www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistancewww.le.ac.uk/mediazoo

ALT Learning Technologist of the year : Team award 2009

European foundation for quality in e-learning Unique Award winner

Why Waste a Good Crisis?Delivering an Exclusively Online,International Academic ConferenceTerese Bird, Simon Kear, Emma Davies and Richard MobbsALT-C Conference, 8 September 2010

Learning Futures Festival Online 2010 is the 5th International Conference to be hosted by the Beyond Distance Research Alliance, and will take place from 7—14 January 2010.

For the first time this conference will be entirely online, and we invite you to join us to explore positive disruption for learning from a variety of worldwide perspectives and themes.

For further details please see: www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistance/festival/

own learning in HE

Why an online conference?• Economic downturn• Maximise the opportunity

Photo by dpicker on Flickr

ALT-C 8 September 2010

Other purely-online conferences• The first?• Supporting Deaf People 20011

• JISC Innovating e-Learning 20092

(446 registrants)• International, regular webinars such as The Future of Education3

How to do an online conference• “Are you game?”• Risk assessment• DIY

Photo by JoseJose on Flickr

ALT-C 8 September 2010

Choose your platforms

Elluminate Live! Janison bespoke VLE

ALT-C 8 September 2010

Choose your platforms

Second Life Googleopoly – many Web 2.0

ALT-C 8 September 2010

eModerating an online conference• Familiar with tech and presenter’s topic

• Begin with simple introduction of software tools

• ‘Question breaks’ every 20 minutes• 2 moderators for groups > 20

– One master of ceremonies– Other to watch chat box

Photo by aka.me on Flickr

ALT-C 8 September 2010

Learning Futures Festival 20107 – 14 January 2010

ALT-C 8 September 2010

Learning Futures Festival Facts• 8 days

• 8 keynote presentations

• 8 talks by Professor Gilly Salmon

• 14 workshops (synchronous and asynchronous)

• 24 papers

• 50+ hours of live conferencing

• £50 for all 8 days; University of Leicester staff and students free

• Over 75% of presentations converted to Open Educational Resources

• 231 registrants

• 22 countries

• Every continent except Antarctica

ALT-C 8 September 2010

AdvantagesExpected UnexpectedFlexible participation Multiple participation

modesChance to try new technologies

Combined technologies

Attractive to time-poor Attractive to international

Proceedings recorded “Viral” social mediaValue for money 101.22 tonnes CO2 saved4

Photo by badjonni on Flickr

ALT-C 8 September 2010

Lessons LearntIssue SolutionClient-side tech problems Instructions available

soonerSecond Life unavailable to some

Try to “stream in” Second Life

Wireless network not robust

Hosts to use wired network

Participants need to make time20%-ish attended any given session

Photo by szlea on Flickr

ALT-C 8 September 2010

Opportunity Maximised!

• 78% increase on registrations over previous year

• 440% more countries reached (from 5 to 22)• 4x as much conference for same price• Made modest profit (never made profit before)• Innovation

Very positive feedback

N = 34

As a result…• Hybrid seminars• Online conferencing workshops• Learning Futures Festival Online 2011: “Follow the Sun” 13-15 April

Photo by Dennis Collette…!!! on Flickr

ALT-C 8 September 2010

ALT-C 8 September 2010

References

1 http://www.online-conference.net/sdp2001.htm2 http://www.online-conference.net/sdp2001.htm 3 http://www.futureofeducation.com/4 Learning Futures Festival 2010 Carbon Report http://altc2010.alt.ac.uk/talks/15038

ALT-C 8 September 2010