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DIVISION OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION ON-LINE CONFERENCES

Donald Rosenthal and Brian Tissue
(from the CHED Newsletter, Spring 2000, p. 25-27)

Since the summer of 1993, the Division of Chemical Education with the assistance of the Committee on Computers in Chemical Education has sponsored eleven on-line conferences. The Archives of the CONFCHEM website (http://www.ched-ccce.org/confchem/) list the dates and titles of the past conferences and provide links to the papers and discussion from these conferences.

In this article we describe the nature of these conferences and mention some advantages and disadvantages of the on-line format. Finally, we wish to solicit comments and suggestions from readers of this article.

Nature of the On-Line Conferences

Papers are posted for retrieval from the CONFCHEM website. Papers may consist merely of text and figures or might contain links to other web-based materials such as multimedia animations, film segments and sound. Papers are discussed individually or in groups via the Majordomo CONFCHEM Discussion List. Any message sent to the list is distributed to all registrants via e-mail, usually within twenty minutes. Discussion of each paper may occur over a few days or a week. Participants are expected to have read each paper prior to the beginning of discussion of that paper. Usually, participants are given the opportunity to ask short questions of the author(s) or other conference participants prior to the beginning of the discussion of the paper. Authors may ask questions of conference participants either in their papers or during the discussion. Anyone may subscribe to the conference. There is no registration fee. A particular conference may have a specific theme like "What Should Students Know When They Leave General Chemistry" (Fall 1999) or consist of "General Papers in Chemical Education" (Summer 1999). The exact format depends upon the chair and organizer of the particular conference and upon the authors of papers. Sometimes special software is required to view multimedia materials.

A typical conference will have between 600 and 900 registrants. Registrants may opt to receive individual messages as they are sent to the CONFCHEM Majordomo or digests of the messages. Digests are sent once per day during the conference and contain all messages received during the previous twenty-four hour period. Participants who select the digest mode are generally "lurkers" (not active participants in the discussion).

Frequently, time is set aside at the end of a conference for general discussion. This may involve further discussion of the conference theme, or it may be wide ranging. Generally, five to ten percent of the participants fill out and return an information and evaluation form at the end of the Conference. Two main results from past assessments have been to keep the conference discussion e-mail based and to encourage authors to keep the main body of their papers readable with only a web browser. These policies maintain the widest accessibility and availability so that all interested readers may participate conveniently.

On-line Conferences are different from one-site conferences. They have advantages and disadvantages when compared to the conventional conference.

Advantages

1. Papers are usually longer and more detailed than at regular conferences. A minimum length of at least ten typewritten pages is usually requested. The papers may contain supporting or multimedia materials.
2. Discussion can be more extensive than at one-site conferences. This is because it extends over a number of days. Discussion occurs between participants as well as between author and participants. The number of messages relating to a particular paper will depend upon the topic and the paper. Typically, between twenty and forty messages per paper are sent.
3. Authors have an opportunity to present their papers to an audience of between 600 and 900 registrants from over 40 countries.
4. The quality of discussion can be better because authors and participants have time to prepare and research their messages.
5. Registrants and authors can participate at work, at home or elsewhere.
6. The time and expense of travel and other costs are avoided.
7. Because travel is not required, conferences can be scheduled at times which otherwise would not be feasible.
8. Authors have an opportunity to obtain substantial feedback before submitting papers to a journal.
9. Discussion is asynchronous; authors and registrants do not have to be present at a particular time.
10. This is a good way of exchanging ideas nationally and internationally at very little cost to the participants.
11. People with physical handicaps can more easily participate.
12. Papers and discussion are archived on the website and can be accessed at a later date.

Disadvantages

1. It takes a lot of time to read a paper and all the messages.
2. Conferences have lasted from a few weeks to three or four months. Some participants have objected to the duration of some conferences and the large number of papers presented.
3. Following the different conversation threads can be confusing.
4. Some participants would prefer to travel and speak in person to authors and other participants.
5. Some discussion messages are too long, repetitive, and irrelevant.
6. In the current format, messages are not monitored before they are distributed to registrants.
7. Some participants do not have the necessary software or hardware to view multimedia materials.
8. Participants and/or authors do not always respond appropriately to questions from authors and other participants.
9. In the current format, no simultaneous sessions are scheduled and fewer papers are available to choose from than at most one-site conferences.

Some Conclusions

On-line conferences are different from one-site conferences and have advantages and disadvantages. The success of an on-line session depends upon the topic, the quality of the papers and discussion.

Future conferences are announced in this Newsletter and on the CONFCHEM website. We are always in search of volunteers to organize and chair sessions and of suggestions for conference topics and papers. Between March 20 and 24, 2000 an on-line discussion will occur about possible future topics and the overall operation of CONFCHEM. Readers of this article who have ideas and suggestions or who wish to participate in the discussion are urged to subscribe to the CONFCHEM Majordomo.

Added Note

Since the time of the submission of this article, changes in leadership personnel and physical location of the server computers lead to several changes. For more details, see the CONFCHEM home page. The current leadership is listed in the box below.