'We Advocate a Semi-Revolution': An Honors Conference Undergoes Transformation
Saved in:
| Title: | 'We Advocate a Semi-Revolution': An Honors Conference Undergoes Transformation |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Betsy Greenleaf Yarrison, Bruce Thompson |
| Source: | Honors in Practice. 2024 20:279-297. |
| Availability: | National Collegiate Honors Council. 1100 Neihardt Residence Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 540 North 16th Street, Lincoln, NE 68588. Tel: 402-472-9150; Fax: 402-472-9152; e-mail: nchc@unl.edu; Web site: http://nchchonors.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 19 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Honors Curriculum, Conferences (Gatherings), Higher Education, Equal Education, Diversity, Inclusion, Videoconferencing, COVID-19, Pandemics, Educational Experiments, Educational Innovation, Models, Educational Practices, Access to Education, Educational Change |
| Geographic Terms: | Maryland |
| ISSN: | 1559-0143 2374-8176 |
| Abstract: | Since the 1980s, the Maryland Collegiate Honors Council has offered an annual conference on a host campus in late February. In 2020, MCHC slipped in the conference just before the apocalyptic arrival of COVID-19 in March. Because this conference is hugely popular statewide, we decided to organize it virtually in 2021. Our topic--"In Honors…Black Lives Matter"--was too important for us to wait out the pandemic. We charged nothing, partly to encourage students and member institutions to participate and partly because it cost us nothing. Attendance tripled. Students who could not miss class or work were able to attend. Programs were spared from spending precious resources on travel and lodging. Family members were able to attend. Diversity followed access because students could attend at no cost on their phones. By necessity, our 2022 conference was also virtual. For 2023, we went hybrid with Friday in person and Saturday virtual. Students chose the day they preferred to present. They split evenly. This model reduced the conference cost to $80 for both days and $30 for virtual only, cut our carbon footprint, eliminated waste, removed time and transportation barriers for students, democratized participation, made cancellation unnecessary, and reduced the financial barrier for smaller honors programs. A student who was homeless even attended from his state-funded hotel room. This revolutionary experiment in public access to honors models the "NCHC Shared Principles and Practices of Honors Education," particularly as regards equity and inclusion. Moreover, this model is one that other jurisdictions could emulate, regardless of size. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1448826 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Since the 1980s, the Maryland Collegiate Honors Council has offered an annual conference on a host campus in late February. In 2020, MCHC slipped in the conference just before the apocalyptic arrival of COVID-19 in March. Because this conference is hugely popular statewide, we decided to organize it virtually in 2021. Our topic--"In Honors…Black Lives Matter"--was too important for us to wait out the pandemic. We charged nothing, partly to encourage students and member institutions to participate and partly because it cost us nothing. Attendance tripled. Students who could not miss class or work were able to attend. Programs were spared from spending precious resources on travel and lodging. Family members were able to attend. Diversity followed access because students could attend at no cost on their phones. By necessity, our 2022 conference was also virtual. For 2023, we went hybrid with Friday in person and Saturday virtual. Students chose the day they preferred to present. They split evenly. This model reduced the conference cost to $80 for both days and $30 for virtual only, cut our carbon footprint, eliminated waste, removed time and transportation barriers for students, democratized participation, made cancellation unnecessary, and reduced the financial barrier for smaller honors programs. A student who was homeless even attended from his state-funded hotel room. This revolutionary experiment in public access to honors models the "NCHC Shared Principles and Practices of Honors Education," particularly as regards equity and inclusion. Moreover, this model is one that other jurisdictions could emulate, regardless of size. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1559-0143 2374-8176 |
