It's been three weeks since I attended the Forum on Education Abroad's 5th European Conference. I'm delayed in posting my thoughts due to some personal/family obligations and matters as well as a busy work schedule and I thought posting during International Education Week seems appropriate!
I attended the first five Forum on Education Abroad conferences (Santa Fe, Miami, Austin, Boston & Portland), the 2013 conference in Chicago and their 4th European conference in Prague and now their 5th European conference originally scheduled in Milan but moved to a virtual platform due to the Coronavirus.
Like many, I've attended many virtual events in the field from webinars to conferences and I'm starting to experience "virtual/zoom fatigue." That said, I really enjoyed the Forum's European Conference and I am extremely happy that I registered! There were times when my day job at Columbia College Chicago and parenting and monitoring the remote learning of my children overlapped with sessions and to problem solve I did not join the breakout discussions during some sessions as I had to multi-task...the downside of a virtual event I guess as I would have eagerly participated in all session discussions had the event been held in person and I found myself in Milan!
Congrats are due to the Forum on Education Abroad staff and to our colleagues who served on the conference committee to provide a wide selection of great sessions. It was a typical Forum conference with two or more sessions per time slot that I wanted to attend so tough choices needed to be made. I also think the Forum staff and colleagues at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (conference host) did a great job in finding a virtual conference event platform that was functional and easy to navigate and use as I'm not the most tech savvy person despite my blogging and tweeting! The hard work of everyone involved made for a great conference! I really can't highlight a favorite conference session as each one I joined held different professional and personal needs and interests for me. To be sure, I missed out on great discussions with colleagues when I didn't join the breakout parts of sessions to attend to work matters or assist my 12 year old son with his math. I always appreciate interacting with and the perspectives of my colleagues. These discussions have always been a hallmark of Forum on Education Abroad conference sessions and I was pleased that they continued in this virtual format!
In many ways, the Forum on Education Abroad's 5th European Conference was perfectly timed for me and the work I'm doing at Columbia College Chicago. Beyond the great conference sessions it was great to see and connect again with long time friends and colleagues but also to meet new people and to learn from them! The conference fully met my needs and expectations and I'm very glad I attended! We don't know how long the Coronavirus will last and the impact it will have not only on sending students abroad but on how we as professionals interact, connect and learn from each other. If you are able to attend the next Forum on Education Abroad conference or their other training and events I fully recommend working them into your budget and calendar! Their 17th Annual Conference will be a virtual event and is scheduled for March 1-5, 2021 and you can learn more here.
You can see the Twitter backchannel conversation and posts from the conference via #EuroForum2020.
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