At a glance

• Plan ahead: Now the timetable is published, check which sessions you want to prioritise attending. You can log in to the conference site to make your personal schedule – we also recommend bookmarking the Google Sheets version of this in case we have an issues with our website. Note: All times and dates are in BST (GMT+1)
• Ring fence your time: if you can, block out time or consider participating away from your usual desk to make sure you can enjoy the sessions you really want to attend.
• Check your connectivity ahead of your sessions: There is nothing worse than missing the start of a session because you can’t log in.
• Familiarise yourself with Blackboard Collaborate Ultra: the platform used to deliver the online sessions.
• Follow on social media: participants can use the #OER20 hashtag via Twitter or follow us at @oerconf, where you can share content and ideas, network with our community, and keep up to date with what is going on.
• Keep other participants in mind: The conference is open to everyone with a diverse set of skills and will include those whose first language might not be English. Please keep this in mind when engaging with others.

Make a commitment (with care)

While an online conference caan free you from the constraints of face-to-face conferencing, to get the most out of the conference you will benefit from making a commitment to participate in the discussions. In setting up this conference, we have included a number of ways to stay up to date, including a daily email update. We would still recommend that you set aside some time not only to review and participate in discussions but also to review the resources created by presenters, so that you may participate effectively. At the same time keep your own health in mind. Interacting online can be very intense so be prepared to take breaks and listen to your body.

Be prepared

Before the conference familiarise yourself with the conference environment by logging in and exploring features explained on these Help pages. If you have questions, you can email our ‘helpdesk’ email [email protected]. You can also follow news by checking or using our hashtag #OER20. Check the conference timetable and take a note of the key dates and times. (Note: All times and dates are in GMT unless otherwise stated.)

Be realistic with your time

We want participants to gain the most out of the online conference. Be realistic with your time. It might not be possible for you to participate in every session. Weigh up your time and focus on the topics you are most interested in or the ones to which you feel you can make the greatest contribution. Remember all the webinars hosted by ALT will be recorded, so there is an opportunity to review the other topics at a later date.

Keep other participants in mind

Being removed from the physical contact of a traditional face-to-face conference, it is easy to forget about the other participants. The conference is open to everyone with a diverse set of skills and including those whose first language might not be English. Please respect the views and opinions of other participants. Here is our full conference code of conduct.