TC2020: 8th Biennial Threshold Concepts Conference 2020

Bentham House, University College London

London, UK, July 8-10, 2020

After almost two decades of research on threshold concepts that stemmed from Meyer 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.

Conference Sub-themes

• Disciplinary retrospectives: transforming the disciplines;
• Practice based thresholds: embedding thresholds within professional practices;
• Liminality: knock knock knocking on transformation’s door;
• Thresholds and curriculum design: new horizons;
• Troublesome not tricky: not all that challenges is a threshold;
• Avoiding swampy ground: acknowledging the pitfalls and planning for the future.

Submission Guidelines

We are inviting the following submissions:

• Full paper: 20 minutes presentation, 10 minutes Q&A (max 300 word submission);
• Lightning Talk: 5 minutes presentation, grouped questions (max 150 word submission);
• Roundtable: 1 or 2 to lead a discussion, perhaps outlining a planned project or exploring an interdisciplinary collaboration (max 300 word submission).

The deadline for submissions is 6pm GMT 16 December (was originally end of Friday 6th December) 2019.

Conference sub-themes

• Disciplinary retrospectives: transforming the disciplines;
• Practice based thresholds: embedding thresholds within professional practices;
• Liminality: knock knock knocking on transformation’s door;
• Thresholds and curriculum design: new horizons;
• Troublesome not tricky: not all that challenges is a threshold;
• Avoiding swampy ground: acknowledging the pitfalls and planning for the future.

Organising Committee

• Jason Davies (UCL)
• Julie Rattray (Durham)
• Anne Tierney (Heriot-Watt)
• Susannah McGowan (Georgetown, USA)
• Abel Nyamapfene (UCL)
• Elia Gironacci (Warwick)

See also:

https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=TCS

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.)

12th Networked Learning Conference 2020 18-20th May - Denmark

18-20th May, 2020 in Kolding, Denmark

A research-based conference on networked learning in higher education, lifelong learning & professional development

The 2020 conference is the twelfth international networked learning conference.

Since 1998 the biennial Networked Learning Conference has been an opportunity to participate in a forum for the critical examination and analysis of research in networked learning – particularly in Higher Education and lifelong learning. Networked learning has become a broader area of inquiry over the years bringing together research in education and organisations spanning formal and informal learning settings. It is a conference that has been particularly concerned with critical perspectives, theory, pedagogical values, analysis, practice based research and designs for learning. The focus of the conference has been research and practice that addresses relational and interactional aspects of learning and development with an emphasis on dialogical learning, collaborative and cooperative learning and learning in social networks.

The conference will be held at on the 18th, 19th and 20th May, 2020, at University of Southern Denmark in Kolding, and the local organisers are all from the University of Southern Denmark.

http://www.networkedlearning.aau.dk/
 

[ I greatly enjoyed attending in 2016 at Lancaster, UK. ]

Take II: Awaiting an appt with Nd:YAG

Two years ago in 2010 and post-cataract surgery I was literally full of the light and colour of a new year:

"2010" definitely not - future vision is 20:20!

Working in health you know not to take anything for granted, to live for today and what side effects and outcomes can follow clinical interventions. So, over the past six months I've noticed reduced vision in my left eye. Now I've no focus at all. Here's the situation across the four care domains:

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

It is frustrating to have difficulties again, but always sobering to be reminded of what being 'sighted' means. As I drive and also convey others I constantly consider the safety question. The extent of the deterioration is scary. My vision is still brighter than before the intraocular catarct surgery. Being a 'bloke', or plain stupid (what does medical sociology have to say about that?) I've put off addressing this, but time now to act mechanistically and get this fixed.

For some 6-9 months I have experienced blurred vision in my left eye. Now I cannot see distance or read with glasses. Flaring is starting in the right with headlights at night when driving. Problem: posterior capsular opacification. Solution: treatment using a Nd:YAG laser - neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet; Nd:Y3Al5O12. Future side effect includes increased floaters, but my vision should be markedly improved and balanced once more.

It will be very good to have both eyes 'online' again. I've 3-4 days of leave left, and will head to the Lakes next month. Time to walk, run and pick up Drupal again. It is a reminder of the past going back to Wigan, the hospital where I did my general nursing.

Recognising I had a problem and the likely cause, I by-passed the opticians and went straight to my family doctor and asked to be referred to the hospital - Wigan RAEI where the initial surgery took place. The 'systems' including Choose and Book ran smoothly apart from instructions on telephone numbers to contact me.

Whether or not my vision will be '20:20' or better, I will just be grateful to be able to see as well as I possibly can.

Image source:
Rakesh Ahuja, MD