipated and indicate the ideal number of participants for the workshop. Proposals should note any additional requirements beyond the room, chairs, single computer, and overhead projector screen that they may require. Authors are encouraged to contact the Summit committee to discuss these further.

Please note that delegates will pay a separate fee for attending a workshop and workshop presenters will be paid 40% of the workshop fees collected.

Instructions for submission

It is the responsibility of all authors/contributors to ensure that their submitted proposals meet the Summit submission and style guidelines. Please refer to the ODLAA journal Distance Education for author instructions, Word templates and APA style guidelines for the required formatting of full and concise papers.

The Summit committee will expect that all submissions comply with these instructions. Submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines may not be accepted.

Submissions should be suitable for double-blind reviewing. Please ensure you have removed any author and affiliation details from your proposal.

Please check this website regularly for any changes to the submission deadlines and guidelines.

Timelines

The timelines for submission to the Summit are outlined as follows:

Review procedure

ODLAA has established an international panel of experts to referee Full and Concise Papers submitted for the Summit, which will be reviewed using a double-blind review process. ODLAA has established this review process in part to gain recognition of the work (conference publication category ‘E1’). under the Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) which is overseen by the Australian Government Department of Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR). As such, ODLAA will ensure that refereed papers accepted for the Summit will:

• Meet the definition of research in relation to creativity, originality, and increasing humanity's stock of knowledge;
• Be selected on the basis of a DIISR compliant peer review process (independent, qualified expert review; double blind reviews conducted on the full articles, prior to publication); 
• Be published in full. Published papers may appear in a variety of formats including a special edition of a journal, a book or a monograph, or a conference or organisational web site, amongst other possible formats (see further http://www.innovation.gov.au/Research/ResearchBlockGrants/Documents/2012HERDCSpecifications.pdf); and 
• Be presented at a conference, workshop or seminar of national or international significance as evidenced by registrations and participation. 

Please note that other categories of proposals submitted for the Summit (for example, keynote addresses, symposia, posters and workshops) are not eligible for this recognition.

Following the review process for the Summit, authors who receive an “Accept” notification will be required to add their name(s) and affiliation(s) to their paper in accordance with instructions at that time, and resubmit the revised copy.

Authors who receive a post-review response of “Accept with minor modifications” notification or an “Accept with major modifications” notification will be required to address the reviewers' comments and other advice, add their name(s) and affiliation(s) to their paper in accordance with instructions at that time, and resubmit the revised copy. Authors in these two categories will also be required to prepare a document stating how they have met the reviewers’ requests in the editing of their paper post review and resubmit this along with their revised document. Please note that resubmissions in the “Accept with major modifications” category will be sent back to the original reviewers for a further assessment and approval.

If you have any further queries regarding submissions, please contact:
Dr Mutuota Kigotho
University of New England
Email: mkigotho@une.edu.au
Tel: +61 2 6773 3829

• Summit 2013: Call for submissions