ELLI Annual Conference

Call for Proposals

Patrick Clarke interacting with Legos as part of a presentation at ELLI 2017

Information & Guidelines

5th Annual Conference of the Experiential Learning and Leadership Institute

  • Theme: Mountains of Possibilities
  • Date: June 24-27, 2019
  • Location: Southern Utah University - "University of the Parks", Cedar City, Utah

Proposal Deadline

Deadline for Proposals: April 15, 2019 Extended to April 30, 2019

Early Submission is highly encouraged - proposals will be reviewed monthly and acceptance letters will be sent after the monthly reviews. Dates of reviews are:

  • February 15, 2019
  • March 15, 2019
  • April 15, 2019
  • April 30, 2019

Conference Theme and the Hallmarks of Experiential Learning

The theme of the 2019 Experiential Learning Leadership Institute Conference is "Mountains of Possibilities". We encourage proposal submissions that incorporate this theme. Additionally, we encourage proposals that purposefully integrate multiple hallmarks of experiential learning. These hallmarks include, but are not limited to:

  • How Experiential Learning tackles some of the Big Problems and Big Ideas in education and the professional world.
  • How Experiential Learning encourages collaboration and reciprocity
  • How Experiential Learning celebrates diversity
  • How Experiential Learning promotes unified and interdisciplinary learning
  • How Experiential Learning inspires transformative education

ELLI will feature the following conference tracks:

  • Scholarship: Empirical, Applied or Pedagogical
  • Best Practices
  • NSEE's Eight Principles of Good Practice For Experiential Learning Activities
  • Evaluation and Assessment
  • Internships and Career Development
  • Community Engagement/Service-Learning
  • Education Abroad/Global Engagement
  • K-12 Education

Please see the Brainstorming Ideas for Quality Proposals Resource to explore ways to utilize the theme.

Submission

All proposals must be submitted electronically to ELLI using the online form below. Incomplete proposals will not be considered.

Conference Proposal Review

Proposals will be peer-reviewed by the 2018 ELLI Conference Proposal Committee using the rubric.

Proposal submitters may be asked to revise their proposal in order to meet the criteria for acceptance.

The following questions can help the submitter as well:

  • Clarity: Do the title and abstract clearly describe the session? Is the abstract well- written? Is it clear what the session will be like for ELLI conference attendees?
  • Relevance: Is the content of the presentation relevant to this year's conference theme? Will this session positively contribute to the conference? Does the content of the session relate to experiential education?
  • Outcomes: Are the session outcomes clear? Is there something compelling about this topic that would attract an audience and benefit the overall conference?
  • Interactivity: Is the session designed to be interactive and engage the audience? Does the presenter note how this session will involve those who attend? Are examples provided including what hands-on activities, deliverables, and takeaways will be presented to the conference attendees?

Format

Presenters are requested to provide their preferred presentation format when proposing. Since a limited number of session and roundtable spaces are available, all requests will be taken into consideration, but preferences cannot be guaranteed. Submission of a proposal constitutes your willingness to accept and abide by the final decision of the committee. The following are the choices of session formats:

  • Interactive Session - (60 minutes) these sessions usually include a single presentation or panel discussion combined with engaging methods to involve participants in an active learning process about the experiential education topic.
  • Research Discussion - (60 minutes) these sessions have experiential education content that shows promise of providing practical, actionable for conference participants; and are intended to feature original research, work in progress, or evaluations of pedagogical practices, or instructional projects.
  • Round Table Discussion - (60 minutes) these sessions are designed to allow maximum interaction in informal, small-group discussions focused on an experiential education topic. Typically, the presenter will be showcasing materials or information with a small group and leading a discussion about the topic and information shared.
  • PechaKucha Presentation - (approximately 7 minutes) these sessions include a PowerPoint presentation that includes exactly 20 images projected for 20 seconds each that are advanced automatically. A PowerPoint template will be provided to all accepted proposal. See examples at PechaKucha.org.

Notification

Applicants will be notified of the status of their proposal no later than the date of the next deadline for submission (for example: if you submit by the February 15th deadline, and the next deadline is March 15th, then you will be notified by March 15th). For the last deadline of April 15th, applicants will be notified by May 1st. If a proposal has multiple presenters, written correspondence will only be sent to the primary contact. It is the responsibility of the primary contact to disseminate all information regarding the proposal to all presenters.

Abstract Publication

Your abstract may be used to promote the annual conference. ELLI reserves the right to edit abstracts for publication in the conference program and advertising materials.

Changes & Cancellations

Once the program schedule has been finalized, changes cannot be made. While situations may arise that might cause a presenter to cancel his/her presentation, ELLI encourages presenters to seek every possible alternative, including finding a substitute or co-presenter, prior to making a decision to withdraw from the conference. In the event that a presenter must cancel, written notification must be submitted to ELLI at the presenter's earliest opportunity. Failure to do so may result in non-acceptance of future program proposals.

Conference Registration Required

All faculty and staff presenters are required to register for the full conference. Information on conference registration fees is available on the conference registration page.

Our guidelines for submission are based in part of the standards established by The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE).

Proposal Submission Form