We invite you to submit a session proposal for the CCC TechConnect 2027 Online Teaching Conference!
- Open from October 1, 2026 - January 31, 2027
- Notifications are scheduled to be sent out mid-March, 2027
The Online Teaching Conference takes pride in offering the best content for the online teaching community presented BY online teaching professionals and experts. As such, we depend on the online teaching community to participate in the creation of our conference schedule. Engaging a broad group of online educators ensures a more diverse mix of perspectives and experiences. This process enables us to better respond to attendee needs.
Online education continues to evolve, creating new opportunities to improve teaching, strengthen student engagement, and expand access to learning. As educators navigate emerging technologies, changing student expectations, and new models of instruction, purposeful innovation remains at the heart of effective online teaching.
The Online Teaching Conference (OTC) invites educators, instructional designers, administrators, researchers, librarians, student support professionals, educational technology leaders, and other professionals involved with online education to share innovative practices that improve teaching and learning in online, hybrid, and digitally enhanced environments. We welcome proposals that demonstrate practical strategies, research-informed practices, and creative approaches that place student learning at the center of innovation.
Preview the Call for Proposals below, or, submit a proposal now
Timeline and Proposal Criteria
- Submissions will be accepted starting October 1, 2026 with a deadline of midnight on January 31, 2027, but early submissions are encouraged!
- Each proposal may have up to 4 presenters.
- We welcome non-commercial presentations from educators in the California Community Colleges and beyond. *Note: If you are a vendor, please contact Stacey Boswell.
- Proposals must be submitted electronically.
- Submitting a proposal is confirmation of availability to present at any time June 28th-30th if selected, UNLESS specific exceptions are noted on the proposal form.
- All presenters will be required to register for the conference at the early bird rate of $549, (if your proposal is accepted, you will receive a link to register as a “presenter” in March 2027 or earlier).
- Presenters will be asked to upload ADA compliant resources (presentations, documents or links) 1-2 weeks prior to their presentation. Presentation guidelines and a PPT template will be provided.
Theme
Teaching Forward: Advancing Human-Centered Online Learning
In a moment when conversations about education are dominated by algorithms, platforms, and automation, OTC'27 returns the focus to where it belongs - the relationship between the student and the teacher.
Built on a simple conviction that technology should serve pedagogy, not dictate, constrain, or replace it, OTC’27’s goal is to bring educators and innovators together to explore what's next in online education: rethinking pedagogy and assessment, strengthening connection and belonging, applying AI and emerging technologies with purpose, designing for accessibility and learner choice, navigating policy and quality, and sharing practices that work.
We're here to ask the questions that matter: How do we design learning experiences that genuinely engage students? How do we build belonging in a classroom that may never meet face-to-face? How do we assess learning in ways that reflect real understanding, not just compliance? How do we support the human relationships -between teacher and student, student and student - that make online learning actually work? How does this improve, inform, or shape online teaching and learning?
AI and technology will be part of the conversation, because they're part of the reality every online educator now navigates. But they'll be discussed as tools in service of teaching, not as the main event. Every session, every keynote, every conversation is grounded in the same question: does this make teaching more human, not less?
OTC'27 will focus on ways to do what humans can do better: connecting, encouraging, adapting, and truly seeing the student on the other side of the screen.
Tracks
We're looking for sessions that put pedagogy first. If your work explores how online educators build engagement, foster belonging, design meaningful assessment, or adapt their teaching practice - even (especially) in an AI- infused world - we want to hear from you.
OTC’27 is not intended to be a technology showcase. We welcome sessions that use AI and tools as part of the story, but every proposal should answer one core question: how does this help teaching stay human?
1. RETHINK: Pedagogy, Assessment & Course Design | Rethinking how learning happens online.
[Examples] Authentic and AI-aware assessment; critical thinking; active learning; course redesign; regular and substantive interaction; instructional presence; project- and competency-based learning; experiential online learning; academic integrity; and evidence of learning.
2. CONNECT: Engagement, Belonging & Student Success | Making online learning feel less distant.
[Examples] Student engagement; belonging; humanizing online learning; instructor presence; peer interaction; motivation; student agency; culturally responsive teaching; collaborative learning; persistence; and online student support.
3. AUGMENT: AI, Emerging Tech with Humans at the Helm | Beyond the chatbot: technology that changes how we teach and learn.
[Examples] Generative and agentic AI; AI assistants; personalized and adaptive learning; learning analytics; immersive technologies; simulations; intelligent media; AI-supported feedback; faculty workflows; LMS innovation; video; multimodal learning; and experimentation.
4. INCLUDE: Accessibility, Equity & Learner Choice | Designing online learning for everyone from the start.
[Examples] Accessibility; Universal Design for Learning; WCAG; captioning; accessible multimedia; multilingual learners; neurodiversity; mobile learners; flexible pathways; equitable access; culturally responsive design; affordability; OER; usability, user experience, and learner choice.
5. NAVIGATE: Policy, Quality, Ethics & Trust | Making sense of the rules while keeping learning at the center.
[Examples] Distance-education policy; accreditation; RSI; accessibility requirements; AI policy; academic integrity; privacy and data governance as they affect teaching; quality assurance; institutional governance; faculty roles; and emerging regulatory expectations.
6. DO: Practices That Work | Less theory. More “show me how.”
[Examples] Faculty showcases; demonstrations; course makeovers; LMS techniques; successful workflows; lessons learned from experimentation; before-and-after examples; student-tested strategies; multimedia practices; faculty productivity; and immediately implementable ideas.
- Presentation/Demonstration – The traditional session type. The speaker presents a specific topic to the attendees. (50 minutes including questions)
- Lightning Talk – an individual 15-minute talk that will be grouped together with other 15-minute talks on the same subject to create a singular session (3 individuals + 5 minutes discussion for a total of 50 minutes.)
- Are you new to the system or a first timer at OTC? This is a great opportunity to collaborate and get your presenting game on!
- Panel – provides a coordinated presentation by up to 4 panelists on the general topic of the panel. We encourage working together across your community and with your colleagues to create a panel! (50 minutes including questions.)
- Are you new to the system or a first timer at OTC? This is a great opportunity to collaborate and get your presenting game on!
- Discussion (Birds of a Feather) – designed to build networks and explore ideas. Rather than give a formal presentation, will prepare questions or ideas around a particular topic and lead attendees in a discussion for the full length of the session. (50 minutes including questions.)
- Roundtable – a 30-minute presentation followed by 20 minutes of discussion and feedback. Roundtable presenters should bring targeted questions to pose to others in order to learn from and with those attending. Roundtables are an ideal format for an in-depth discussion on a particular topic. (50 minutes including questions.)
Session Length
Each session is 50 minutes, but we may accommodate a few longer sessions upon request. If you'd like to request a session that encompasses two session blocks with a break in between, please indicate this in your submission (though additional time is not guaranteed).
Target Audience
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Learning
- Learn about - (exposure) session will TALK ABOUT a topic, i.e. research, best practices, etc.
- Learn how - (application) session will ILLUSTRATE HOW to use a topic, i.e. utilize a tool, implement software, etc.
Supplemental
- Do you have a 1 minute video example of yourself presenting?
- A 5 bullet outline of your proposal?
- Are there any 'pre-reqs' attendees should know about to get the most out of your session? Include a list here (maximum of 5 items)
Submit a proposal now
Do you have questions?
Contact speakers@onlineteachingconference.org. Please allow up to three business days for a response.
Diversity Statement
To support the California Community College (CCC) system's commitment to equity, CCC TechConnect's Online Teaching Conference welcomes proposals from enthusiastic and committed individuals from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences (representative of the learning community). We encourage people from all races/ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, and cultures to submit proposals for consideration. Diversity makes us stronger.
Online Teaching Conference is a unique face-to-face premier gathering of faculty, staff, and administrators leading the way in developing innovative and effective online education. As an inter-segmental conference focused on curriculum, pedagogy and technology to improve online instruction, learning, and student success, the Online Teaching Conference is an opportunity for educators to network with colleagues, connect, share knowledge, impart and receive best practices, and develop professionally.
The Online Teaching Conference is an annual non-profit event presented by CCC TechConnect and funded under a California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office grant. The conference connects online educators within as well as outside the CCC system and promotes high quality online teaching and course design.
