WST21: Call for Participation

Get involved with Work Smarter Together 2021!

Work Smarter Together 2021 (WST21) will deliver a week of events during 08 – 12  March that will bring you, the UCD community, together to hear from each other as well as some guest speakers about what it takes to “work smart while being apart”.    With this as our theme, WST21 is an opportunity to celebrate the creativity, innovation and collaboration across the University during what can only be described as an unprecedented year.

At the heart of WST is having a chance to connect with colleagues, new and old, share stories and experiences, and learn from each other.  WST21 will be no exception, taking full advantage of our digital environment, to provide the UCD community with opportunities to connect beyond the sessions – bringing the ‘corridor conversations’ we once knew back to life.

What makes WST so special is the diverse and broad reaching contributions from all corners of the University community. WST21 needs you! 

What does the “work smart while being apart” theme mean for you?  If you have an interesting story to tell – something innovative you have done with your team or other colleagues – some lessons you have learned – we want to hear from you.

Any university staff/faculty member may participate. If you’re reading this and wondering if you might submit a proposal, we strongly encourage you to do so, regardless of where you are in your UCD career.

How can I participate?

Let us know how you would like to participate by completing this expression of interest. Submissions will be reviewed by the WST21 Content Selection Group and confirmation will follow shortly after the submission deadline.  Presenters will be asked to select a time slot for their session and to provide additional information that will be used on the WST21 event page.

Every story in best shared in a different way. There are two broad categories of content we are looking for:

• ‘Posters’ will be displayed in a virtual exhibition throughout the week of 08 – 12 March. Help us to re-imagine the poster exhibition by suggesting novel formats for your contributions. You are free to use any digital format you choose as long as it does not require the audience to attend at a particular time/date live. The UCD community will be provided with the opportunity to engage with you/ your content asynchronously using Google Currents.
• Sessions will be delivered in individual timeslots throughout the week of 08 – 12 March. Your audience will attend live via the WST21 Zoom Webinar and you are free to make use of innovative technologies to deliver your session and engage with your audience. We anticipate individual sessions will have a 30 minute slot but this can be flexible depending on what you propose. Examples of the types of sessions you might propose:
  • Presentations
  • Panels
  • Workshops

How will you help me? 

Click here to see the slides from the Information Session held on Monday 25th January.  

You may also wish to look at contributions from previous years:

• 2019 Presentations
• 2019 Posters
• 2017 Presentations – Group 1
• 2017 Presentations – Group 2
• 2017 Posters

A great way to get an idea in shape is to talk to the people you work with – your colleagues, your line manager, etc. Olga, Michael and Jeremy (via UCD Agile, as sponsors of WST21),  are also at your disposal should you want help in developing your content. Get in touch by emailing any of us directly or through agile@ucd.ie.  

In addition, UCD Library will be providing training in the run-up to the event. We will plan these based on the types of contributions we get and will notify participants of dates as part of the content confirmation process.

Important dates

• Call for participations opens – 18 January 2021 (submit here)
• Information session for potential contributors  – 25 January 2021 at 11.00am (sign up here). 
• Call for participation submission deadline – 5 February 2021
• Presentation/ poster skills workshops – date to follow
• Registration opens – 15 February 2021
• WST21:  08 – 12 March 2021

We look forward to your participation.

Josephine, Olga, Michael, Eimear and Jeremy

UCD Agile and the USM Roll Out Team on behalf of the UCD WST Community