Poster submissions for THETA 2013 are still open until 21 February, and vox pops until 25 February. We’ll also still accept submissions for Chats in the Lounge. Presentations and other submission types are now closed.
Please read the guidelines below carefully and then make your submission at https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=theta13
Who should participate
Anyone with an interest in promoting the intelligent use of information technology in higher education, including:
- IT practitioners and managers
- Librarians and knowledge managers
- Teaching and learning technology practitioners and managers
- Developers of information technologies and services for higher education
- Teaching academics, academic developers and educational designers.
Theme and topics
The conference theme is The Edge of the World.
Tell us about the new territory you are exploring at the edges of technology in higher education:
- The cloudscape
- Virtuality
- Mobility – anywhere, anytime
- Social media
- Digital media
- Transliteracy
- Open education
- Alternative sourcing
- Bring your own device
- UX: User eXperience
- Learning spaces
- Learning technologies
- Leadership at the edge
- The global library
- Scholarly communication
- The global university
- Broadband applications
- Big data
- Crowd sourcing
- Immersive learning
- Academic analytics
Important dates
| Submissions due (abstracts) | Mon 22 Oct 2012 |
| Authors notified of acceptance | Thu 29 Nov 2012 |
| Full papers due for peer review (optional) | Thu 20 Dec 2012 |
| Final version of full papers, incorporating reviewer comments (optional) | Thu 21 Feb 2013 |
| Conference program published on website | Thu 17 Jan 2013 |
| Poster submissions due | Thu 21 Feb 2013 |
| Early bird registration closes | Thu 28 Feb 2013 |
| Presentation slides due | Thu 14 Mar 2013 |
| Conference begins | Sun 7 Apr 2013 |
Types of participation
There are many ways you can participate in THETA 2013. Traditional presentations will form an important part of the content; however we are seeking to create a dynamic program with other ways to engage and interact. Here are some ideas.
Present a session
Concurrent sessions are short presentations around work you have undertaken or topics you have explored. They are conversation starters, providing enough information to encourage the audience to engage and seek further information. Presentation submissions should include a 500-1200 word abstract. If accepted for the program, you will have the option of completing a full paper for peer review. Accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings; however writing a full paper is not required.
Flip a session
More universities are offering flipped classrooms. Instead of coming to class to listen to a lecture and then complete assignments, students study the topic first and then come to lecture for informed discussion. At THETA 2013 you can flip your session, turning it into a facilitated discussion instead of a presentation. Your submission should be a 500-1200 word abstract that includes a summary of the topic, a list of resources for review prior to the session, and a set of questions for discussion. Prior to the conference we’ll remind delegates that if they are attending your session they should review the materials first in order to participate actively in the discussion. As with other submission types, if accepted for the program you will have the option of completing a full paper for peer review.
Convene a point/counterpoint debate
A point/counterpoint session is a short debate on a hot topic. Two debaters each present their case for opposing sides of a question, with the audience voting on the outcome. The abstract for a point/counterpoint submission should include the question, a brief explanation of the issue, and short bios of the two debaters. Two example questions from the CCA-EDUCAUSE 2011 conference: “Is the Internet making us stupid?” and “Is there a library in the future?”
Convene a lightning round or community of practice
A lightning round features 3-6 very short presentations by different speakers about aspects of the same topic. Lightning rounds are ideal for communities of practice and for showing how different organisations or different areas within an organisation are dealing with the same issue. The abstract for a lightning round or community of practice submission should include the main topic, the list of speakers, and the titles and brief descriptions of their talks.
Host a chat in The Lounge
The Lounge is an area with comfortable, moveable furniture to accommodate ad hoc meetings and chats. If you’d like to do an informal demo, flock with some birds of a feather, or just be available for people to come and chat with you, you can reserve a timeslot. Things that happen in The Lounge are by definition informal, but in order to put it on the schedule, submissions should include a description of the activity, and timeslots will be subject to availability. Conference delegates can also use The Lounge for unscheduled, ad hoc meetings at any time.
Present a poster
Posters enable individuals or groups to display information about innovative projects or activities in an informal, interactive environment. Posters will remain in the display area throughout the conference. A poster reception will be held Mon 8 Apr 5:00-6:15pm to allow poster presenters to stand near their posters and talk with delegates.
Innovate
Do you want to use a particular type of technology with your session or try out a non-traditional method? Let us know what it is when you make your submission, and we’ll do our best to accommodate it.
Be a reviewer
We welcome reviewers! This is an excellent way to contribute to the event. If you are willing to review a few submissions in your area(s) of domain knowledge, please register your interest by sending an email to theta@lists.caudit.edu.au. Someone from the Program Committee will contact you to discuss how many and what type of submissions you are comfortable reviewing. Reviews of abstracts will be done in October-November 2012 and reviews of full papers will be done in December 2012-February 2013
Selection criteria
Selections for all submissions will be based on the following criteria:
- Alignment with the aim of promoting the intelligent use of information technology in higher education
- Alignment with the conference theme and topics
- Potential to be engaging and enhance the conference
- Evidence of having thought carefully about the topic, including an awareness of its larger context
- Quality of the submission – clarity and readability and sufficiency of information
- The submission discusses work that is completed or well advanced, rather than work in early planning stages.
To participate, you will also need to register for the conference no later than Thu 28 Feb 2013.
How to make a submission
You can enter a submission at https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=theta13
Important things to note:
- Your abstract must be 500-1200 words long.
- Abstracts will be assessed against the selection criteria listed above.
- Check the submission types above for guidelines on what should be included in the abstract.
- Submissions are due by 22 October 2012.
- You can update your submission at any time until the deadline.
- Authors will be notified of acceptance by 29 November 2012.
- If your abstract is accepted you will have the option of submitting a full paper for peer review. A full paper is not required.
To participate, you will also need to register for the conference no later than Thu 28 Feb 2013.
