The learner and the Australian History Association conferences for 2018

Athens, the white city that will host the 25th Learner conference in 2018 

The 25th International conference on learning called The Learner, is on of the popular Common Ground Research network conferences. This conference will be held at the University of Athens in Athens, Greece, on 21 to 23 June 2018 and the next due date for proposals is 21 March 2018. People who attended a previous learner conference can apply for a discounted registration fee. The main theme of the conference is Education in a time of austerity and social turbulence. As usual, there will be 10 themes to choose from: 

• Theme 1: Pedagogy and Curriculum
• Theme 2: Assessment and Evaluation
• Theme 3: Educational Organization and Leadership
• Theme 4: Early Childhood Learning
• Theme 5: Learning in Higher Education
• Theme 6: Adult, Community, and Professional Learning
• Theme 7: Learner Diversity and Identities
• Theme 8: Technologies in Learning
• Theme 9: Literacy Learning
• Theme 10: Science, Mathematics, and Technology Learning

And if you plan to go down under this coming winter, why not check out the invite for abstracts by the Australian Historical Association (AHA) and their partners for the annual conference at the Australia National University in Camberra from 2 to 6 July 2018. The theme of the conference is 'The scale of history'. Three AHA affiliated associations – the Australian and New Zealand Society of the History of Medicine (ANZSHM), the Australian Society for Sports History (ASSH), and the Religious History Association (RHA) – will convene streams during the conference. There will also be formally curated streams on History and the National Cultural Collections (GLAM), environmental history (green stream), economic history, war and society, and ‘1968 – 50 Years On’.

The online call for abstract submissions is open and will close on 28 February 2018.

Where are the digital game based education conferences?

Tallinn

This time of year we are planning for conference attendance next year. This year I am looking for a conference with a workshop or two on digital game based learning, however, this seems to be difficult to find.

There are game-based teaching and learning conferences but that is more face-to-face, board games or gaming elements added to teaching and learning and serious gaming that focus on training through gaming for the workplace. If you are interested in such a scenario (including serious gaming), do check out the Tallinn University summer school program (they also have a winter school but it is really really cold in winter time). The summer school will run from 9 to 27 July 2018 and accommodation is available in the Tallinn University International Student Hostel at reasonable costs. Although the final program is not yet available, do check out the preliminary one and ensure that you open all sub folders because there are real gems under each of the 5 main themes. There are courses in language, creative work, educational science, humanities and social science and inter-disciplinary work.

This summer school also offers the opportunity to participate in weekend excursions and other cultural experiences like a visit to the rural part of Estonia and a visit to St Petersburg in Russia. Tallinn itself is like the pictures form a fairy-tail story just became real before your eyes. The old town is simply beautiful and you can wander for days through it. On weekends, the locals gather in the old town with their beautiful large cars and the market is a feast for the eyes. Do check out the old church and take pictures from the bell tower - perfect for photos of the castle like walls of the old city.

And remember to keep your eyes open for the December international flight specials form the UAE airlines around Christmas.

2019 Conference on Games and Education

We attended an ICEL conference in Cape Town in 2013 and we are planning to return for the  ICEL in July 2018

Yes on the one hand 2019 is still two years away but on the other hand time flies and who could think in 2015 when we were at Sun City for the ICDE conference that time would pass so quickly that the Tornoto ICDE is by now also a thing of the past and we are already making plans for the 2019 Dublin ICDE conference in the fisrt week of November 2019?

So while you are thinking about and planning your abstract for 2019, also note that just before this conference, in the second week of September, the International Conference on Games and Education will take place in South Africa. As soon as the key note speakers are confirmed and the tracks set up, the call for abstracts and the invite for participation in the Games will be posted and I will ensure that you get the information right away.

Planning to attend other Gamification conferences? The 12th European Conference on Games Based Learning (ECGBL) that will also host the 6th International Educational Games Competition, will be held at SKEMA Business School, Sophia Antipolis in France on 4 and 5 October 2018. This conference attracts attendees from 40 countries. The due date for abstracts is 15 March 2018. This conference is organised by Academic conferences and publishing international (ACPI). We attended a few of their conferences and were impressed with the way they do things.    

The ACPI also host the 13th International conference on e-Learning (ICEL) will take place on 5 and 6 July 2018 at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, South Africa. But hurry because the due date for abstracts is 7 December 2017. Do attend if you can as two of the keynote speakers are Prof Johannes Cronje and Prof Paul Prinsloo - you will learn a lot and widen your view points. 

Conferences on Post graduate supervision

The 2017 annual general meeting and the workshop on supervising successful research writing will take place in Durban on  21 November 2017

This week I want to focus on conferences that deal with postgraduate studies.  First of all, the annual general meeting of PGFSA (the Postgraduate Forum for Southern Africa) and a workshop on supervising successful research writing is scheduled for 21 November 2017 (yes next week) at the Durban University of Technology, in the Hotel School Conference Centre, on the Ritson Campus, Winterton walk in Dunban. Respond today or tomorrow to ensure a place at this highly recommended gathering. The general meeting will take place after the workshop at 16:00 in the same venue. The workshop will start at 8:30 and it will be facilitated by Prof. Gina Wisker from Brighton University.

There are also s number of international conferences on Postgraduate supervision and take note that the deadline for abstracts for these conferences are in November and December 2017.  

The Quality in Postgraduate Research Conference will take place in Adelaide, Australia from 17 to 19 April 2018. The bi-annual conference focuses on understanding how processes and practices support doctoral candidates in their studies. The last date for submitting abstracts is 21 November 2017.

The 3^rd Mixed Methods International Conference of the Mixed Methods International Research Association (MMIRA) will be held in

Vienna, Austria, from August 22 to August 25, 2018. This conference will

focus on deepening and expanding the field of mixed methods research. Abstracts must be submitted by 31 December 2017.

The 20^th International Conference on Postgraduate Education and Research (ICPER) aims to bring leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars together to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects of Postgraduate Education and Research. This conference will take place in Paris, France from 25 to 26 June 2018. The due date for abstract submission is 17 November 2017.

Not much time to respond to any of these calls for papers or registration for the PGFSA meeting next week. So do visit the web pages of these conferences and prepare abstracts if 2018 will be the year you want to focus on developing skills and deepening knowledge on assisting postgraduate students.  

Still on the topic of conference advisor

Conference advisor? Spier in the Western Cape would be one of the most popular conference venues in South Africa for sure

I have spoken about this before, but it seems to be a difficult task to get of the ground - to get a web page up and running where people can evaluate the quality, impact and usefulness of conferences.  I did ask to link such a page up with Trip-advisor and all the other similar web pages (there are quite a lot) linked with Trip-advisor but the CEO does not think this is a viable idea.

Just a few weeks ago we gathered in Toronto Canada for the 27th ICDE conference and even while still on our way back to South Africa, we got a warning from the ICDE not to register for the fake WASET conference that is advertised as an ICDE conference in Berlin 2019. The next ICDE conference will be held in Dublin on 4-6 November 2019.  This was not the first time that I saw warnings about WASET as a fake conference organizer on the web as I recently saw a conference under WASET advertised for Cape Town and while doing a google search, saw some warnings about WASET. I also checked the WASET page which seems to have a huge number of conferences everywhere and on almost all topics - if it is too good to be true, it usually is, so I did not register for the Cape Town conference.  But, how will we know if we do not try? How can one be sure that the conference you are planning to spend your hard earned money on will be worth it?  Did anyone attend a WASET conference? What was your experience? Please share so we can learn.

Reporting on a conference, the following can be used as a templet or guideline, but I am sure this can only be the basics:
Name of the conference, discipline or subject field(s) or topic(s)
How often does this conference take place?
Duration and costs and number of attendants
What is included or excluded in the conference fee
Comments on country and town where it takes place
Comments on the accommodation, food, excursions, functions (like gala dinner and welcoming function)
Network opportunities, Number and level of keynote presentations
personal experiences
And what else?
Any comments or conference evaluations to publish here?

The Rogers center, home to the Blue Jays and one of the many tourist attractions in Toronto where the 27th ICDE conference took place last week 

We just arrived home from the 27th International Council of Distance and online Education (ICDE) conference that was held in Toronto Canada. More than 1500 delegates from 59 countries gathered in the Central Sheraton hotel for the exciting and stimulating conference. 

Make a note  on your planners as the 28th ICDE conference will take place in 2019 in Dublin, with the open and inviting theme of "Transforming lives and societies", of cause through online and distance education. Although this conference is only in two years' time, there will be several other conferences linked to ICDE in a variety of venues coming up, so do check them out.

Totally exhausted and not able to think straight after the flights from Toronto to Dubai and back to Johannesburg, I will not even try to elaborate on the conference today. What I do hope though is that the organizing committee of the next ICDE will include in the program a conference dinner (yes really, we want a conference dinner where we can have fun and network. We do not need two alcoholic drinks - a large number of people did not even finished the first drink - at the welcoming function.

Also, we hope that the wonderful program that we enjoyed in Sun City at the 26 ICDE conference would inspire some entertainment besides the academic menu. So how about a show or a themed dinner or a really creative welcoming function? And another suggestion, how about showing the pictures taken during the conference on the screens during tea and lunch breaks? Lastly, do rank the speakers before the program is set and allocate large enough rooms for well-known speakers (they can all be given priority slots and arrange in such a way that we, the normal  and unknown speakers do not have to compete with these very popular speakers in the same time slots.

Looking forward to the next ICDE conference in Dublin!

Conference on the Impact of Religion: Challenges for Society, Law, Democracy 2018

Stockholm, Sweden. Uppsala will be the venue for the second conference on the impact of religion in April 2018

Do not miss out on the second international conference on The Impact of Religion: Challenges for society, law and democracy at Uppsala University, Sweden from 24 to 26 April 2018. There will also be a workshop for doctoral students on 23 and 24 April. This conference offers an interdisciplinary focus on the role that religion plays in both the public and private sphere of life, including local, national and international issues.

The call for abstracts is open on the following themes:
Religion and migration
Religion in the public sphere, media and politics
Religious diversity, non-religion, secularism
Religious freedom versus other human rights
Religion and youth, family, gender, sexuality
Religion and racism, discrimination, segregation
Religion and violence, terror and the security state
Faith based organisations as welfare providers, civil society, social capital
Existential health and well-being
Science and religion, relativism and absolutism

Comparative papers are particularly welcome. Theoretical, methodological and substantive issues will be given equal consideration. Thematic sessions will be organised out of the accepted abstracts. The conference language is English. 200 word abstracts must be submitted online before the 31st of October 2017.

If the themes are not enough to get you to start working on an abstract, the impressive list of keynote speakers might:

• José Casanova, Professor of Sociology of Religion, Department of Sociology, head of the Berkley Center's Program on Globalization, Religion and the Secular, Georgetown University, USA
• Grace Chang, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, USA
• Adam Dinham, Professor of Faith & Public Policy, and Director of the Faiths and Civil Society Unit, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
• Elaine Howard Ecklund, Professor of Sociology and Director of Religion and Public Life Program in the Social Sciences Research Institute, Cornell University, USA
• Marie-Claire Foblets, Professor of Law and of Anthropology, Managing Director of Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle, Germany
• Hans Joas, Professor of Sociology of Religion, Humboldt University, Berlin
• Maarit Jänterä-Jareborg, Professor of Private International Law, Uppsala University, Sweden
• Solange Lefebvre, Professor of Theology and Anthropology, University of Montreal, Canada
• Pamela Slotte, Associate professor in Minority Studies, Åbo Akademi University, Research Fellow of Academy of Finland
• Michaela Potancokova and Marcin Stonawski, Demographers, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Centre for Advanced Studies, Ispra, Italy.

We will soon be off to the ICDE conference in Toronto, Canada after two long years of waiting since the absolute awesome ICDE conference in 2015 at Sun City in South Africa. 

Make the most of conference travel

What will you do besides attending the next conference? How about a day trip to the beautiful Niagara falls before or after the Toronto ICDE conference?

Good planning is the key to awesome conference travels. It is essential to note the key conferences that you want to attend as soon as their dates and venues are available. Then you need to work on the abstract and paper, submit with the first call for papers and start to work around the conference towards those things that will make a good trip awesome, wonderful and memorable. These activities include an eye on world events like sport calendars - some of which you can include in your itinerary if you are a fan, or would like to avoid by looking for alternative flight routes to save money on ticket and avoids crowds at airport security. Keep in mind that some conference venues are selected to coincide with large events such as the Olympic games and that attending such conferences could potentially cost much more due to the higher demands in travel and accommodation needs.  

Also, if you have the time to do so, consider including a stopover or two. This adds the feel of vacation to the conference trip and grands you the opportunity to visit places on your bucket list or simply a chance to coupe with jet-lag, before stepping right back into work when arriving home. We have loyalty membership to a few airlines and normally use their home airports for stopovers. More often than not, we are also able to plan our stopovers over weekends (when flights are more expensive and more crowed) and fly home late on a Monday night or early Tuesday morning. Stopovers also provide opportunities to visit foreign libraries and archives to do some research or including a business meeting with colleagues at a distant university, or simply a chance to visit friends or family. Remember that stopovers usually (for South Africans at least) also include extra visas. 

The ICDE conference is coming up this month - hope to see you all in Toronto!

Christian Leadership conference 2018 in Germany

The Christian Leadership conference surely is of interest for all theologians. This is OR Tambo International airport -our point of departure to international conferences.

The call for abstracts is open for the fourth Christian Leadership conference to be held in Burbach-Holzhausen, Germany on 26 and 27 April 2018. The due date for proposals is 30 November 2017.  The hosts are the Gesellschaft fur Bildung und Forschung in Europa (GBFE) in Wycliff and the UMCA University of Applied Science in Kassel.

The interesting theme of this conference is focused on the use of metaphors in speaking and writing  and the importance of using metaphors to bring about learning. Metaphors can be used fruitfully in in leadership theory and leadership development.  But there are also question that must be answered in this regard: What about cultural differences when speaking about metaphors? What are the practical implications of working with metaphors?  How do 'hidden' metaphors influence  thoughts on leadership? Also, what are the ethical implications of doing this? Can we still use old (Biblical) metaphor effectively in leadership development and leadership theory?  How do we link metaphors with the global world? Remember that the proposals should combine the theoretical reflections with the practical implications. Also keep in mind that we need effective Christian leadership in all spheres of life and not only within the church and Theological training institutions. There is also space for reflections on African contextualization of metaphors of leadership and lived experiences. The call for papers is also open for other topics or themes linked to the use of metaphors in the development of leadership.

Please be advised that the conference venue a about 100 kilometers from the nearest international airport so when you do your planning, take this into account. As always, do try to combine work and holiday and include some awesome  activities that Europe provides in spring. Schengen visas are normally valid for a number of European countries, so why not use this as the euro is quite expensive for South Africans.

Do some homework before choosing a conference

On our way to the IJAS conference in Canada we stopped for some fun in Dubai.

Recently I was shocked to hear from colleagues that what they thought would be a huge conference of scholars who are all interested in the disciplines linked to the themes and sub-themes of a conference, turned out to be a huge conference of scholars delivering papers on every topic under the sun, grouped together into the same strands and sessions. This is OK if you choose a multi-disciplinary conference  and are willing and eager to expand your inter-disciplinary network, but for those who actually wanted a focused and specialized conference, such an experience could  be painful (as conferences cost lost of money to attend and often scholars are only allowed to attend one conference per year) and disappointing.  Examples of multiple-discipline conferences are  International Journal of Arts and Sciences (IJAS) and the World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (WASET). Both organize conferences in a number of cities throughout the year, have huge numbers of topics and usually combines the different strands of presenters.

I attended several IJAS conferences and is currently planning for the next one in 2018. I really enjoy the multi-disciplinary networking opportunities as well as the awesome two day bus tours that are included in the conference program. To me, conferencing is not only about the academic challenge but also about seeing places, meeting people and doing awesome things.

And this is why it is so important to do thorough research before deciding on a specific conference to avoid being bitterly disappointing or even feeling 'robbed' of an opportunity to present groundbreaking research results.

And for those of you who never seem to be able to finish your paper in time for the conference; at the conference of the International Society for Teacher Education; the ISfTE conference, you will have the opportunity to work on your paper and get feedback before finishing it after the conference. At this conference, you will get time off to study other presenters' papers and up to date, this is the only conference where I experienced this type of conference; and enjoyed it quite a lot. In 2018 the ISfTE conference will be in Japan and in 2019 the conference will be held in Canada.

Theology conferences late 2017 and early 2018

The University of South Africa will host the 2018 annual Southern African Missiological Society Conference 

My colleagues in Theology and Religious Studies will be pleased to know that the call for papers is open for both the 2017 Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies and the 2018 Southern African Missiological Society (SAMS) Conference. Both these conferences are interdisciplinary and has broad-based themes, thus opening UP also for academics in other disciplines and fields of study that want to address the themes from their unique subject fields or point of view.

The Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies will take place from 4 to 6 December 2017 at the Old Library in the Oxford University church. The due date for abstracts is 10 November and early registration ends on 16 October. Interesting topics include but are not limited to: Religion, Politics and Public discourse, Religion and gender, Religion and race, Religion and conflict, Religion and sustainability, State funding of schools, and African religious traditions.

The annual SAMS conference will be hosted at the University of South Africa from 17 to 19 January 2018 and the conference theme is: Mission and gender based violence (GBV) in Southern Africa. Possible subthemes include, but are not limited to:

·      Socioeconomic and political policies, church and mission

·         Gender inequalities and biases and the church

·         Gender emancipation and equality, church and ecumenical mission

·         Gender based case studies and missiological reflections for transformation

This theme is relevant in our current context. It provides an opportunity to wrestle with how the Christian mission is proclaimed in a context marred with GBV and other socioeconomic, political and religious injustices that perpetuate the marginalisation of women and female children. Scholarly Missiological contributions on this theme could thematically add to the transformation, africanisation and decolonilaity agendas in missiology and higher education circles.

This year, the program will also include the biennial David Bosch Memorial Lecture. Abstracts are due by 30 October. 

Cruise conference January 2018

Cruise conferences are the best and balcony cabins are great

The academic forum announced recently that their next cruise conference will take place in the Western Caribbean, on board the Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the seas from 11 to 15 January 2018. The ship will leave from Tampa in Florida (USA) and visit Key West and Mexico with two sea days during which the conference will take place. 

The peer review process is designed to assist academics: Authors receive feedback on their abstracts and proposals within two weeks. Presenters are also allocated a 30 minute time slot to present their research and an opportunity to publish their papers in The Exchange journal. The Forum focuses on the following streams: business, public administration and pedagogy among university educators and practitioners while promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration and networking opportunities. 

Personally I would like to see many more cruise conferences. The medical profession has this well-established way of conferencing and I am sure that this concept can also be used to a much greater extend for conferences in other subject fields. It provides a wonderful all-in-one package (accommodation, all meals, excursions and transport) and also unique networking opportunities.  By scheduling the conference for the sea days, also ensures good participation in the conference sessions, even from guests on the ship. 

A word of caution: Do your homework and do thorough research, not only on the itinerary and excursions, but also on the ship and what is included and excluded in the package. Also, make sure that you know what type of cabin you pay for, and what the cabin look like. There are cruise ships with cupboards for cabins and this will most definitely have a negative influence on your experience. Normally, as part of the group booking, you will be able to upgrade to a better cabin paying a reduced price as the conference organizers will be able to negotiate group discounts for the delegates. If you can afford it, go for cabin with a balcony, as this is the way you want to experience the sea.   

Postgraduate research conference: April 2018 in Australia

The next QPR conference will be held in Australia 2018 (This is Sydney - so beautiful)

Every second year the Postgraduate Research Conference is held at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide, Australia. During the alternative years we gather at Spier in Stellenbosch, South Africa for the conference. In 2018, the theme of the 13th Quality in Postgraduate Research Conference (QPR) will be: Impact, Engagement, and Doctoral Education. 

The call for papers is out and closes on 21st November. Options include traditional papers,  discussions, poster presentations and 'fast and furious 5X5' presentations which are fun, informative and focused (well worth trying). Possible topics include:

Theory, concepts, and measurement

• What does impact and engagement mean in doctoral education?
• How can impact and engagement be measured in doctoral education?
• How are impact and engagement exerted and mediated? What are the key processes and actors?
• Can we measure the quality of impacts and engagements? How can we improve that quality?

Impact and engagement in practice

• What impact do doctoral researchers have on institutions?
• How do impact and engagement translate into employability?
• What impact do doctoral graduates have following graduation?
• What impact do industry-funded doctoral projects have?
• How can the impact and engagement of doctoral graduates be maximised?
• How do impact and engagement operate in the overall ecology of the doctoral education system?

Impact and engagement – the human dimension

• What impact does doctoral education have on
  graduates? What is the impact of the wider engagement agenda on doctoral graduates?
• What impact have developments in doctoral education over the past 25 years had on the student experience?

The next International Conference on Historical Sciences will be in 2020, Cape Town

Sunday afternoon in Amsterdam.

In 2010, the 20th International Conference on Historical Sciences was held in Amsterdam. I was so exited to have my abstract accepted for this great conference. When making the bookings, we (my husband and two sons) decided to also take a detour to Belgium to see the Spa Formula 1 race the following weekend. We had the time of our lives. 

In 2015 the conference was held in China and we did not go but I recently saw the call for papers for the 2020 conference that will be here, in our own back yard - Cape Town! No excuses not to participate: An international conference in South Africa, Cape Town is always a desired destination and if you check the list of topics below, you will be convinced that ever academic will be able to participate. And the big bonus:  Volunteers will get free registration!  

• Behavioral and Psychological Sciences
• Cognitive, Psychological and Behavioral Sciences
• Communities and Communications
• Complex Socio-Cognitive-Technical Systems
• Complexity Theory in the Social Sciences
• Computation and Social Networks
• Computational Methods in Social Science
• Country studies
• Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies with International Relations
• Data mining in Social Science
• Digital Libraries, Archives and Repositories
• Geographic Information Systems
• Geography and Geological Sciences
• Health Issues and Services
• History
• Human and Social Evolutionary Complexity
• Human Development based on psychological and social concepts
• Human Rights Development
• Human-Computer Interactions
• Human-Environment Interactions
• Information and Communication Systems
• Innovation, Technology and Society
• Interdisciplinary Research and Studies
• International Relations & Collaborations
• Land-Use Modeling Techniques and Applications
• Law and Justice
• Learning and Behavioral Modeling
• Media and Communications, Technology
• Open Learning and Distance Education
• Organizational Decision Making
• Physics Methods for Analyzing Social Complexity
• Policy/Public Administration/Public Health
• Political Science and Decision Making
• Politics, society, and international relations
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• Public Governance
• Race/Ethnic Studies
• Social and Organizational Networks
• Social Complexity
• Social Computing
• Social Network Analysis
• Social Systems Dynamics
• Social Work
• Social-Psychological, Social, Organizational, and Technological Systems
• Socio-Cognitive-Technological Systems
• Sociology
• Sociology and Social Computation
• Sport and Physical Education
• Standards for Metadata, Ontologies, Annotation, Curation
• Sustainable Development
• Sustainable Economic Development
• Sustainable Human and Social Development
• Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods
• Sustainable Urban Transport and Environment
• Technology and Education
• Technology, Society, Environmental Studies
• Urban and Regional Planning
• Urban Studies
• Violence, Extremism, and Terrorism
• Virtual Communities and Communications

Start to look for calls for abstracts for 2018 conferences

Combining stunning places or events with conference presentations require advanced planning. This is Alaska, on a recent conference trip to the USA.

The middle of August is the start of a busy time for me because this is when I spend hours and hours on the internet searching for interesting places and conferences that have calls for abstracts out for their 2018 conferences. Yes, I must confess that the places where the conferences are held is equally important to me as the themes and subject fields covered.  I also prefer to link two or three conferences into one trip and also to include at least one spectacular excursion to a place I would really like to visit, or just add a short stopover to our trip.  

The Learner conference, one of the Common Ground conferences will be held in Athens from 21-23 June 2018 and the call for papers is already open. A number of the other conferences under the Common Ground research networks are also already scheduled for 2018. The e-Learning and Innovative Pedagogy conference will take place on 2 and 3 March in New York. The Religion and Society conference will be held in Berkeley (USA) from 17-18 April 2018 and the New Directions in the Humanities conference will take place at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (USA) from 5 to 7 July 2018. 

One of the most important advantages of submitting abstracts early is that once you got confirmation of acceptance, you will have enough time to apply for funding and support from the university and also be able to book flights, accommodation and transport well in advance, often at discounted prices. Early confirmation also gives me enough time to search for the best options in flight tickets and accommodation options. Looking at early acceptance from the academic side of things, it also ensure that you have more time to start working on the article  and the presentation. Although this is not always possible, it is awesome to have your article published within a month or three after presenting at the conference, allowing you to focus on other things (or a second conference paper) soon after you are back from the conference.   

Fourth conference on the South African first year experience in 2018

Johannesburg, South Africa

Attention all lecturers who are working with first year students! Working towards excellence in support of the first-year students in South Africa, the 2018 SANRC conference will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa between 23 and 25 May next year. The focus is on ‘critically examining all aspects of the first year experience’.

Although I am used to being a lecturer who is responsible for the first years, I am still amazed by the fragmentation and diversity and constant regressing of students’ ability to read, write and comprehend meaning.

This conference calls together those involved with first year students to participate in collaborative and scholarly discussions about the first year experience and how we can improve and expand the support structures to ensure success and reduce drop-out rates. Some of the questions that need our attention, include:

Do we know enough about the multi-faceted needs of first-year students?

Are lecturers fully capacitated to meet the needs of first-year students?

Can new learning models and technologies create a new learning dynamic for students?

How well are we serving our students in terms of the various academic support programmes offered at South Africa’s universities?

This conference is designed to thoughtfully consider these questions and problem areas through introspection, both on an individual and institutional basis. All who are involved should reflect upon what it really means to fully support first-year students.

Abstracts should focus on the following sub-themes:

• How to teach for first-year success

• ‘Show and Tell’: Innovative first-year support initiatives

• Measurement and accountability in first-year support services: Are we getting

it right?

• Orientation programmes as a key element of student support

• Engaging the student voice: Critical Perspectives from students

• International models of first-year support

• Theorizing academic support

Abstracts should be double spaced and written in Arial Font, size 11. Abstracts should also be limited to 350-400 words.

This first round is open for abstract submission until 30 September 2017, and is tailor made to accommodate those of us who need to apply for funding from our institutions. 

What about a conference review website?

Cape Town is one of the most popular conference venues in South Africa

Reviews are subjective. We all know this, but although they are bias, we still read them and use them to figure out which hotel to book, which airline to use, where to eat and what to avoid. When planning a trip, my first stop after deciding on a destination, is usually web pages such as TripAdvisor. Although I have loyalty cards and therefore already know which brands I will probably use when it comes to airlines and hotels, I do not want to book my stay in a hotel that 'is in bad shape' or desperately in 'need of an upgrade'. I also make sure that I read recent reviews (as some of the reviews at the top of the list are sometimes outdated) and try to read several reviews on the same hotel in order to try to get a more balanced view. 

If this could be done for conferences also, we will be able to evaluate the merit of attending a conference before spending huge amounts of money. To me one of the saddest things about presenting at international conferences is the disappointment when your expectations are deceived. We paid thousands of rands to attend an international conference once, to find that the host did not pitch. Another time, the 'university' was a suburban house with a plastic banner that transform it to the 'university' that even the neighbours did not know existed. 

How about a rating system, such as a five star evaluation for issues such as planning and organisation, venue, international exposure, value for money, response and support and a topic ranking. Additionally, the hotel accommodation linked to the conference and the additional site seeing tours or excursions can also be evaluated on this star system. 

Any of you interested to join in? And how about suggestions for the rating system? 

Conferences in Mauritius, Cape Town and Orlando, USA

Conferencing in Mauritius is simply awesome

First I would like to remind you about the eLearning Africa 2017 conference that will take place from 27-29 September in Mauritius. Registration is open. This is normally a huge conference with about 1000 attending and very well organised. The international exhibition focuses on showcasing the best and also new products and services while the topics on which the speakers focus are carefully selected to be linked to ICT for development, education and training. Conference themes include:
The African context
In search of education for all
New methods and tools for excellence in learning
Overcoming technical problems and ensuring equal access for all
The power of technology: future trends and what they mean for Africa
Focus on skills:education and labour market needs
New partnerships an initiatives for sustainable development.
The conference fee is 690 Euro and for Africans (based in Africa) 420 Euro. But I do think it is worth it. We attended in 2016 and if the standard would be the same, you will gain from attending. 

Second, this is also a reminder about the 6th Future Managers International North South TVET ICT conference in Cape Town that will be held from 31 July to 2 August. If you would be in Cape Town, you are still welcome to register and attend this very innovative and informative conference that will focus on student employability in the digital age. The conference will explore ways in which lecturers can use the landscape of technology and social media as learning environments to empower students. We also attended three of these conferences and would return each year as we really feel we expand our knowledge and are encouraged to explore and implement new and exciting things in higher education. 

And last, but very important for planning purposes, please consider submitting your proposals to the 9th international conference on education, training and informatics: ICETI 2018 that will be held between 13 and 16 March in Orlando, Florida, together with two other conferences: the 9th international multi-conference on complexity, informatics and cybernetics (IMCIC 2018) and the 9th International conference on society and information technologies (ICSIT 2018). Due date is 16 August 2017. 

OEB conference in December 2017 - Germany

Half of the joy attending conferences is getting there!

This is a reminder about the OEB conference that will take place in Berlin from 6 to 8 December. The pre-conference workshops take place on 6 December and registration opens this week. Do not miss out on these. If you are like me, you will have a rough time choosing: 

• Future Happens– Hack your Way to Influencing and Changing Pedagogical and Technological Strategy and Practice (this sounds WOW?)
• Design Thinking Taster Workshop
• The Changing World of Work: Identities and their Transformation
• Tools and Tips for Secure Assessments
• The Engine of Innovation Story
• Setting Up And Using gRSShopper to Create MOOCs and Personal Learning Environments
• Transform yourself - How Vertical Development Helps you Thrive in a VUCA World
• Create your Own Collaborative Gamebook for Educational Purposes
• Civilization-Level Change in Education
• DistancE-Learning in Europe - Exchange of Experience and Knowledge Sharing
• Speexx Exchange Reality Check

During the conference, you will be able to visit more than 80 international exhibitions and attend more than 100 sessions. This global conference on technology supported learning and training,  brings educators to the forefront of learning and technology developments, and provides new insights on opportunities and challenges that are changing the world of learning. The conference will showcase the latest best practice from leading organisations and will provide opportunities for engagement, collaboration and networking with more than 2300 international learning professionals and experts.

And if you need a reminder about the theme for 2017, it is all about learning uncertainty. The one thing that is defining our existence when speaking about the future of higher education. The uncertainty is born from the rapid and constant change surrounding us. The question is: Can we learn/teach uncertainty?  The main tracks are:

• adapting for action
• collaboration to compete
• redefining learning technology
• designing to engage
• enhancing new skills learning
• made to measure learning

This is one opportunity to prepare for uncertainty, change and adapting to these challenges, so if possible, do attend and spread the word.   

Dr Tony Bates at the ICDE conference in Toronto, October 2017

Toronto is a beautiful city to visit with much to see and do.

I already made you aware of the ICDE conference that will be held in Toronto, Canada from 16 to 19 October 2017 which is the conference to attend if your university or institution is into distance and online teaching and learning and assessment. Although the call for papers closed, early bird registration is still open. 

The theme of this conference is 'Teaching in the digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning. One special bonus that is included in the conference fee is the five practical advice exchange sessions by Dr Tony Bates to assist faculty and instructors to design their first online course or to redesign existing online courses. 

The conference will accommodate five tracks:
1) Emerging pedagogies and designs for online learning
2) Expanding access, openness and flexibility
3) Changing models of assessment
4) New delivery tools and resources for learning
5) Re-designed institutional business models

This means that there is something for everyone - from academics to administrators and management staff. The conference only takes place every second year, so be sure not to miss out on the 2017 opportunity to learn, experience and build your network in the Distance and online higher education environment. 

Although all five tracks are important and interesting, I do hope that scholars would take note of the importance of number 3. Assessment is often seen as an add on to teaching or a grading system to compare students and year groups. Assessment should be focused on the students and it must be transformative -   it should change the way the student acts and thinks. It should positively influence his or her perceptions, believes, values and behaviour because only then learning would have the required result: Change. If this is not the case, students do not learn, they just obtain qualifications. And Higher education runs the risk of becoming obsolete. 

Not all conferences are good value for money

Our stateroom on board the Emerald Princess during our journey to Alaska 

I was just recently on a cruise ship conference for a week and we had the time of our lives. One of my colleagues in another department also went on a cruise conference for three days in Europe and came back with 'never ever again' written all over her face when we met for coffee to chat and show our pictures to each other. Their 'stateroom' on the ship looked like a small train compartment. They had to make their beds themselves each night and in the morning make the beds into a place to sit. No wonder she wanted to abandon the ship in the first port of call to take a flight back to South Africa. 

Once again, this shows that academics need to do thorough research on both the conferences and the accommodation they will have to face. We once had a conference in the old city of Dubai. There are very nice hotels next to the Dubai creek but the conference hotel was not one of them. After studying photos and reading a few TripAdvisor reviews, we decided that we would indeed attend the conference but booked in a hotel on the creek within walking distance. Talking to the other attendees at the conference, this was the smart thing to do.

Other times, the conference hotel is actually out of reach for our South African pockets but due to the fact that they host the conference, they have special packages for those attending and you are able to stay in a wonderful, expensive hotel for cheaper than what you would pay in the normal three star or four star hotel that we usually do. 

If you cannot do the research on the accommodation yourself (some of my colleagues say they do not have the time to do this), ask someone to help you with that (you travel buddy, wife or children, a agent or a colleague) but do the research on the conferences yourself to avoid disappointment.  Only you really know what you are looking for in a conference. And be adventurist - although it is good to annually go to the same conferences that are focused on your area of specialty, also look for other or new conferences to broaden your perspective and network.    

Why conference planning is so essential

A wonderful visit to Hobbiton as part of our conference travels

Yes we do go to conferences to present our research results and network with other academics, but while we are travelling and often also need transfers to the conference destinations, why not try to work a little bit of fun or adventure or leisure into the trip? 

First of all you must decide on the conference and the destination that you want to travel to. Will it be the USA or Australia or Europe next year? - yes remember that you need to plan way ahead and popular conferences normally have early closing dates for proposals.  Keep in mind places you already visited and also the importance and impact of the conferences when you make these choices. 

Second, sit down and list the passions in your life that could be included in the travel plans. These could include hobbies or adventures you dream of or simply sport events that you would like to attend or things you would like to see like the Eiffel tower or the Pyramids or natural wonders and wild animals. Also ensure that you check the places to visit and things to do in and around the cities that host the conferences as conferences are normally linked to awesome tourist destinations. 

We are passionate Formula one fans and managed to combine a conference trip with ending up the weekend in Spa - simply awesome. We also managed to visit the Montreal track. Someday, we hope to also be in the Yas hotel by the end of November to see the UAE Grand Prix (always nice to have dreams way out of reach also included in the lists). You can include tennis, cricket (how about the IPL season?), soccer, football, rugby or any other that you are passionate about. Or curious about: We were staying next to the Red Socks baseball field in Boston and also later next to the Blue Jays Field in Toronto and managed to become interested and followers of this sport although we do not have much exposure to it in South Africa.

We also managed to combine conferences with visiting an active volcano and Hobbiton in New Zealand, and having wonderful times on cruise ships, and seeing Alaska! 

How about a Conference adviser or Conference Critic webpage?

Conference dinner in Stellenbosch

Just like TripAdvisor and cruise critic; how about a place were you can see what the large array of conferences can offer and read what other academics have to say about their experiences at these conferences?

Conferencing is not cheap and it also takes up a lot of time. Planning and arranging all the needed documentation and funding is already a full-time job if you are attending conferences on a regular basis. Deciding where and when to go is also taking a lot of time on the internet searching. Then there are things like air tickets, hotel reservation (deciding to stay at the conference hotel or not) and transfers to and from the airport (or to hire a car). And what about the stopover on your way back or a few extra days to visit a nearby attraction you want to tick of your bucket list?

I like to string two or three conferences together in order to safe money and use the time out of the country and away from the office to the fullest by combining my interests to attend one conference in each of my research fields.

People often ask me about certain conferences and one thing I discover more each day, is that not all people see conferencing in the same light and not all people think as I do (yes I know this anyway but I mean in terms of what makes a conference great or just ordinary or super). I really like conferences with 'build-in'  or add-on activities such as bus tours. And I really do not really care about fancy conference dinners that other people seem to adore. One of my colleagues only goes to large conferences (1000+ people) and another one likes to go when there would be large books and media exhibitions while yet another one only goes to conferences that contributes to their disciplinary point system. So, variety would be a sure feature on such a page, and the same conference will no doubt get good and poor ratings at the same time, but just like TripAdvisor and the likes, the reader would do well through critical reading to make informed decisions, don't you agree?