Virtual academic conferences as learning spaces: Factors associated with the perceived value of purely virtual conferences.

Background: The COVID‐19 outbreak came with an unprecedented opportunity to investigate how the new reality of social distancing and limited international travel will affect the organization of academic conferences. Objectives: Drawing on conceptualization of academic conferences as professional lea...

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Publicado en:Journal of Computer Assisted Learning Vol. 37; no. 6; pp. 1694 - 1708
Autores principales: Seidenberg, Nina, Scheffel, Maren, Kovanovic, Vitomir, Lynch, Grace, Drachsler, Hendrik
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Dec2021
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Dec2021
      vid: 37
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      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
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        10.1111/jcal.12614
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        atl: Virtual academic conferences as learning spaces: Factors associated with the perceived value of purely virtual conferences.
      aug:
        au:
          Seidenberg, Nina
          Scheffel, Maren
          Kovanovic, Vitomir
          Lynch, Grace
          Drachsler, Hendrik
        affil: Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, Netherlands
      sug:
        subj:
          Videoconferencing
          Knowledge
          Learning Environment
          COVID-19 Pandemic
          Interpersonal Relations
          Human
          Surveys
          Chi Square Test
          Student Satisfaction
          Networking, Professional
          Male
          Female
          Summated Rating Scaling
          Data Analysis Software
          Nonparametric Statistics
          Mann-Whitney U Test
          Kruskal-Wallis Test
          Post Hoc Analysis
          Correlational Studies
          Descriptive Statistics
          Fisher's Exact Test
          Male
          Female
      ab: Background: The COVID‐19 outbreak came with an unprecedented opportunity to investigate how the new reality of social distancing and limited international travel will affect the organization of academic conferences. Objectives: Drawing on conceptualization of academic conferences as professional learning spaces, in this study, we examine the factors associated with the perceived value of purely virtual academic conferences and how such perceptions differ between participants from different research fields. The aim was to gain knowledge about factors that should be considered when designing a virtual conference. Methods: Survey data from participants of three different virtual conferences were collected (N = 311). Kendall's rank correlation and χ2‐analyses were performed. Results and Conclusion: Results show satisfaction with social interaction, the extent to which presentations met participants' topics of interest and the perceived importance of learning and getting an overview on the research topic to be related to the value rating. Researchers from different research fields differ significantly in their opinion about the most appropriate conference format regarding getting an overview on the research topic. For some researchers, virtual participation might be a valuable alternative to attending a conference in person. The study serves as a first attempt to understand how and for which target groups virtual conferences serve as a valuable learning event. Further research on this conference format is needed. Lay Description: What is already known about the topic: Prior to the pandemic only a few academic conferences were held purely virtual, thus scientific knowledge about this event format was rather scarce.Research on face‐to‐face conferences identified these events as platforms for networking and learning with a focus on social interaction.Mainly informal social interaction and networking is limited in the virtual space. What this paper adds: First insights how and for which target groups virtual conferences serve as a valuable learning event.Perceptions about the most appropriate conference format regarding certain conference aspects among researchers from different fields. Implications for practice: Formal interaction opportunities should be considered when designing a virtual conference.Virtual conferences are valuable events especially for those people, who focus on learning.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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