We are delighted to invite Early Careers Researchers to submit abstracts to contribute to the IPDA 2024 Pre-conference event on the 14th November 2024. The event will take place from 17.30–20.30, and will be an online event. 

Paper details

Presentations will last for 20 minutes with time for Q&A afterwards. 

The changes in the professional learning landscape have led to many opportunities and challenges. ‘Here Be Dragons’, means dangerous and unchartered contexts, and stems from the medieval practice where illustrations of sea monsters or other mythological creatures were placed on maps to signpost unexplored territory and the areas where potential dangers might exist.

For the 2024 conference, this metaphor is used to enable the IPDA community to reflect on those unchartered waters, where dangers are, but exciting opportunities might exist. We are keen to engage with colleagues to explore what these dangers are, what they might look like, and how we can overcome these challenges, and move forward to embrace them as opportunities.

In addition, professional learning is bespoke to each individual, and with the changing landscape of professional learning and development, the bespoke nature of professional learning is often overlooked. How can we consider the importance of meeting the needs of others, opposed to it becoming a robotic technicist approach?

Reviewing criteria

• Clarity of the focus of the paper
• Originality of the paper
• Significance of the research to IPDA conference strands