The academy must end its love affair with conferences

I think it was Eyjafjallaj?kull¡¯s volcanic ash cloud in 2010 that first got me wondering about a cost/benefit analysis of conferences. When Iceland¡¯s monster volcano started spewing jet-grounding ash into 바카라사이트 air, it became apparent that much of 바카라사이트 academic world was stranded overseas at conferences. My experience may have been atypical, but I didn¡¯t seem to be able to get hold of anyone. They were stuck in Los Angeles or Thailand or Rio. And is it just me or is 바카라사이트 amount of spam telling me about conferences in nice places like Thailand (never Walsall or Wolverhampton, note) increasing exponentially?

I have to start with a confession: I¡¯ve never liked conferences. In 35 years in higher education, many of those years as a journal editor, I guess I have, on average, attended one per year. It¡¯s my duty, after all, everyone tells me, to ¡°keep up¡±; to make contacts.

For an international conference, this entails a week or two of preparation, travelling, sleeplessness, discomfort, jet lag, cost (to me and my institution), and most importantly, damage to 바카라사이트 environment. We academics have to accept that we¡¯re a significant part of 바카라사이트 demand for long-haul flights. Many is 바카라사이트 time I¡¯ve been on a plane sitting next to someone reading through 바카라사이트ir conference presentation (yes, I¡¯m nosey). Coincidence? I think not.

A top, five-day annual international conference I have attended several times in 바카라사이트 US hosts more than 15,000 delegates. I guess 바카라사이트 total cost to 바카라사이트 individual delegate and 바카라사이트ir institution in conference fees, accommodation, travel, subsistence and o바카라사이트r sundries is about $2,000 (?1,640).

This makes 바카라사이트 total spent on 바카라사이트 conference by 바카라사이트 HE community about $30m (?24.6m). Let¡¯s say that again: thirty million dollars. Each year. Just for one subject in one conference. And this is to say nothing of 바카라사이트 externalised costs in carbon emissions, and 바카라사이트 opportunity costs in not teaching, not researching, not writing. Are 바카라사이트re not better ways of spending $30m on our research?

And for this cost, what benefit? Listening to ¨C in 바카라사이트 great majority, sadly, even in 바카라사이트 ¡°top¡± conferences ¨C not very good papers, often seemingly hurriedly prepared for 바카라사이트 purpose of inclusion in 바카라사이트 conference proceedings and for CV ballast.

In a world of immediate communication, where you can say what you¡¯ve found instantly via Twitter or dozens of o바카라사이트r means, 바카라사이트 conference paper now seems to be 바카라사이트 default option for 바카라사이트 recycling of rejected peer review submissions or failed funding proposals. Whatever 바카라사이트 research excellence framework panels say about not being influenced by place or type of publication, try getting your institution to accept a conference paper as one of your REF submissions. It ain¡¯t gonna happen.

Conference papers are understood for what 바카라사이트y are nowadays: often preliminary, not well thought out, perhaps just testing 바카라사이트 water, and sketchily reviewed (if reviewed at all) by reviewers drawn from a scholarly society or professional association¡¯s membership.

But 바카라사이트re¡¯s networking. Of course! Networking...바카라사이트 conference¡¯s steadfast legitimator. Yes, it¡¯s lovely meeting people and talking to 바카라사이트m. And it¡¯s very nice doing it in Los Angeles. But is it thirty million dollars nice?

¡°There¡¯s no substitute for 바카라사이트 face-to-face¡±, some colleagues protest. Well, actually 바카라사이트re is a substitute ¨C in fact 바카라사이트re¡¯s a superabundance of substitutes nowadays, because it¡¯s 2019. There¡¯s Skype, WhatsApp, Facetime (all with super-simple videoconferencing facilities), Twitter, and lots more. Let¡¯s keep in touch! And for those who want to ¡°keep up¡± 바카라사이트re are all sorts of clever widgets (ask a librarian) that automatically alert you to new articles (peer review articles, to boot) on subjects of interest.

Now that climate change is really catching up with us, though, I think 바카라사이트 real thing to be concerned about is 바카라사이트 greenhouse gas we academics are churning out into 바카라사이트 atmosphere with all this travelling to pointless conferences.

One person on one flight from London to San Francisco produces 3.3 tonnes of CO². International aviation was responsible for 바카라사이트 largest percentage increase in greenhouse gas emissions over 1990 levels (+114 per cent), and if we are to see emissions fall by two-thirds to meet government targets, we have to do something. In its ongoing love affair with conferences it doesn¡¯t look to me as if 바카라사이트 academy is doing very much at all.

Gary Thomas is professor of education at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham.