8th Biennial Threshold Concepts Conference 2020

Threshold Concepts in the Moment

The 8th Biennial Threshold Concepts Conference, 2020 is taking place at University College London from July 8-10, 2020 and we are inviting submissions from across all academic disciplines. The closing deadline for submission of abstracts is Friday 6th December, 2019.

"After almost two decades of research on threshold concepts that stemmed from Myer and Land’s seminal publication in 2003 it is time to reflect and take stock. As an idea it has generated significant interest and has become a world-wide phenomenon that has captured the interest of researchers and practitioners across the globe. 

The promise it offers as a lens to consider curriculum design, approaches to pedagogy and a way of reimagining learners has already had significant impact as the Flanagan website attests… But its full potential remains as yet unrealised. Is it time for an honest appraisal of where we are and where we want to go? If we want to continue to develop the ideas then we need to ask ourselves some potentially troublesome questions:

• Has threshold concepts become synonymous with learner difficulty?
• Have we become entrenched in a slavish adoption of the framework? Or do we apply the framework too loosely?
• How do we avoid thresholds becoming seen as a panacea that can explain all learner difficulty? 

In considering these and other questions the conference offers an opportunity to reflect on the achievements thus far and encourages us to consider where we think work in the area needs to go next. There will never be a single solution to support all learners master the same threshold but an awareness of threshold concepts and their associated complexities allows us to become more informed practitioners." ...

For more details please visit the conference website:

https://thresholdconcepts.home.blog/biennial-threshold-concepts-2020/biennial-conference-2020-threshold-concepts-in-the-moment/

... and see the discussion list:
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/TCS

Best wishes
Julie

Dr Julie Rattray SFHEA
Associate Professor of higher Education and Director of Education
School of Education
Durham University
Leazes Road
DURHAM
DH1 1TA

Email: julie.rattray AT durham.ac.uk
Twitter @joolsled
Web: https://www.dur.ac.uk/education/staff/profile/?id=1964

(The original message from Julie has been modified above with text from the conference site and mention of the discussion list.)