What is the RMLE unConference?

An organically-structured and participant-driven event where management education researchers gather together to question, extend, and create new knowledge.

Our next event will be held at the University of Canterbury on January 28-29, 2020

We are thrilled to announce that our eighth annual Research in Management Learning and Education (RMLE) Unconference will be held at the beautiful campus of the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand on January 28-29, 2020.

We have one submission deadline remaining on Monday, October 14th, 2019. Once we have received and acknowledged your submission, you will receive an outcome within two weeks (yes, we have fantastic reviewers!)

At our RMLE Unconferences, there are no formal presentations, just a series of highly engaged and organically developing discussions about research in management education. We will have the editors and board members from our two sponsor journals, the Journal of Management Education and Management Learning, participating in the event as well as editorial board members from numerous other journals in the management education and learning domain.

The 2020 event will run from 9:00am on January 28 through 5:00pm on January 29. There is a registration fee of $500 New Zealand dollars (roughly £268, €300, or $335 USD) for accepted participants which includes two working lunches, numerous refreshment breaks, and a delicious and engaging working dinner on January 29th.

See the Call for Contributors link in the box below for more information (just below the pictures of Christchurch, NZ).

For anyone who is interested, we have positioned our 2020 RMLE Unconference immediately before the two day 2020 MOBTS International conference (IMOBTS) which runs from January 31-February 2. We believe the two conferences are complementary in that they are both extremely interactive and engaging for participants yet each has a different focus. The RMLE Unconference is focused on furthering research in the management learning and education domain and the IMOBTS conference is focused on teaching practice. You can read more about the IMOBTS by visiting the IMOBTS portion of our website (see tab above).

If you have any Unconference-specific queries, Amy Kenworthy, Chair of the organizing committee, will be delighted to help. You can contact her directly at akenwort@bond.edu.au  We look forward to seeing you in January in Christchurch, New Zealand.

call for contributors

The research domain for RMLE Unconferences encompasses management teaching, learning, education, and the contexts within which these occur. Download our Call for Contributors (pdf link below) for more information about how to submit.

download pdf

participants' reactions

In this video you’ll see a series of unscripted, spontaneous, and genuine reactions from participant contributors’ who attended the first RMLE Unconference held at Bond University in Queensland, Australia in 2013. A theme that runs throughout all of the reactions here is engagement.

We view engagement as arguably the most critical component of our Unconferences – it is what differentiates these events from more traditional conference formats. More than just engagement, you’ll see enthusiasm, excitement, and passion in the shared comments here. We believe these are truly representative of the outcomes we strive for and achieve at every Unconference. We would love to have you join us for one of our Unconferences to experience this for yourself.

what people say

“The Unconference is truly unique. Traditional conferences give you the opportunity to interact, but the Unconference takes that interaction to a different level. You take the time to explore issues with others but the discussion doesn’t end with the next session being called. Instead, the discussion continues, often re-invigorated. I’ve found participating presses me to think about what I do and why, and challenges me to rethink, explore, and develop new strategies for teaching and mentoring.”

Peggy Hedges, Professor of Finance, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary, Canada (RMLE Unconferences 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)

“It would be an understatement to use any one of the adjectives dynamic, engaging, and participant-owned to describe these Unconferences. The high levels of participation in dialog about important issues in management education continues to be both exciting and exhausting, words that are not usually associated with academic gatherings. Moreover, the events produce tangible outcomes by creating research networks, and laying the foundation for specific follow-up initiatives and scholarly outcomes.”

Vijay Kannan, Past Editor, the Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education (RMLE Unconferences 2014, 2015, 2016)

"The unconference format offers a unique, engaging, productive, and thoroughly enjoyable experience. The conversations are rich and rewarding, and the development of collegial relationships is simply wonderful."

Sarah Wright, Senior Lecturer, University of Canterbury, NZ (RMLE Unconferences, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019)

For me, RMLE Unconferences provide a much needed break from traditional academic events. Each of the five Unconferences I have participated in has been unique, yet all were highly productive, stimulating, engaging, and exciting. I leave with new ideas, fresh approaches to examining research I'm working on, and at least one or two new friends for whom I have a great deal of respect and desire to continue our conversations."

George Hrivnak, Assistant Professor, Bond University (RMLE Unconferences - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)

"RMLE Unconferences continue to refresh my experience of how new ideas benefit from being tossed around within a community of scholars. The energy at these events is so positive. Unconferences encapsulate how the power of a committed community of practice, focused on student learning and engagement, can move innovation forward."

Kathy Lund Dean, Co-Editor, the Journal of Management Education (RMLE Unconferences, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019)

“My greatest discovery at the Unconference at CBS was that no two unconferences are the same. I experienced the same thrill of unexpected turns in the conversations as I did in the first, but the ideas being offered and the dynamics within and between the groups were all distinctly different. It is impossible to say what made this second one as fascinating and lively as the first. But I can say that I am glad that I attended both and I would encourage anyone who has already attended an unconference to go again. You will not be disappointed”.

Ken Brown, Past Editor, the Academy of Management Learning and Education journal (RMLE Unconferences - 2013, 2014)

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