• First time in NERA

First time in NERA?

Is this your first time in a NERA conference? What is NERA? How can one join a NERA network? What is a symposium? What is the role of a chair? Below is some explanations to the most common conference jargon and frequently asked questions

  • NERA/NFPF is the main association for educational researchers in the Nordic countries. The association was founded in 1972.

    Read more from the NERA webpage

    See NERA's 25 active networks here

    Everyone, who is attending the NERA conference is welcomed and encouraged to attend the network meeting of the network you are interested in. Times and date will be updated accordingly.

    The Annual General Assembly is conducted according to the rules stated in the NERA bylaws. All NERA members are welcome to join the General Assembly which will be announced later.

  • Paper presentations

    Paper sessions consist of an oral presentation and a discussion of papers about ongoing or completed research projects. The time frame for each paper presentation
    is 25 minutes including the presentation (max. 20 mins) and discussion (approx. 5 mins). In each parallel session, a maximum of four papers will be presented. People often use slides to support their presentation.

    Symposiums

    An organised symposium session builds on a theme and is proposed and planned by a symposium organiser. The papers focus on a common theme. A symposium has a chair (often the organiser) and one or more discussant(s), who have read the papers in advance.

    Roundtable discussions

    A roundtable discussion is a forum for presenting and discussing developmental work, research plans, research in progress, practitioner experiences, educational improvement initiatives, issues in institutional effectiveness and improvement.

    Workshops

    Workshops are intended to be interactive and collaborative sessions that aim to provide participants with hands-on learning experiences, practical skills, and in-depth discussions on a specific topic/theme presented by researchers, practitioners, or policymakers.

    Posters

    Poster sessions offer an opportunity to present a project visually, on a poster. Poster presenters should expect to meet participants during the poster session – in order to maximize interaction between participants and presenters

  • As a chair, you are asked to be present in your session room at least 10 minutes before the session starts to help the presenters to connect their own computers etc. The role of the chair is to introduce the presenters, keep the time schedule for each presenter and organize the discussion. It is important that every participant keeps their time allotment. If a presentation is cancelled, the chair may either use the time for a general discussion or extend the remaining presentations.