Gathering and connecting your virtual community: CSCCE resources for virtual events

It’s more than two years since the global COVID-19 pandemic forced us all to reconsider what it means to convene communities online, with little-to-no option for in-person gatherings. In our community call last month we took some time to consolidate what we learned, and last week we released a new glossary of terms related to planning and hosting inclusive virtual events.

This is not the first time we’ve shared resources on virtual events. Back in 2020, we began creating a four-part guidebook for community managers, working with members of our community to collect and describe different event formats into a “recipe book” that anyone could mine for ideas and tips.

This section was soon followed by the “curated resources” section, which we’re currently updating to include newer resources and those related to creating meaningful hybrid experiences. Two staff-produced sections came next: Our making a PACT framework leads you through the event planning process, and the tools selection guide helps with figuring out which virtual tools (if any) might improve your meeting.

We also instigated CSCCE Tools Trials, semi-regular virtual gatherings that explored different events platforms, and we’re happy to share that Tools Trials are back for a short run starting in July!

Also in this month’s newsletter:

Check out all of our resources related to planning and delivering virtual events, including tip sheets on captioning and preventing Zoom bombing
Register for the Fall cohort of Scientific Community Engagement Fundamentals (or tell a colleague!), our foundational training for both new and established community managers in STEM
Consider community sustainability as a systems challenge: A new guest blog post shares six core elements of sustainability

Registration now open for Scientific Community Engagement Fundamentals

You can now register for the Fall cohort of our foundational community management training. Scientific Community Engagement Fundamentals is an 8-week all virtual experience designed with new and experienced community managers in mind. It introduces core frameworks, concepts, and vocabulary in community management tailored to the STEM ecosystem. More information about the course structure and topics covered can be found on our website.

Virtual events resources

Making a PACT for more engaging virtual meetings and events

We outline our PACT framework, which describes four key elements to consider when planning your meeting or event (Purpose, Attendees, Community management, and Tech tools). This is a great place to start your exploration of our additional virtual events resources, which dive deeper into the elements of the framework.

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Selecting and testing online tools

This short guide outlines five steps to assist your assessment of virtual tools to supplement online meetings and events. We walk you through the process; defining the goals or use case first and then finding the right tool to meet your needs.

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A “recipe book” of event formats

With 12 different event formats designed to build connections between community members, aid in knowledge sharing, and nurture collaborative work, this is a great place to turn for inspiration for your next event (and our most popular resource!). Recipes were contributed by both CSCCE staff and members of our community of practice.

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Curated resources related to virtual events

The last section in our four-part guidebook curates dozens of resources related to virtual events, including case studies, guidebooks, how to’s, and lessons learned. Each link in the volume is contextualized with a short description, making it easy to find what you’re looking for.

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Virtual events glossary

More than 60 terms are described in this section of the CSCCE STEM community management glossary, a growing resource on the CSCCE website. Co-created with community members during our May community call, it’s a compendium of so many shared learnings over the last two years plus.

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Captioning, subtitles, and transcription for online meetings and events

Created before Zoom instituted AI-based captioning, this short tip sheet explores the how and why of offering captions for your next virtual meeting, as well as the practicalities of creating quality captions for live and recorded events.

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Zoom bombing: How to deal with bad actors during Zoom events

This tech tip sheet is intended to support you in scenario planning so that you feel well prepared to address any disruptions caused by a Zoom bomber. It includes a checklist of things to do before, during, and after your event, and was conceptualized during a CSCCE Tools Trial last year.

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News and updates

Tools trials are back this summer!

Ever wanted to test out a new platform or app but needed some more users to make it worthwhile? That’s what CSCCE tools trials are for! This summer we’ll be hosting a short series of three tools trials to try out Butter (a tool for administering breakout rooms), Gather (specifically, their new escape room), and a third tool of your choosing.

The long haul: Understanding STEM community sustainability as a systems challenge

At the end of April 2022, CSCCE community member Melissa Vaught led the co-development of a session on sustainability in community projects for the National Organization of Research Development Professionals conference, to which CSCCE’s Director, Lou Woodley contributed. In this guest blog post, Melissa recaps the goals and outcomes of the session, and shares a framework of six core elements for community sustainability.

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