10 reasons why I am submitting a paper to ASCILITE 2017 (by next Monday 5 June!)

There is just one week to go until the ASCILITE 2017 call for participation closes! To spur you on with making your submission, today Professor Shelley Kinash is sharing ten reasons why she is submitting a paper to ASCILITE 2017.

  1. The ASCILITE acronym stands for ‘Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education’. True to its’ name, the society is about digital solutions that will have high impact on the student learning experience and graduate outcomes.
  2. Past conferences and proceedings have held the key to practical approaches and solutions.
  3. I always have FUN at ASCILITE conferences.
  4. ASCILITE conferences are a great way to reconnect with passionate learning and teaching colleagues from across the world and from multiple tertiary education sectors.
  5. After I present at ASCILTE, colleagues with intersecting research interests contact me to continue the conversation. In my experience, the number of follow-up contacts and conversations exceeds that from any other conference presentation.
  6. My co-authored/co-presented 2010 ASCILITE paper on Padagogy has been cited 52 times.
  7. My co-authored/co-presented ASCILTE paper on mobile learning that was subsequently published (2012) in the associated journal - the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET) - has been cited 134 times.
  8. Toowoomba is a thriving community and December is a beautiful time to visit. There will be lots to do within and beyond the conference. We've already shared about all the great things there is to do in Toowoomba - and we'll be sharing more in the coming months.
  9. The theme of the conference is Me. Us. IT. There will be cutting-edge, creative presentations and conversations about practical application, inclusiveness, reach and digital futures.
  10. There are many participation options including full paper, concise paper, digital poster, debate, lightning talk, lightning round, open fishbowl, experimental session, and post conference workshop.

For more information on submission formats, check out the call for participation.


Why I go to the ASCILITE conference

Each year from October onwards, I start getting excited about the ASCILITE conference happening late November or early December. This is a place where I can get together with my tribe, lament the institutional politics and hang with a group who are grappling with the same challenges that I am. Sometimes it’s a reality check: seeing where other institutions are up to, what other people at my level are doing, and catching up with what’s what in the sector.

I’ve been going for the last seven or eight years and the regulars have now become my friends. I look forward to catching up with those people who are working in a similar field to me. What have you found? What have you done? And wow, that’s so cool; maybe we should collaborate on that! The conference dinner is a way to let of some steam and embrace another identity through fancy dress. I’ve noticed that the dance floor fills early and stays full to the very end. Blue hair (Dunedin), pink feathers (Adelaide), and pointed ears (Wellington): this is how I’m remembered.

Beyond the social aspects, it’s a great way to present my research. The world of educational technology moves so fast that it can be too long a time from conceptualising a project, implementing it and collecting the data, to writing it up in an academic journal. And that’s just to get it to a journal. From there it goes out to peer review, changes made and so on. Presenting at the ASCILITE conference allows me to get my research out there faster. It also gives my colleagues a chance to look at what I’m doing, give me some great suggestions, and stop me from heading down some unproductive rabbit holes. These are also the people who will celebrate my wins!

There’s no doubt that seeing what else is happening in ed tech in the sector is worth the price of admission. This is how you see what’s going on, get new ideas, blah, blah, blah. But for me, the most important aspect of the conference is the networking. I’m now doing a funded project with someone I met at the Dunedin conference. I’m co-editing a special issue of the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology (AJET) with someone I only catch up with in person, once a year. (‘Sure,’ I said over a glass of wine: ‘how hard can that be!’) The person I write with most is someone I met at the conference (well her and about 45 of her closest friends!). The real value lies in who’s there with you.

So, please do think about coming along and please do come and introduce yourself to me. We could become co-authors, collaborators or just someone to chew the fat with once a year! There’s a nice vibe, a friendly atmosphere and always some laughs to be had.

There's no better way to get institutional support for your ASCILITE attendance than getting a paper on the program. Check out the call for participation or make your submission now!