The UNESCO International Network of Teacher Education Institutions (INTEI) held their biennial meeting on November 13-15, 2018. The group typically meets in-person. However, this year they decided to use Kappa Delta Pi’s network on CourseNetworking (thecn.com). This change stemmed from the need to accommodate participants from a variety of countries, including developing countries with minimal funding. Also, INTEI was interested in making the event more sustainable with less impact on the environment. Thus, the virtual conference concept was pursued and saw 118 virtual attendees from 37 different countries. Many of these participants were able to participate in the conference for the first time due to the virtual component.
KDP created a conference network on CourseNetworking's social, global learning platform and posted a conference program, complete with links to all activities, dates, and times on the homepage of the network page (shown below)
This comprehensive program was created in thecn.com for INTEI conference attendees to viewaround the world. Each item was linked to more content, concurrent sessions, webinars, and more.
One of the sessions published in the INTEI conference network for attendees to participate in virtually.
The CN platform proved to be an excellent tool that not only allowed for collaboration and sharing during the live event, but attendees shared how much they value being able to continue to refer back to the materials and discussion from the conference.- Faye Snodgress, Executive Director of Kappa Delta Pi
Welcome video created by Faye Snodgress from KDP via Flipgrid, posted in the
CourseNetworking conference network for all participants to watch.
Aside from viewing published content and links provided in the conference network, participants were also able to interact, discuss, and reflect on content and with one another. This is a key feature included in the CN platform, and INTEI encouraged the collaborative, engaging discussion components for conference attendees by proposing daily questions for them to discuss.
Members used the CourseNetworking platform to collaborate, reflect, and share ideas.
According to Faye Snodgress, due to the success of the INTEI virtual conference using CourseNetworking, "KDP is considering using CN to host an upcoming international research conference in July 2019 as part of a hybrid event where members can view key presentations and hold online discussions while also participating in events held on a regional level." She went on to say, "Having a KDP community on CN provides new opportunities for global learning and networking that extends far beyond what takes place as part of courses."