Publication details
Conference Skills in Practice
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Conference skills comprise a wide range of activities and tasks students should master to be professional and informed conference participants. The paper discusses a theoretical background, individual tasks, goals, and scenarios developed within the framework of the project called a “Mock Scientific Conference”, as well as the setbacks and challenges the instructors and students encountered during the project preparation and implementation. The conference simulation may be seen as an instance of Project Based Learning, which advocates for a student-centred and experiential approach to education through exploring the real-world situations and problems (Pellegrino and Hilton, 2012). This approach also emphasizes the deeper learning and the development of skills needed for success during university studies, career, and life in general. In keeping with other student-centred and inquiry-based approaches, it promotes critical thinking, collaboration and learner-independence. Parker at al., 2013, also stress that the subject or content of Project Based Learning should be authentic. For the students of science, the format of a scientific conference appears to be an appropriate project, as they often participate in various student conferences in the course of their undergraduate and postgraduate studies, and in specialized scientific conferences as soon as they embark on their professional careers. The students find the conference simulation to be highly motivating because it gives them the opportunity to show their expert knowledge and erudition as well as the ability to collaborate and interact with their peers. In the course of the project development, they are expected not only to prepare abstracts, bionotes and posters, and then deliver their presentations, but also to compile the book of abstracts, call for papers and conference programme, and participate actively in the event by adopting various roles, i.e. give opening and closing speeches, chair individual sections and organize discussions about the papers. Therefore, they enhance their speaking and writing skills in a context relevant for their future careers and acquire a range of transferable skills such as organizing an event and communicating effectively. |