Innovating Every Day
The 2020 Canadian Network for Innovation in (CNIE) Conference
May 11 through 13, 2020
Concordia University
Montreal, Quebec

Deadline for submission: closed

Call for papers English PDF
Call for papers French PDF

Sure. We live in a period of digital disruption, which disturbs entire industries and long-standing organizations. You have probably experienced the disruptive influences of digital technologies in telecommunications, publishing, workplace learning, and higher education.

But disruption only represents one type of innovation.

Most innovation occurs within the context of everyday practice: small improvements to instructional design, teaching, technology, and related processes that strengthen the learning experience for students, instructors, and administrators alike. Even those of us who have not disrupted education have probably contributed to incremental innovations.

At the 2020 Canadian Network for Innovation in Education Conference, professionals supporting the educational missions of post-secondary organizations, K-12 systems, continuing education, professional development, and workplace training want to hear reports about both types of innovation: disruptive and incremental, the essence of innovating every day.

• In some learning contexts, such as post-secondary education, K-12 education, and continuing education, learning architecture primarily focuses on design of curricula and incorporates such approaches as outcomes-based learning and learning supports. 
• In other learning contexts, such as professional development and workplace training, learning architecture focuses on the integration of instruction, information, resources, and other tools to support learners in achieving goals. Some refer to this as performance support.
• In all contexts, considers the use of Open Educational Resources (OER), that is, materials available to use and modify by faculty and students without a licensing fee or the purchase of textbooks.

Learning experience design: Learning experience design represents the latest approach among practicing professionals to the design of instructional experiences. Sometimes called detailed design, learning experience design incorporates the best of:

• Instructional design (the engineering of instructional experiences to facilitate learning)
• User experience design (taking care during these sequences to ensure the comprehension and comfort of learners)
• Although the concept has gained popularity among those who design instructional materials for use in asynchronous online learning, the concepts apply more broadly.
• Among that practices that make learning experiences accessible are those that employ Open Educational Resources.

Evidence-based practices in teaching: Evidence-based practice in teaching employs the scholarship of teaching and learning, which empirically studies disciplinary and generalized approaches to teaching particular subjects in classroom settings, and shares the resulting conclusions in an effort to strengthen teaching.

Institutional technology: Institutional technology refers to the many classes of technology used to design, develop, deliver, and evaluate instruction, as well as manage educational operations. These technologies include:

• Software for designing and developing instructional materials
• Software for broadcasting over the web and producing complex online learning sequences
• Classroom-related hardware and software, such as lecture-capture software, classroom response systems, and other technologies intended to strengthen the face- to-face class experience
• Software for managing broader educational activities, from tracking individual students through a program and enrollments in individual courses, to artificial intelligence that flags students at risk
• Organization-wide technology, which manages operations other than teaching and learning

Partnering with faculty and administration: Central to the success of educational professionals who support the missions of their institutions are their partnerships with faculty and administration. These partners are often responsible for implementing the innovations that educational professionals propose and design. But because of differences in roles and priorities, these partnerships pose practical challenges in promoting innovation in education.

Types of Sessions

Note: All sessions are held face-to-face, at Concordia University in Montreal. Presenters must present in person. We are not able to accommodate virtual presentations at this conference. The conference offers a variety of presentations to inform and engage participants.

Pre- conference workshops (3.5 hours, including a break):
Preconference workshops will be held Sunday, May 10, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. (EDT). Builds participants’ skills with technology, teaching, or design practices firsthand. Proposals should describe the skill(s) to be taught and the activities and experiences facilitators will employ so participants can practice and receive feedback on those skills. Also indicate whether participants need to bring a device (such as smartphone or laptop) to the session. Presenters are responsible for providing any additional technologies needed to ensure an engaging hands-on experience.

What you need to submit: The proposal system will prompt you to provide the following information about your proposed workshop:

• Description
• Learning objectives
• Session plan (provide details of how time will be spent, how material will be presented and, briefly, how activities that build and practice skills will unfold)
• Should participants bring a device to the session? Y/N

• Cracker Barrel, in which you present the paper interactively to a group of participants, then discuss it for a period. At the end of the period, the participants move to other tables and a new group hears your presentation. 
• Short presentation. A 20-minute formal presentation to an audience for 15 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of discussion.
• Decisions about presentation formats made by the Program Committee.

What you need to submit: The proposal system will prompt you to provide the following information about your proposed presentation:

• Rationale for the study
• Research questions
• Methodology (including information about approval by a research ethics committee)
• Results
• Conclusions
• References (not included in the word count)
• Research proposals are limited to 500 words maximum.

Innovative teaching, technology, or design technique (15 minutes + conversation):
Presents an innovative technique for teaching, use of technology, or designing instruction, or some other task in administering an educational organization and that has been successfully applied in two or more situations. The presentation should describe the innovation, characterize the type of innovation (teaching, design, other); describe how it works; explain how to apply it and challenges that might arise; and share results of its use in practice. May be scheduled for one of these formats.

• Cracker Barrel
• Short presentation
• Decisions about presentation formats made by the Program Committee.

What you need to submit: The proposal system will prompt you to provide the following information about your proposed presentation:

• Name of the innovation addressed by the proposed presentation
• Type of innovation (teaching, technology, design, other)
• How the innovation works
• How to apply the technique
• Challenges that might arise when using the technique
• Results from at least two applications of the innovation

Innovative techniques proposals are limited to 500 words maximum.

Case study in innovation (15 minutes + conversation):
Presents an in-depth case of innovation that occurred in one situation. The presentation should describe the background, the problem addressed by the case; the solution devised; the process for devising the solution; and results of its application in practice. May be scheduled for one of these formats:

• Cracker Barrel
• Short presentation

What you need to submit: The proposal system will prompt you to provide the following information about your proposed case study:

• Name of the case
• Focus of the case (teaching, technology, design, other)
• Background
• Problem addressed by the case
• Solution devised
• Process for developing the solution
• Results of its application in process
• How to apply the technique
• Challenges that might arise when using the technique
• Results from at least two applications of the innovation
• Proposals for case studies are limited to 500 words maximum.

Hands-on workshop (1 hour):
Builds participants’ skills with technology, teaching, or design practices firsthand. Proposals for these 45-minute workshops should describe the skill(s) to be taught, and the activities and experiences facilitators will employ so participants can practice and receive feedback. Also indicate whether participants need to bring a device (such as smartphone or laptop) to the session. Presenters are responsible for providing any additional technologies needed to ensure an engaging hands-on experience.

What you need to submit: The proposal system will prompt you to provide the following information about your proposed workshop:

• Description
  
• Learning objectives
• Session plan (provide details of how time will be spent, how material will be presented and, briefly, how activities that build and practice skills will unfold)
• Should participants bring a device to the session? Y/N

Innovative topic discussion (1 hour): Explores a complex or controversial topic in educational innovation through a combination of formal presentations (to inform participants as well as ensure they have a common basis for discussion) and informed discussion. Proposals should include a session plan that explains how the proposed session balances the two activities—informing and discussing.

What you need to submit: The proposal system will prompt you to provide the following information about your proposed discussion:

• Description
• Learning objectives
• Session plan that explains how the proposed session balances the two activities—informing and discussing

Selection Criteria

All submitted proposals are reviewed and evaluated by CNIE for conformance to submission requirements. Those that do conform will be distributed to peer reviewers, who use the following criteria:

• Alignment of the topic with the objectives and audience of the conference
• Workshops (both pre- and hands-on): Anticipated likelihood that the workshop will successfully develop the skills identified in the objectives as demonstrated through the clarity of objectives, use of time, and mix of presentation and practice.
• Research proposals: clarity of the research purpose and question; alignment with the current literature, clarity and appropriateness of methods; clarity of results and their alignment with research questions; relevance of conclusions and their impact on participants.
• Innovative techniques and cases: Likelihood that participants could adopt the techniques if needed, as demonstrated by clarity of the description and applications; and evidence of success.
• Innovative topic discussions: Likelihood that the discussion will benefit participants, as demonstrated by the clarity of the description, including the explanation of the use of time, background information to be presented, and the nature of the proposed discussion.

Note: Sessions are for exploring ideas, not promoting products. Although sessions at a conference that explores educational technology will, by nature, include sessions that discuss particular classes and brands of products and services, the sessions should focus exclusively on the applications and uses of these products, and may not implicitly—and definitely not explicitly—sell these or other products and services. Those interested in marketing to our participants may explore a conference sponsorship.

Expectations of Presenters

• Register for the conference by 17 April 2020.
• Present your presentation in person. We are not able to accommodate virtual presentations at this conference.
• Respect our “no selling from the podium” policy. (See “Note” under criteria for evaluation.)

Important Dates