The WPCampus community decided to pivot our 2020 in-person event to an online conference and re-scheduled to convene in New Orleans, Louisiana, for WPCampus 2021.
WPCampus 2020 Online will take place July 15-17, 2020.
The three-day online conference will include a variety of formats, including general lectures, lightning talks, longer-form sessions like workshops, and more. We aim to expand upon our previous online events to provide more options for interaction and learning within a virtual space.
Tulane University IT in New Orleans has agreed to continue to be our in-person venue sponsor for WPCampus 2021 and is working with us to book new dates.
The following dates are being considered for WPCampus 2021:
- July 14-16, 2021 (Wed-Fri)
- July 21-23, 2021 (Wed-Fri)
- July 28-30, 2021 (Wed-Fri)
While WPCampus 2020 is still four months away, the effects of COVID-19 are rapidly evolving, and the emotional and physical health of our members is our primary concern. We also strive to be positive global citizens. Doing our part to stop the spread of the virus and minimize stress is vital.
Many of our members also reported that travel at their organization has been suspended. Since most attendees have to travel for our event, we believe it is in everyone’s best interest to postpone the event. We’ll use the remaining four months to organize an accessible online conference.
How to attend the online event
Attending WPCampus 2020 Online will be as simple as visiting the WPCampus 2020 online website.
Registration will be required to access the online event. Registration will be a simple online form that will go online before the event and will remain open throughout the event. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when registration opens.
We will provide live captioning for all conference programming.
Looking for speakers
We have re-opened our call for speakers to allow everyone an opportunity to present virtually. Speakers who have already submitted an application do not need to re-submit.
The call for speakers will remain open until April 30. Selected presenters will be notified by May 15.
Looking for sponsorship
We are working to redefine our sponsor packages for WPCampus 2020 Online and are seeking sponsors to help bring this event to life. We will need funds for captioning and other technical requirements.
If you are interested in a sponsorship, please fill out our sponsor interest form. Be sure to include any questions or ideas you might have related to sponsor participation and perks.
Sharing updates on organizing an online event
You may have noticed that the WPCampus 2020 Online website is a little bare.
As part of our planning, the WPCampus community is going to re-design the WPCampus 2020 Online website. The fun will begin in April after we launch the re-design of the main WPCampus website.
As we redesign the website, we are going to blog about the process, which will include our research and insight into the technical specifics needed to host an online conference.
Sharing our research
Last week the planning team sent out a survey to ask our members for more information to drive this decision. We are extremely grateful for the 123 responses and would like to share the results with you.
Has your university or organization suspended travel due to COVID-19?
Out of 123 responses:
- 111 participants selected yes (90%)
- 12 participants selected no (10%)
We have provided a list of the respondents who stated their Higher Education institution has suspended travel.
We’d also like to share a resource we found for Higher Education schools moving to online-only instruction due to COVID-19.
Do you anticipate being unable to attend the WPCampus 2020 conference in New Orleans due to COVID-19 if it is held on July 15-17, 2020?
Out of 123 responses:
- 91 participants selected yes (74%)
- 32 participants selected no (26%)
Would you recommend the WPCampus community postpone our WPCampus 2020 conference in New Orleans due to COVID-19?
Out of 123 responses:
- 109 participants selected yes (89%)
- 14 participants selected no (11%)
Would you be interested in attending a virtual WPCampus 2020 conference if we decide to postpone our in-person conference in New Orleans until July 2021?
Out of 123 responses:
- 118 participants selected yes (96%)
- 5 participants selected no (4%)
A few of the respondents who said “no” were kind enough to explain they selected no because they greatly prefer the benefits of in-person events.
We feel you. Our annual in-person conference is the only opportunity our community has to spend time together. Losing that time together will be tough.
Our planning team is excited to have the remaining 4 months to brainstorm ways in which we can expand upon our previous online events to include more ways to interact with each other in a virtual space.
Which types of conference sessions would you be interested in attending virtually?
Out of 118 responses:
- General lecture: 94%
- Lightning talks: 75%
- Panel discussion: 67%
- Keynote: 64%
- Update about the WPCampus community: 48%
- Multi-hour workshop: 44%
Would you prefer the virtual conference to be held on a weekday or on a weekend?
Out of 118 responses:
- 108 participants selected weekday (92%)
- 10 participants selected weekend (8%)
How many days would you prefer the virtual conference to last?
Out of 118 responses:
- 67 participants selected 2 days (57%)
- 34 participants selected 1 day (29%)
- 17 participants selected 3 days (14%)
Universities who have suspended travel due to COVID-19
Of the 111 respondents who marked yes to “Has your university or organization suspended travel due to COVID-19?”, 89 included the name of their university or business.
The following is a list of only the Higher Education institutions. We removed any duplicates
We’d also like to share an online resource we discovered of Higher Education schools moving to online-only instruction due to COVID-19.
- Arizona State University
- Austin College in Sherman, Texas
- Baruch College
- Boston University
- Bowdoin College
- Brandon University
- British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)
- Broward College
- Butler University
- Carleton College
- Colorado State University
- Cornell University
- Dawson College
- Duke University
- Georgetown University
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- Harvard University
- Illinois Institute of Technology
- Indiana University
- Lafayette College
- Lansing Community College
- Lorain County Community College
- McGovern Medical School at UTHealth
- Michigan State University
- Mount Holyoke College
- NC State University
- Northeastern University
- Penn State University
- Pfeiffer University
- Sacramento City College
- Salve Regina University
- St. Mary's University (TX)
- Stanford University
- The City University of New York
- Tulane
- UNC-Chapel Hill
- University of British Columbia
- University of California, Irvine
- University of Connecticut
- University of Delaware
- University of Florida
- University of Maine
- University of Mary Washington
- University of Michigan
- University of Mississippi
- University of Missouri
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- University of North Florida
- University of Tennessee
- University of Texas at Austin
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Western Community College
- Washington University in St. Louis
- Wesleyan University
- Wheaton College
- Yale