Call for Proposals

COLTT is now accepting proposals for the 2026 conference. This year's conference will feature two days of interactive sessions, workshops, and networking designed to foreground practical strategies, hands-on experimentation, and immediately usable takeaways for participants. The deadline to submit a proposal is May 1st.

Who Should Submit

COLTT welcomes proposals from:

Faculty and instructors across all disciplines and institution types
Instructional designers, educational technologists, academic developers, and teaching center staff
Administrators, advisors, librarians, student success and student affairs professionals
Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars engaged in teaching and learning innovation
Industry, nonprofit, and community partners working in or with higher education

Collaborative, cross‑institutional, and cross‑role proposals are encouraged

Conference Structure

Day 1: AI Workshop Series (90 minute sessions)
Focus: Hands-on, build‑as‑you‑go sessions that help faculty, instructional designers, and technologists create, build, or implement something using AI.
Day 2: Broader Innovations (30/50minute sessions)
Focus: Sessions that highlight a wider range of innovation in higher education, including analytics, learning experience design, credentials, faculty success, accessibility, and more.

Presenters may submit proposals for either day or both, and for a variety of interactive formats - workshops, labs, panels, facilitated discussions, and other creative approaches.

Day 1: AI Workshop Series

Day 1 is dedicated to practical, build‑as‑you‑go workshops (90 minutes) that help participants confidently integrate AI into their teaching and course design. Sessions should involve creating, adapting, or refining instructional materials, workflows, or feedback practices with AI support and should give attendees something concrete to take with them (e.g., draft assignments, policies, workflows, or AI‑supported resources).

COLTT especially welcome proposals that:

Guide participants through a structured build (e.g., “by the end of the session, you’ll have a ready‑to‑pilot assignment/policy/workflow”)
Invite participants to bring their own courses, syllabi, or materials to redesign during the session
Explicitly address equity, access, and student voice in AI‑supported teaching and learning

Illustrative topics include:

AI literacy for instructors and strategies for integrating AI across disciplines
Using AI for formative assessment, including building and iterating assessments with AI tools
Ethical AI use in higher education, including course‑level AI policies and student guidance
AI for accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL), such as creating accessible course materials with AI
Hands-on comparisons between AI platforms/models and how to select tools for specific teaching contexts
Practical AI workflows for teaching (e.g., building modules, rubrics, content drafts, feedback scripts)
Creating a custom GPT or similar AI assistant tailored to a specific course or program
Designing feedback protocols that combine AI-generated insights with human judgment
Preserving empathy, presence, and connection in tech‑enhanced or AI‑rich classrooms
Teaching students to cite, document, and reflect on AI use in ways that align with disciplinary norms

Day 2: Broader Innovations

Day 2 will offer a wider representation of emerging technologies shaping today’s colleges and universities (30/50 minute sessions).

COLTT especially welcome proposals that:

Articulate specific, practice‑oriented outcomes for participants
Include interactive elements (e.g., design sprints, small‑group work, hands‑on tool use, guided reflection, problem‑solving)
Address issues of equity, inclusion, and accessibility where relevant
Provide tangible takeaways such as templates, checklists, example activities, workflows, or implementation roadmaps

Proposals may connect to one or more of the following frameworks:

Data‑Driven Teaching & Learning Analytics

How can educators use data and analytics to improve teaching, strengthen equity, and support student success? Possible directions:

Using AI and analytics in your teaching and measuring outcomes
Predictive analytics for retention and equity-focused interventions
Evaluating AI tools and AI‑detection tools through real-world use cases and policies

Learning Experience Design & High‑Impact Practices

What design strategies foster engagement, enhance understanding, and elevate learning? Possible directions:

Transparent assignment design that clarifies purpose, task, and criteria
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) practices that support diverse learners
Gamification and adaptive learning platforms that personalize pathways
Improving learning outcomes with intentional visual and multimedia design
Rewriting learning objectives for the age of AI and aligning curriculum and assessment

Future Credentials, Industry Partnerships & Workforce Alignment

How can higher education better connect learning to evolving workforce needs? Possible directions:

Micro‑credentials and digital badges, including value propositions and use cases
Converting learning objectives into employer‑recognized competencies
Building and sustaining relationships with employers and industry partners
Institutional strategies for AI adoption that support workforce‑aligned planning and program design

Faculty Success, Inclusion & the Human Side of Teaching

What strategies support faculty well‑being, build community, and foster inclusive practices? Possible directions:

Building connection, community, and confidence among instructors
Teaching post‑pandemic students and responding to changing learner expectations
Implementing federal ADA guidelines and regulations for online education in practical ways
Supporting digital confidence and capacity for faculty across career stages

Additional Emerging Technology Topics?

How to evaluate tools against integration, data governance, accessibility, and lifecycle cost
How to help learners navigate uncertainty, ambiguity, and misinformation in an AI world
How to protect students’ identity and without creating barriers

How to Submit

Proposals must be submitted through the COLTT 2026 online proposal form linked from the conference website. You will need to provide:

Session title
Preferred day/theme (Day 1 AI Workshop; Day 2 framework[s])
Abstract for the public program (150–250 words)
Session description for reviewers, including planned activities and participant takeaways
Intended audience and assumed level of experience with the topic
Presenter information and brief biographies
Any technical or room requirements