Conference Innovation: The Key to Overcome Present Challenges

The primary objective of the IEEE Education Society is to provide valuable, high-quality resources to enhance the professional development of its members. This goal has been fulfilled by several actions and projects, including Conferences that take place in different regions of the world.

The IEEE World Engineering Education Conference – EDUNINE is one of them. It is one of the flagship conferences of the IEEE Education Society organized in partnership with COPEC — Science, and Education Research Organization, which has been specially designed and developed for region 9, Latin America. It all started in 2017, at the initiative of some members of the BoG as at the time President Prof. Dr. Claudio da Rocha Brito and Prof. Melany Ciampi, Prof. Dr. Manuel Castro, Prof. Dr. James Sluss, Prof. Dr. Russ Meier, and Prof. Dr. Henrique Santos.

Its first edition took place in 2017 Santos - Brazil, followed by 2018 Buenos Aires - Argentina; 2019 Lima - Peru; 2020 Bogota - Colombia and 2021 Ciudad Guatemala - Guatemala.

Why attend a Conference?

Participation in a conference provides the opportunity to obtain expert feedback on early versions of research work. Another aspect is that scientific material presented at a conference is sometimes a few years ahead of journals and textbooks. So, it is one of the best ways to know about the very latest findings in the field of interest before they are even published in journals. Besides, it is a great chance to get a peek at what other people are working on.

In-Person versus Virtual Conferences

Learning, understanding, and knowledge are developed best with the participation of others because they occur through conversations about content and during interactions and engagement with others. Often, discussions about a concept or problem with someone promote internalization and integration into the personal structure. Therefore, social interaction facilitates to a certain degree the acquisition of practical knowledge to solve professional problems.

Let's face reality, it is hard to replace face-to-face conversation at conferences, which in many cases happens in pleasant and informal places, such as a dinner or coffee break. It has been a way to quickly exchange experiences, establish personal relationships, and so on, possibly laying the basis for future collaboration. However, recent world events have changed this scenario and virtual conferences are taking place as a way to continue the work of scientific research dissemination, which is so rich in providing experiences and ideas exchanges.

Anyway, even remotely, virtual conferences have been developed to provide participants the ability to attend the sessions, visit the exhibition hall and talk to participants and speakers in the comfort of home. And it is possible as long as there is access to an internet connection and a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

Since conferences are still meeting opportunities as part of a process to facilitate learning, it can be seen as an investment to attend a scientific event either face-to-face or online. It's always a good idea to participate, share ideas and experiences, and make new connections.

The VI IEEE World Engineering Education Conference – EDUNINE2022 — Innovating to better serve the scientific community



The VI IEEE World Engineering Education Conference – EDUNINE2022 will be a hybrid event, with online and face-to-face presentations in Latin American cities/countries that have hosted previous editions of EDUNINE and in Spain and Portugal. It will be an intelligent conference distributed across multiple interconnected locations to improve accessibility for all participants, reducing travel distances and addressing the limitations that may still exist due to managing the effects of the pandemic. This is an innovative way to go back towards in-person meetings and at the same time provide virtual meetings for those who feel more comfortable with online conferences.

We hope to see you at EDUNINE 2022!

Prof. Dr. Claudio da Rocha Brito
IEEE Education Society Senior Past President

Prof. Dr. Melany Ciampi
IEEE Education Society Secretary