When was the last time you attended a conference? I’m guessing within the past year! What was your motivation behind it? If you are a bench researcher, presenting your scientific research, probably.
Now, let me rephrase that first question. When was the last time you were intentional about attending a conference to stay ahead in your transition to an educator’s role? There is so much to learn by connecting with people in positions you dream about. And what better way to find them than going to meetings where they all hang out!
If moving into a STEM educator’s role is on your radar, have you considered attending any teaching and learning conferences without ditching your research presentations?
I know what you are thinking! Grad students, postdocs- we are on a tight budget. Where are we supposed to find the funds for more than one conference a year? I get it.
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Here are seven alternatives to bulk up your educator profile as a PhD and/or postdoc that I promise wouldn’t break your bank
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Here are seven alternatives to bulk up your educator profile as a PhD and/or postdoc that I promise wouldn’t break your bank (or your PI’s heart!). Although, do consider attending an educator’s conference if you get the chance.
- Join a teaching-focused organization: Honestly, this is one of the most cost-effective ways to stay connected with educators in the field outside of your institution. While annual individual memberships can be pricey, student memberships cost under $50 or are even free! Once in, you will have access to member-only seminars, webinars, and newsletters with job postings- basically a cheat sheet for you to look at what these positions ask for! At times, student volunteer positions in committees open up, which is another opportunity to network. Access to workshop modules, potential mentors, and publications are just some of the many perks.
- Leverage your in-house CETL: CETL directors are guides that help educators find their pedagogical compass. Find the CETL at your institute. They go by any of these names: Center for teaching and learning (CETL), Office of teaching and learning (OTL), Teaching and learning institute (ITL/TLI)- you get the point. This department is a gold mine for teaching workshops with the sole purpose of bringing innovative teaching strategies to the forefront of educators. Also, a great place to improve your pedagogical vocabulary, hone your teaching philosophy, or borrow ideas for your next project in educational research and scholarship!
- Treat your next Teaching Assignment as a Lab Experiment: If your PI teaches a course, offer to handle a specific unit or module. Don't just "fill in" and preach to your students—instead, test a small new teaching method or a technology. Perhaps something as simple as think-pair-share, or muddiest point. This gives you real-world experience you can talk about when networking or in your next interview.
- Turn your Teaching Assignment into an Abstract: Say you developed a class module or tried a new teaching strategy, or a digital tool that you picked from one of the CETL seminars. Quickly write that up as an abstract and submit it to a teaching conference. It will help you unlock student travel awards that are often unavailable to non-presenting conference attendees. Also, it is a great way dip your toes into education-based research presentations and discussions.
- Lean on professional development departments at your university: Much like any other soft skills important for career progression, cherry-picking conferences or networking for career transition isn’t part of the traditional graduate school training. Fortunately, professional development programs for PhD graduates and postdocs are currently on the rise. Be a regular attendee, and propose a speaker for a career talk you are interested in hearing from. Also, they have the inside scoop on career-specific conferences. Maybe they can help you find some teaching fellowships or travel funds.
- Hack your discipline-based conferences: Most of the bigger scientific conferences, like APS and ASBMB, have an “Education” or “Teaching” community. They have their own program schedule focused on education, either as a pre-conference or sometimes simultaneously with the main conference. You are there for the science anyway, just show up early or stay after for the teaching section.
- Attend regional/local education chapters: Do some digging to see if your primary big organization has a local chapter in your region. These meetings are pretty accessible; usually within driving distance of your institution, and registration costs are way less than larger conferences. A huge benefit is that you get to be in a much smaller, tight-knit group of people. So it becomes easier to strike up a conversation and be relatable. If your plan is to stay back in the same state or area after graduation, then who knows, the person you are at the lunch table with might just be your future colleague!
So think about it, do you attend conferences for the career you have or the career you want?