2025 Call for Courses

The AOA is committed to providing exemplary education for doctors of optometry, paraoptometrics and future optometrists. To deliver an education system that offers year-round integrated learning and professional development for doctors and paraoptometrics, AOA’s Optometry’s Meeting 2025 will feature courses focusing on cutting-edge topics and contemporary optometry. We invite you to submit lecture and workshop courses through the online application below. The online application submission window closed on July 21, 2024.

If you have questions regarding the Call for Courses, please contact Keegan Palzkill, Education Analytics Technologist, at kpalzkill@aoa.org.

Topics

While the AOA is a Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE) qualified administrator and courses accepted for doctor of optometry education may be submitted for COPE approval, ALL courses offered will qualify for AOA CE Hours. The AOA will consider all education topics, including and not limited to emerging technologies, optometry patient care innovations and practice management.

Doctor Education & Paraoptometric Education : In addition to the familiar past topics, the AOA encourages submissions of innovative and creative courses, fostering collaborations with various health care disciplines and introducing unique topics to enhance the quality and distinctiveness of our educational program.

Optometrist/Paraoptometric Joint Education: The AOA seeks to provide joint education for optometrists and paraoptometrics that cover a myriad of disciplines and overlapping responsibilities.

Please ensure that courses submitted as joint education are suitable for a combined doctor of optometry and paraoptometric audience.

*All courses accepted for any form of paraoptometric education will be submitted to the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification for approval.

**All submitted courses that meet the requirements and have been submitted on time will be considered for acceptance for Optometry’s Meeting 2025.

Course Criteria and Requirement

Due to the volume of submissions, not all submitted courses will be accepted. All applicants will be notified of accepted courses via email by September 20, 2024. Acceptance will be based on the following criteria:

• The primary speaker must be a member of the AOA.
• Courses accepted for Optometry’s Meeting should be original and not presented previously at Optometry’s Meeting or slated to be presented at any other meeting/conference in 2024/2025.

Accepted Courses

• If a course is accepted, the speaker(s) must complete an AOA Speaker’s Confirmation Agreement by Sunday, October 6, 2024.
• Final course outlines will be due by Sunday, February 9, 2025.
• Speakers must respond in a timely manner to achieve AOA CE Hour, COPE and/or CPC approvals.
• Course handouts are required and must be submitted electronically by Sunday, April 20, 2025.
• Speakers cannot promote their books, consulting services, etc., during education sessions.
• Speakers must disclose any utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) within their submissions, including their outline and slide deck.

 AOA Speaker Reimbursement Policy

AOA speaker reimbursement, stipend, and registration information:

• Honorarium Standard Courses—Up to $350/hour (per instructor, maximum of three instructors).
• Honorarium Labs—Up to $350/hour (per instructor, maximum of three instructors) or $350/hour solo lab.
• Honorarium Panels—Up to $350/hour. Will be split among all panelists (any course with four or more instructors is subject to this fee schedule)

Speakers will receive complimentary full registration for Optometry’s Meeting; speakers must register during Early Bird Registration time frame.

Important Dates