COVID-19 and Academia: Considering the Future of Academic Conferencing

Abstract

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to mitigate its spread have presented numerous challenges for academia. Conferences are one challenge for academia in a COVID-19 environment. The present study discusses the purpose of academic conferences and provides a case study of a virtual conference in criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) that occurred in November 2020. We extracted data from the virtual conference program, from data publicly available through CrimCon, and from a sample of 53 of the 96 panels that occurred. Using these data, we present information about conference attendance and participation. We found that there were 558 unique presenters across 318 presentations and roundtable discussions, and a total of 1,629 unique attendees over the course of the three conference days. While virtual conferencing solves some problems, it presents unique others. Important comparisons between virtual conferencing and in-person conferencing are provided.

The CrimCon Controversy: An Essay Addressing IRB Approval, Informed Consent, and the Interpretation of Results

“…Both must be present for an IRB to assert its authority over a proposed study. Reinhard, Stafford, and Payne's (2021) study is "research," no doubt.…”

“…In "COVID-19 and academia: Considering the future of academic conferencing," Reinhard, Stafford, and Payne (2021) present findings based on an analysis of videoand audio-recorded CrimCon presentations. The study's ethics are questionable.…”

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“…On December 5, 2020, the board as a whole learned of a study that would be published in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education (Reinhard, Stafford, & Payne, 2021). We did not hear about the study from Payne, our fellow board member and the treasurer/secretary.…”

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“…In April 2020, Zoom stated it had almost three hundred million meeting participants daily, while there were only ten million of them in December 2019 [8] ; however, little is known about whether organizers of international academic conferences follow this trend and choose to go virtual in times of pandemics [9] . Despite the greater ease of access provided by virtual conferences, some major gaps still persist (computer tools, bandwidth for live streaming and related costs).…”