Like three other Profs. Hacker, I recently attended THATCamp Liberal Arts Colleges (LAC). Unlike the three, I’m not in the humanities. Yet, I found the experience to be enriching and inspiring.
Why did I go? You can read more about that at my blog. I don’t think my attendance was too far-fetched, given my background (I double-majored in both physics and performing and visual arts, concentration in music, specializing in piano [whew, that always is long to get out, but it’s not accurate to say that I have a full music degree.] I also teach a course on the physics of music.) And I’m a whole-hearted enthusiast of the liberal arts mindset and try to teach physics in a holistic manner, appealing to my students’ analytical and creative sides as I guide them in the ways of learning the topic, ways that include steps such as reading historical narrative of science. But in short, I went to see what unconferences are about and how they might relate to my work as a professor in the sciences.
My overall impression? Unconferences could fill a big void that is present in the culture of my field. We’ve got huge, expensive conferences with thousands of attendees and lots of corporate involvement. On the other side, we’ve got small conferences that are often equally expensive but have smaller attendance and pretty severe lockdown on information, so much so that you must sign a statement saying that you won’t talk about the science that was discussed. Both of those have their place, and good comes out of them.
But what I loved about THATCamp but that it was designed with interaction in mind. We were all there to learn about the questions each other had about their work, to come together to crowdsource ideas and do something. Sure, there was a bit of anxiety about how the sessions would come together. But the best progress is often uncomfortable, and these growing pains are worth it.
Another valuable angle was the cost. Registration cost was really just a donation to cover snacks and the t-shirts, housing had one reasonable option (hotel) and one really cheap (dorm) option, and at least for this THATCamp, travel meant just hopping in the car with another Prof. Hacker and driving up the interstate for a few hours. I was able to attend this conference on my own dime, lowering the investment stakes.
How exactly could an unconference fit into my field? That I don’t know at this point. I think there are some obstacles to tackle, ones I mention in my other blog post. But attending THATCamp has given me a lot to think about. I encourage you to try to attend one if you are able.
What about you? If you’re not in the humanities, how might an unconference work (or not work) for you? Let us know in the comments.
[Image Creative Commons licensed / Flickr user quinnanya]