Improving Academic Conferences – Criticism and Suggestions Utilizing Natural Language Processing

Year 2018, , 445 - 450, 15.07.2018

Eyal Eckhaus Nitza Davidovitch

https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.7.3.445

Abstract

This
study focuses on the evaluation of academic conferences and ways of improving
them. The study includes a case study of one university in Israel. Sixty two
academic faculty members from varied departments completed a questionnaire,
including 61.7% women and 38.3% men. The research participants were asked a
single open question: "What do you think could be improved at
conferences?" In addition, age, seniority, and the number of times the
respondents had initiated or served as a partner in initiating a conference
were also examined. The main findings are as follows: Age predicts seniority.
Seniority has a positive effect on the number of times the respondent organized
or was a partner in organizing a conference. Seniority has a negative effect on
time, i.e., the more senior the faculty member the more he or she would like
conferences to be short and to the point. Moreover, the amount of initiatives
to organize a conference or to be a partner in establishing a conference has a
negative effect on interaction, i.e., the more initiating the faculty member
the less he or she is interested in interpersonal interactions at conferences.
The wish to space out sessions and lectures has a positive effect on the need
to improve the quality of the lectures.

Keywords

Academic conferences, natural language, ready teacher, university

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