Breakout Session Formats

Two types of proposals will be accepted:

• Presentation: A 50-minute session that includes time for a 40-45 minute presentation and 5-10 minutes of question and answer. Most feature a successful program, practice or key issue related to instruction or information literacy. Presentations are intended for an audience typically of 30-70 people. Presenters should include in the proposal a description of the topic and an outline of the presentation.
• Interactive Workshops: A 50-minute session where the presenter facilitates a learning experience in which attendees develop or explore teaching and/or research techniques. Presenters are expected to facilitate a well-planned and interactive session. Workshops are intended for an audience typically of 30-50 people. Proposals should include a description of the topic and details on how the presenter will make this session a "hands-on" experience for attendees. 
  

For all sessions, the exact number of participants won't be known until the session takes place; however, estimates of attendance and room size based on results of interest surveys will be provided to the presenters before the conference.

Proposal Tracks

Proposals should reflect elements of one of the following six tracks:

• Pedagogy: Instructional Nuts and Bolts 

It’s essential that we help students build a foundation for their own learning. Give us your blueprint to student success: How do you use instructional design principles, learning outcomes/objectives, or authentic engagement activities to foster student learning? How do you create a responsive classroom? What theories or techniques have been the engines in moving your classroom forward? How do you adapt your instruction to meet the needs in online and hybrid learning environments?

• Assessment: Building in Quality Control

Grab your clipboard and tell us how you measure instructional output and impacts. How do you ensure total quality management of student learning? How have you mass produced meaningful and authentic assessment around your library instruction? This part of our work has always been important, but it is increasingly relevant and offers potential for future growth. 

• Innovation: Forging Ahead for 21st Century Learners

Necessity is the mother of invention! How have you adapted your instructional role for changing times? What new technologies are reshaping your instructional approaches? How are you rethinking library spaces, tools, resources, and instructional formats to reimagine what information literacy can look like? 

• Leadership: Stepping Up to the Line

Leaders are built at all points along the line -- in formal and informal ways. Half of the battle is leading from where you stand! How are you establishing your library, your instruction program, or yourself as a leader in information literacy at your institution? Share your advice on developing leadership skills, managing larger-scale instructional projects, or advancing your library’s teaching presence on campus.

• Failures and Problem-Solving: Retooling and Reinventing

Even the best designs have flaws, and failure is often part of the process. How have you transformed failures into successes? How have you developed problem-solving skills and strategies? What strategies have you used break through bottlenecks in students’ learning?

• Collaboration and Outreach: Assembling Production Teams 

Instructional allies are key to any information literacy instruction effort. How have you developed mutually-beneficial partnerships to respond to changing climates at your institution? What outreach have you done to connect with diverse populations, such as international students or those in underrepresented groups? Are there strategies you’ve used to maintain existing or longstanding partnerships? How do you know when a collaboration reaches the end of the line and it’s time to part ways?

Submission Information

  ***The deadline for proposal submissions was November 22, 2019; proposals are no longer being accepted.***  

Proposals can be submitted only through the online submission form (see below) and must be received by Friday, November 22, 2019. The primary contact for the proposal will receive a message indicating receipt of the proposal when it is submitted and will be notified if the proposal has been accepted for presentation by Monday, January 13, 2020. 

If your proposal is accepted, then up to three presenters will be automatically registered for the conference and required to pay registration in full by Monday, April 6, 2020. Presenters are encouraged to submit a full paper version of their presentation (see due dates below) for inclusion in the LOEX Conference Proceedings.

All proposals must include the following:

• Session title (limit 20 words)
• Short description of the session (limit 100 words)
• Long description of the session (limit 500 words)
• List of 1-3 learning outcomes (visit Tips on Writing Learning Outcomes from the University Library at UIUC for guidance)
• Type of audience(s) for which the session is intended

You do not need to be a LOEX member to submit a conference proposal. We accept the best proposals, regardless of institution or membership. LOEX membership only matters for general registration, which begins Friday, February 7, 2020.

Note: Failure to pay the registration fee will result in the cancellation of presentation and conference registration. All presenters are responsible for paying their own travel and lodging expenses.  

Proposal Timeline

• Friday, November 22, 2019: Deadline to submit proposals
• Monday, January 13, 2020: Notification of acceptance of proposal
• Thursday, May 7- Saturday, May 9, 2020: 48th Annual LOEX Conference in Ypsilanti, MI
• May 1 and May 29, 2020: Deadline for all Presentation and Interactive Workshop presenters, respectively, to submit full papers (up to 2500 words) for inclusion in the LOEX Conference Proceedings
  

Proposal Selection Criteria

The committee will be using a rubric to score the proposals during a double-blind review process. Along with the criteria listed under the session format descriptions, the rubric scores each proposal on:

• Content and objectives of presentation
• Relevance to the selected conference theme and track and to the field of library instruction
• Originality and creativity
• Demonstrated expertise of the presenter(s) on the topic
• Methods used to inform and also engage the audience

In addition, the rubric scores Presentation proposals on how well they utilize a variety of presentation modes; Interactive Workshop proposals are scored on the degree and type of audience participation.

Presenter Benefits

The solid reputation of the LOEX Conference ensures that presenters benefit as much as their audience. Presenters can expect to:

• Contribute to the field of library instruction and information literacy
• Receive professional recognition at the conference
• Highlight their institution's accomplishments
• Publish a full paper on the presentation topic in the LOEX Conference Proceedings
• Obtain valuable feedback from colleagues
• Receive automatic registration for up to three presenters at the LOEX Conference