Overview

The May 2023 workshop, Advancing FEW-Nexus-based Education through Research, will bring together participants from diverse disciplines to drive the future of FEW-Nexus-based education. As a flagship event for the NSF-Funded National Collaborative for Research on Food, Energy, and Water Education (NC-FEW), the workshop will be centered on initiating or continuing efforts to improve practice through design-based education research. Through sessions such as keynote presentations, opportunities for participants to share current work, collaborative visioning exercises, and small group work time, participants will help shape the vision for FEW-Nexus-based education and develop plans for future design-based education research that is grounded in the FEW-Nexus. The workshop will result in an updated NC-FEW community vision for FEW-Nexus-based education and new research teams. The workshop will lay the groundwork for future NC-FEW efforts to inform educational practice.

Goals

The primary goals of the 2023Advancing FEW-Nexus-based Education through Researchworkshop are to:

  1. Further the NC-FEW community vision of the foundations of FEW-Nexus-based education and principle challenges
  2. Position participants to achieve the outcome of generating case-based education research examples of FEW-Nexus-based education in practice

The workshop will include informational sessions from the NC-FEW leadership team and working groups, a plenary speaker talking about the state-of-the-science at the FEW-Nexus, collaborative workshop sessions centered on the NC-FEW visioning document and generating educational research within the FEW-Nexus, and participant poster presentation sessions. We will also spend time on developing networks, connections, and brainstorming future activities within and among the working groups.

Dates

May 11-12, 2023

Workshop begins at 9:00 am Eastern on Thursday, May 11 and ends at 2:00 pm Eastern on Friday, May 12.

Expectations

To maximize the impact of time together at the workshop, attendees will be expected to develop a member profile page prior to attending. Details will be communicated to accepted participants upon selection for attending the workshop.

At the workshop, participants will be present and engaged for the entire 2 days, which includes large-group and break-out sessions. Topics/ session foci will include:

  • How does your discipline define/approach FEW-nexus based education?
  • How does your discipline define/approach FEW-nexus based education research?
  • How do we--as a community--come to alignment around these definitions and approaches?
  • How do we move forward in generating new knowledge about FEW-nexus based education to inform practice?
  • Participant poster/idea sharing session
  • Keynote address on the FEW-Nexus as a scientific framework

Participants will be expected to follow the NC-FEW event code of conduct. This is currently in development and will be posted here prior to participant selection.    

Travel Support

Accepted participants will be provided hotel accommodation (reservations will be made for participants, do not contact the hotel) for the evenings of Wednesday, May 10 and Thursday, May 11 and reimbursement of travel expenses of up to $700 based on need. If additional travel funds are needed, the organizers will do our best to meet the needs of each participant.

Application and selection criteria 

Applications for the workshop will be accepted from February 6 through March 6, 2023.

An important goal of the workshop is to gather participants who are interested in conducting education research to better understand teaching and learning processes and practices in FEW-Nexus-based education. Priority will be given to applicants with prior experience in conducting education research and/or designing and implementing FEW-Nexus-based educational experiences.

We welcome applications from individuals with interests and experience in a variety of educational settings, including post-secondary, PK-12, informal education, non-formal education, and more.

Facilities

The workshop will be hosted at the Virginia Tech Executive Briefing Center (900 N Glebe Road) in Arlington, VA. All workshop activities will be at this facility, with meal options within walking distance. Lodging will be provided at the Holiday Inn Arlington at Ballston, 4610 North Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22203. Transportation will be available as needed; participants will have the opportunity to communicate specific needs during the registration process.

For More Information

For more information about the workshop program, please contact Doug Lombardi (lombard1"at"umd.edu) or Hannah Scherer (hscherer"at"vt.edu). For specific logistical information, please contact Debbie Carroll (dprice"at"vt.edu). For technical help with the application or website, please contact Bradlee Wahid Cotton (bcotton"at"carleton.edu).