Call for Proposals

Session proposals must be made online using the link below. Those who wish to deliver multiple sessions must complete a submission form for each proposed session.

Who should submit a proposal?
Proposals are welcomed from all campus community members involved in teaching and learning, including French language proposals.

Proposal requirements

• Title, format, and presenter details: Names, faculty/unit, contact information, and roles
• Session description (maximum 250 words): Overview, goals, and engagement strategies
• Learning outcomes (2–3): What attendees will gain from your session. Need help? Visit the CTL website: Learning Outcomes
• References: Up to five citations for context or background (optional for panels, workshops and SPARK talks)
• Festival thread(s): Alignment with one or two threads
• Accessibility needs: Indicate specific requirements or accommodations
• Technical requirements and scheduling: Specify any technology or scheduling conflicts
• Modality preference: Indicate preference for in-person or online delivery

Notes: 

• Each session requires a separate submission.
• Presenters must submit their final slide deck to ctlevent@ualberta.ca by by 4:00 pm on Monday, May 5, 2025. Slides will be loaded onto a computer before each session for display during your presentation to ensure a seamless transition between presentations. You are not required to have a laptop with you.

Proposal review rubric
All proposals are reviewed based on a collaborative process and guided by the following criteria:

• Does the submission include all required components?
• Are the session’s intent, goals, and approach clear?
• Does the proposal demonstrate how the session will create a space for shared learning, reciprocal engagement, and meaningful inclusion?
• Does the proposal demonstrate connections to existing scholarly or community perspectives, if applicable?
• If applicable, has ethics information been provided?
• Does the submission have cross-disciplinary appeal?

Note: All submissions are anonymized for the review process.

Copy the proposal submission and rubric template to get started on your proposal.

Explore the FoTL festival threads below to spark inspiration for your session. Choose one or two festival threads that best align with your session topic.

Access, Community, and Belonging: Fostering inclusive educational spaces
Inclusive spaces enrich learning for everyone. Select this thread to explore strategies that enhance accessibility, foster interconnected communities, and promote belonging in post-secondary environments.

Examples: Universal Design for Learning (UDL), accessible course materials, assistive technologies to support learners, creating collaborative learning experiences, inclusive classroom dynamics, student well-being, AI-powered assistive technologies, and AI chatbots to enhance feedback and collaboration

Building Foundations: Practical approaches to curriculum design
Transformative learning begins with strategic design. Choose this thread if your session offers practical strategies for designing innovative, research-driven curricula that engage students, ensure accessibility, and adapt to evolving educational landscapes.

Examples: curriculum development, active learning, experiential learning, building learning communities, nurturing classroom relationships, course design tools, adaptive-AI modules to tailor curriculum for diverse learners, GenAI content creation, and learning analytics

Bridging the Gap: Integrating theory and practice
Innovation emerges at the intersection of theory and practice. This thread is ideal for sessions that connect pedagogical theories to real-world classroom applications, ensuring innovations are evidence-based, inclusive, and impactful.

Examples: Evidence-based teaching, AI-driven learning analytics, AI theory-to-practice simulations, practical applications of assessment design

Collaborating for Change: Partnerships that enhance learning
Collaboration drives transformation. If your session highlights how partnerships among educators, students, and the broader community enhance learning experiences and improve teaching practices, opt for this thread.

Examples: Evidence-based teaching, learning analytics, assessment design, instructional strategies, AI tools for enhancing peer collaborations and community engagement in education

Dreaming Big: Envisioning the future of education
At the heart of innovation lies visionary thinking. Select this thread if your session explores forward-looking ideas reimagining student-centred teaching and learning and focuses on emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities to shape the future of education.

Examples: Future-focused pedagogies, technology integration, equity and inclusion, liberation pedagogies, student agency/empowerment, AI simulations to imagine future-focused learning experiences, and exploring the ethical dimensions (fabrication, bias, environmental impacts) of AI use

Indigenizing and Decolonizing Pedagogies: Pathways to reconciliation
Center Indigenous knowledge and practices in education. Select this thread if your session emphasizes integrating Indigenous knowledge and decolonizing educational practices to foster and exemplify Indigenous resilience, resurgence, and leadership. Sessions under this thread will delve into actionable strategies for embedding Indigenous perspectives in teaching while facilitating meaningful dialogue and advancing efforts toward reconciliation in education.

Examples: Indigenous pedagogies, decolonization, land-based learning, truth and reconciliation in education, AI-driven platforms for land-based education, responsible AI use: ensuring local Indigenous knowledge stewardship, proper permissions, and ethical data practices

Leading with Purpose: Empowering educators for transformative change
Leadership is key for driving transformative change in education. Choose this thread if your session explores strategies for educational leadership, empowering educators to become change agents within their institutions and promoting innovative teaching practices that inspire and engage students.

Examples: Educational leadership and instructor development, change management strategies, tools for professional personal and professional growth, discipline-specific innovative AI integrations, and data-informed decision-making using AI

SPARK Talk | 10 minutes
SPARK Talks (Teaching and Learning Knowledge Sharing) focus on sharing effective (or ineffective) teaching or assessment strategies that can ignite ideas, critical inquiry, and collaboration. Presenters have 10 minutes to summarize their strategy and outcomes. After all SPARK Talk presentations in the session have been delivered, there will be a dedicated period for participant questions and open conversation.

Spark Talks should include: 

1. a summary of the teaching/assessment strategy, highlighting the intended outcomes and the impact of the approach; 
2. an overview of the strengths or challenges of the approach.

Interactive Paper | 30 minutes
Interactive papers share highlights from a completed (or in progress) teaching and learning-focused inquiry project, including an overview of the research/project design, methods, and findings. They should also include at least 10 minutes of interaction during which attendees can engage with each other and the presenter.

Workshop | 60 minutes
Workshops target the development of teaching praxis and are focused on helping educators implement new ideas and skills. Workshops should include a high level of active participation and practical application and have time for discussion/question-and-answer. Attendees should generate something through individual or collaborative interaction (e.g., problem-solving, reflection writing, critical thinking, design thinking exercises, etc.) and engage with the skills taught in the session.

Panel Discussions | 60 minutes
Panel discussions focus on a particular topic related to teaching and learning. They should include pre-assembled speakers (a maximum of five people) representing diverse perspectives and voices including moderator to guide the discussion and support coherence for attendees.

The 60-minute time allotment includes a brief introduction of the topic by the moderator (5 minutes), an opportunity for each panelist to share their thoughts on the subject (25 minutes), and time for discussion/question-and-answer (30 minutes).

Note: Participants wishing to submit a proposal for a panel should submit one proposal.

Choose Your Own Adventure | 30 or 60 minutes
We recognize that there are many ways to run an engaging and accessible session beyond the formats we have described. If you have an idea that doesn’t quite fit with one of the session options above, please propose it!

Examples: builder space, escape room, fireside chat, live teaching demonstrations, storytelling, rapid round table discussion, hackathon

Access and accessibility
The Centre for Teaching and Learning is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive environment where all participants can thrive. Please indicate any accessibility requests you have so we can best support you.

Modality and scheduling
In your proposal submission, you will be asked to specify your preference for delivering the session in person or online and any special scheduling considerations.

We will do our best to accommodate your needs and preferences; however, please be aware that the adjudication committee reserves the right to select the final session format and modality to accommodate the festival's planning needs.

Complete the FoTL proposal submission form, ensuring you have included all the required information.

Submit your FoTL 2025 proposal