CELT Conference 2012

The written word – Writing, Publishing and Communication in Higher Education.

Conference Overview 

Essays, reports, papers, books, journals, and even blogs - all are at the heart of higher education, and the ability to write clearly and intelligently is deemed a hallmark of a successful graduate.

For those working in academia, the need to publish journal papers, monographs and other emerging media forms is vital, with performance metrics based on output and citations.

To navigate the complex world of the ’information age’, powers of discrimination and judgement are essential to the enterprise of sense-making’. Academics, increasingly need to be able to communicate with a wider audience, to reach out and share their passion and expertise with the public and engage with debate and critique in educational, scientific, cultural and political spheres.

How, then, can we nurture the skills (and the pleasure) of writing amongst students? How can we hone and fine-tune our own approaches and adapt to new media, new audiences? What can we do to challenge the increasing costs of publication, of journal subscription charges and the ’paywalls’ that block access to knowledge? How can we weave together the skills of communication, critical thinking and public engagement?

These are just some of the questions we will be exploring in the keynotes, parallel sessions and ’foyer chat’ in the 10th Galway Symposium on Higher Education. Come along, listen to the arguments and raise you own voice, in a spirit of collegiality, conviviality and intellectual curiosity.

Click here to view the Symposium Timetable

Click here to view the Symposium Programme

Speakers

Speakers and session facilitators this year, included:

• Adam Rutherford: biosciences editor of Nature, writer and broadcaster (BBC Horizon, “The Cell”)
• William St. Clair: Senior Research Fellow (Universities of London, Cambridge, Harvard) and Chairman of Open Book Publishers (a social enterprise for academic publications)
• Mary R. Lea: Reader, Institute of Educational Technology, Open University and researcher on academic literacies
• Adrian Frazier: Professor of English
• Aileen Fyfe: University of St. Andrews, author of “Steam-Powered Knowledge”
• Brian Hughes: Psychology lecturer, blogger (The Scientific Bit)
• Catherine Cronin : Academic Coordinator on eLearning programmes and advocate of social and digital media for learning

CELT Conference 2012 Blogs