Making the Most of Academic Conferences: Insights and Tips from Dr. Thomas Tobin

The Academic Life

You’re going to an academic conference—and maybe even presenting a project! Whether you are going virtually or in person, for the first time or the tenth, presenting or just attending, you want to feel prepared. Are you? This podcast episode explores:

• Why we need to go to academic conferences.
• Why it can be difficult to navigate them.
• How can you get the most of out of it.

Our guest is: Dr. Thomas J. Tobin, who is a founding member of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is an internationally recognized speaker and author on quality in technology-enhanced education. His latest book is Going Alt-Ac: A Guide to Alternative Academic Careers, written with Katie Linder and Kevin Kelly, from Stylus Publishing. You can find him on Twitter @ThomasJTobin and at his website, Thomasjtobin.com.

Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women and gender and an introvert, who has presented in dozens of academic conference, and like many of our listeners, she is still learning how to make the most of an academic conference.

Listeners to this episode may also be interested in:

• The Chronicle of Higher Ed article “How to Make the Most Out of An Academic Conference”
• The Chronicle of Higher Ed article “How to Make the Most of a Virtual Conference”
• The Chronicle of Higher Ed article “How To Cope With Presentation Anxiety”
• This article on The Introverts’ Guide to Speaking Up
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts, by Susan Cain
• The Craft of Research, by Wayne Booth et al
• The Research Companion, by Petra Boynton
• The Art of Creative Research, by Philip Gerald

Welcome to The Academic Life! We reach across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish a project to how to take care of your beautiful mind. On the Academic Life channel we embrace a broad definition of what it means to lead an academic life. We view education as a transformative human endeavor and are inspired by today’s knowledge-producers working inside and outside the academy. DMs us on Twitter: @AcademicLifeNBN.

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