Content Requirements

ASTD TechKnowledge® 2013
January 30-February 1, 2013
San Jose, California USA

Please review the text below for important information on each topic. Quick Links are links to PDFs or web resources for the specific information you need to build your proposal.

Quick Links:

Target Audience List (PDF)
Tracks
2013 Requested Topics by Track
Learning Approach Descriptions
Proposal Types (PDF)
Learner-Focused Objectives Samples (PDF)
Delivery Methods Resources
Proposal Fields (PDF)

Your Commitment to Speak
It is an honor and a privilege to be asked to speak at an ASTD conference. By sharing your expertise, you make a valuable contribution to the profession's field of knowledge and to the individual learning of our participants.

If you are selected, please view this opportunity as a commitment like any other and ensure that you are able to deliver the session by securing the support of your organization and managing your workload and clients to keep this time open. We understand that things do happen and appreciate your advance notice in the event of extreme circumstances that prevent your attendance.

Target Audience
The majority of the conference participants are either part- or full-time training and e-learning practitioners who may have recently been given e-learning responsibilities or who may have been e-learning designers, developers, and managers for several years—and everyone in between. The expected attendance for the 2013 ASTD TechKnowledge® Conference is more than 1,200 participants.

For your proposal, please specify one target audience group from this list of options.

Target Audience List (PDF)

Tracks and Topics
In order to create a well-rounded conference program and respond to feedback from attendees, ASTD has done a significant amount of pre-planning for the 2013 conference education program. The topics listed within the tracks are a result of this planning and cover core and current topics, as well as trends.

ASTD is seeking proposals to cover these topics specifically. Proposals for topics outside this programmatic framework will only be considered if the content substantially supports the overall program.

There are five tracks which reflect the major areas of e-learning.

TechKnowledge Tracks (PDF)

Requested Topics for 2013 by Track:

E-Learning Design (PDF)
Emerging Technologies (PDF)
Implementation Strategies (PDF)
Platforms & Tools (PDF)
Virtual Delivery & Facilitation (PDF)

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Learning Approach
You will be asked to select a learning approach which most closely defines your session proposal. This layer is designed to focus the program at a greater depth within each track. ASTD will select proposals to ensure that all learning approaches are covered. If your proposal fits into more than one learning approach, please select the one that is most important. See attached list for descriptions.

Session Format
The Call for Proposals focuses on two primary areas: Pre-conference Workshops which precede the start of the conference and the Concurrent Sessions which feature a range of subjects grouped by track. Concurrent sessions include 75 and 90 minute sessions, panels, and Creation Stations. In addition, Tech Intensives, in-depth sessions on key topics are offered on the last day of the conference.

When you enter your proposal you will be asked to select a Format from a list of choices including Full- and Half-Day Pre-conference Workshops, 75- and 90-minute Concurrent Sessions, Creation Station, Panel, and Tech Intensive.

Proposal Types (PDF)

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Session Development
The first rule for an ASTD conference session is that it is a learning experience. This means:

• Content that is informative and relevant, with clear and immediate application to the learner's work
• Minimal use of PowerPoint slides
• Includes interactive and/or hands-on methods to support the learning within the conference session framework
• Corresponds to the required Learner-Focused Learning Objectives (application to the job)
• Session materials which reflect the content and are resources for later use.

Your primary goal should be the learning of the participant rather than a showcase for your ideas, products, and services. You will gain exposure for those things by doing a good session with something tangible for the participants to take away. The more you can put yourself in their place in developing your session, the better your chances will be of being selected and of receiving good evaluations from participants who attend your session.

Session Description
Please write your description clearly and concisely making sure to include all necessary information. The focus of the description should be on the content that will be delivered, not an editorial on the topic or an advertisement for the speaker or topic. Please write in the second person (you) and avoid references to the speaker and his/her published work by title. Good content with clear, application-focused objectives will sell the session, not a sales pitch. Please support your statements with appropriate citations of published works or studies.

Also, please include a sentence stating what the audience for this session should already know before attending. In other words, what is the prerequisite knowledge for getting the most out of the session?

Commercial presentations for products or services may be delivered as Expo Demo and Lab sessions. For information on exhibiting and these session opportunities contact your ASTD Sales representative.

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Application on the Job (Objectives)
The reason ASTD puts so much emphasis on how you write your learning objectives is to strongly encourage you to think deeply about the session you are proposing. We want these sessions to be top-of-the-line in terms of content, delivery, and applicability for the learner. Session participants evaluate sessions positively or negatively according to how much they can use the information on the job. If you follow the tips below for writing your learning objectives and develop your session accordingly, you will have a premier offering! Your learning objectives will be a key factor in evaluating your proposal.

Make sure that you can deliver on the objectives you choose! We are expecting you to deliver a deeper level of knowledge/skill to ASTD learners.
Click here for a PDF of examples to help you develop your own objectives.

Delivery Methods Delivery Methods Resources
How you plan to deliver your session is as important as the content. ASTD is the leader in workplace learning and performance and we want the conference education program to reflect that leadership. All speakers are asked to continue our shared quest for quality of both content and delivery of sessions. Remember that this is a learning experience. Even if you aren't a seasoned trainer or facilitator, spend some time researching and practicing some of the key strategies for facilitating learning. ASTD has many resources such as Training for Dummies and other publications. Please visit the online Speaker Orientation for ideas and resources.

• Limit your use of PowerPoint as a delivery method. Please note that slides and any supplemental materials will be provided electronically in most cases (via a mobile app and online).
• Instead, design interactive ways to engage with the participants and have them engage with each other within the conference session framework.
• Make sure that your content supports the Application-Focused Learning Objectives.
• Model as many of the concepts you are delivering in the session as possible and practical.

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