Wow. What can I say. I have just returned from presenting at the international Learning Analytics Knowledge conference, LAK24 in Kyoto, Japan and honestly I still can’t quite believe I was really there. Conferences are always an intense experience; so many experts in one place, so much research and knowledge crammed into 20 minute presentations delivered one after the other. To participate in this as a European in Japan for the first time, with a 24 hour journey time (it took a taxi, two planes, an express train and a subway to get from home to the conference centre) and a 9 hour time difference…. well. Wow.
After a long journey I arrived in Japan Sunday afternoon, and found my way to Kyoto’s International Conference Centre. It was a relatively easy trip thanks to good signage (in English) at the railway and subway stations, plus some excellent photos and additional guidance from the LAK organisers. Having managed some much needed sleep, I spent Monday with a friend I worked with 12 years ago, who moved to nearby Osaka in 2014. It was wonderful to catch up with him in person on his new home ground, and he took me on a walking tour of temples, shrines, the philosopher’s walk, the Gion district and downtown area, cramming so much into one day.
Tuesday saw me finalising my own presentation in the morning, then heading over to register and attend the one pre-conference workshop I signed up for – Data Storytelling Narratives and Learning Analytics. This was my first experience of meeting authors of papers which have influenced my own work, and spending the afternoon hearing from them as well as interacting with others who have the same niche research interests as me felt a little like coming home – as I’ve said to a few people, it was incredibly refreshing and freeing to not have to start any discussions about my PhD with an explanation of what Learning Analytics are.
The conference started at 08:30 on Wednesday, and it was then I managed to find the one other person I knew in attendance – one of my PhD supervisors Bart Rienties, who also happens to be the president of SoLAR. To say he was busy was an understatement, but of course he found time to welcome me and give some supportive words about my upcoming presentation. In the welcome session we learnt there were 505 participants, very close to pre-Covid levels of in person attendance. With multiple streams of presentations being run over each day, I was glad to make use of the conference app Whova, building my own agenda and keeping track of presenters.
I was pleased to learn early on that my presentation would take place Wednesday morning, in a Dashboards session. I followed a best paper nominee (and eventual winner) and there were over 170 people registered to attend but I found myself surprisingly calm – I felt well prepared and as the paper came from my PhD work it was something I was very comfortable talking about. I’ve found conference participants at LAK, including the senior and well known researchers, to be welcoming, interested and inclusive in their approach, making the whole conference feel like a friendly space.
The full paper How do visualizations and automated personalized feedback engage professional learners in a Learning Analytics Dashboard? is openly available via the conference proceedings.
The conference was three full days of presentations, posters, demos and networking opportunities. I’m still in the process of downloading the many papers I know I will be using in my thesis, and following up on new connections – those who found me after my presentation, those I sought out, and those who were serendipitous meetings at a dinner or in a coffee break with someone whose work I’d like to follow. Jumping from session to session was a whirlwind, and I’m glad I have time this week to reflect and gather my thoughts.
So what are my take-aways? In summary…
- I’m glad I went! Travelling so far by myself was never going to be easy, but it was worth it. Although it would have been nice to be with colleagues, I enjoyed the freedom of doing what I wanted at all times.
- Preparation takes a lot of time, but it’s worthwhile. I’m glad I spent time googling how to use the trains, and a little about culture for example – I like to know something of what to expect. Also, I was glad to have spent time rehearsing my presentation; 15 minutes fly by, and I saw more than one presenter be flustered by the strict timekeeping, having to rush or even skip through slides.
- Inclusion is so important. It was lovely to see a parents room and a prayer room available and well used.
- Be outwardly confident, even if you don’t feel it. Everyone has experience of, for example, technology issues in a presentation but breezing over it rather than continuously apologising means it looks much less of a problem.
- Ask for funding (and anything else you need). While my trip was not fully funded by the university and other sources, I got enough to enable me to go. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
So as I struggle through the last of my jetlag and look through the photos (so many – of sightseeing and of presentation screens) one more time my final reflection is one of joy and satisfaction at having this experience, what I think will be the high point of my PhD years. What now? Back to thesis writing!
Sarah Alcock 