Anderson and Anderson (2010) characterize online continuing professional education (CPE) conferences as "structured, time[-]delineated" events involving "distributed population[s]" in synchronous or asynchronous use of "online communication and collaboration tools" (p. 15). They suggest that these characteristics may enhance "both the quantity and quality of interaction" in formal CPE sessions, thanks to possibilities for preliminary access to conference materials, world-wide participation, and asynchronous as well as real-time interpersonal engagements (p. 22), which in turn may promote constructivist and connectivist modes of learning within professional communities of practice (pp. 7-10).
Anderson, Lynn; & Anderson, Terry. (2010). Online Conferences: Professional Development for a Networked Era. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing
This blog post recap's an online professional development session about preparing conference posters. It also provides links to the Blackboard Collaborate recording of, and Slideshare presentation slides for the session, as well as the presenter's resource laden website.
"The posting below looks at principles for the design of learning communities (LCs). It is from Chapter 2 - Preparing for Powerful Learning Communities, in the book, Powerful Learning Communities: A Guide to Developing Student, Faculty, and Professional Learning Communities to Improve Student Success and Organizational Effectiveness, by Oscar T. Lenning, Denise M. Hill, Kevin P. Saunders, Alisha Solan, and Andria Stokes."
Stage 1 "findings revealed that there was a high level of interest in the use of ePortfolios in the context of higher education, particularly in terms of the potential to help students become reflective learners who are conscious of their personal and professional strengths and weaknesses, as well as to make their existing and developing skills more explicit."
"During this 2-week book discussion we will share experiences and advice on how to plan or participate effectively in an online professional development conference."
In this excerpt, Lowman and Aldrich (2016) suggested strategies for informal conferences with individual students, "preferably during office hours, rather than … after class or on campus" (Just Listen, ¶2). They indicated that the purpose of these sorts of somewhat extended encounters, approximately 10-30 minutes in length (Close the conversation…, ¶1), was empowerment of students to "better understand their situation[s], consider … wider range[s] of options, and make their own decisions about their future[s]" (Just Listen, ¶2). Their suggestions highlighted: active listening, (re-)focusing, moderating distress, avoiding giving advice, closing, and recommending follow-ups for student conferences.