TC2020: 8th Biennial Threshold Concepts Conference, 2021 Zoom London And The World, UK, July 7-9, 2021

The original, in-person conference was been postponed due to the pandemic and will be held online between 7–9 July 2021. 

Stay safe, look after each other.

After almost two decades of research on threshold concepts that stemmed from Meyer and Land’s seminal publication in 2003 it is time to reflect and take stock. As an idea it has generated significant interest and has become a world-wide phenomenon that has captured the interest of researchers and practitioners across the globe.

The promise it offers as a lens to consider curriculum design, approaches  to pedagogy and a way of reimagining learners has already had significant impact  as the Flanagan website attests… But its full potential remains as yet unrealised. Is it time for an honest appraisal of where we are and where we want to go? If we want to continue to develop the ideas then we need to ask ourselves some potentially troublesome questions:

• Has threshold concepts become synonymous with learner difficulty?
• Have we become entrenched in a slavish adoption of the framework? Or do we apply the framework too loosely?
• How do we avoid thresholds becoming seen as a panacea that can explain all learner difficulty?

In considering these and other questions the conference offers an opportunity to reflect on the achievements thus far and encourages us to consider where we think work in the area needs to go next. There will never be a single solution to support all learners master the same threshold but an awareness of threshold concepts and their associated complexities allows us to become more informed practitioners.

Conference Sub-themes

• Disciplinary retrospectives: transforming the disciplines;
• Practice based thresholds: embedding thresholds within professional practices;
• Liminality: knock knock knocking on transformation’s door;
• Thresholds and curriculum design: new horizons;
• Troublesome not tricky: not all that challenges is a threshold;
• Avoiding swampy ground: acknowledging the pitfalls and planning for the future.

Submission Guidelines

We are inviting the following submissions:

• Full paper: 20 minutes presentation, 10 minutes Q&A (max 300 word submission);
• Lightning Talk: 5 minutes presentation, grouped questions (max 150 word submission);
• Roundtable: 1 or 2 to lead a 45-60 minute discussion, perhaps outlining a planned project or exploring an interdisciplinary collaboration (max 300 word submission).

The deadline for new submissions will be 6pm GMT 12 April 2021. We expect to get back to you mid-May at the latest.

Conference sub-themes

• Disciplinary retrospectives: transforming the disciplines;
• Practice based thresholds: embedding thresholds within professional practices;
• Liminality: knock knock knocking on transformation’s door;
• Thresholds and curriculum design: new horizons;
• Troublesome not tricky: not all that challenges is a threshold;
• Avoiding swampy ground: acknowledging the pitfalls and planning for the future.

Organising Committee

• Jason Davies (UCL)
• Julie Rattray (Durham)
• Anne Tierney (Heriot-Watt)
• Susannah McGowan (Georgetown, USA)
• Abel Nyamapfene (UCL)
• Elia Gironacci (Warwick)