Terry Kotrla, MS, MT(ASCP)BB, CLEC Steering Committee Chair; DeAnne Maxwell, CLEC Steering Committee Vice Chair; and Dana Powell Baker, MBA, MS, MLS(ASCP)CM, CLEC Steering Committee Past Chair
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| CLEC 2021 attendees will have access to more than 40 educational sessions, including all session recordings for 30 days after the event. |
We are elated to serve as chairs for the 2021 Clinical Laboratory Educators Conference (CLEC), which will be held all virtually February 25-27.
The 2021 CLEC Steering Committee worked hard to put together a dynamic program filled with sessions to inform and inspire meeting attendees. This year we asked for volunteers to assist in ranking the 92 submitted session proposals. Over 30 people volunteered! This allowed us to have a more diverse base to fairly evaluate each proposal. And even with all of the additional input, it was still very difficult to choose due to the number of outstanding proposals submitted. We believe there will be something for everyone at this year’s CLEC.
Registration is open through February 24. This annual event is the premier educational conference for faculty, administrators, directors, advisers, and others in clinical laboratory science education. We anticipate the participation of about 500 educators, industry partners, and friends from across the country and around the globe! Whether this is your first time attending CLEC or you are an experienced CLEC attendee, we endeavored to create a program that offers a variety of sessions that will cater to the needs of all attendees.
“Whether this is your first time attending CLEC or you are an experienced CLEC attendee, we endeavored to create a program that offers a variety of sessions that will cater to the needs of all attendees.”
What’s New
Virtual Attendance. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the conference will be held safely and conveniently in a virtual-only format. Participants will have access to all presentations online for 30 days after the conference is over. There is no need to agonize over which session to attend in each time slot—you have access to them all!
New Educator Workshop. Last year the New Educator Workshop (NEW) was a resounding success! The Committee for Educational Programs and Initiatives (CEPI) is again offering this workshop with a variety of topics tailored for both new and experienced educators. Visit www.ascls.org/clec for additional information.
Session Format. We received rave reviews on the conference format last year. We will continue with 60-minute concurrent session blocks and 60-minute speed learning sessions, which include three 20-minute presentations.
What’s NOT New
CLEC is still the premier annual educational event for clinical laboratory science educators. This is the place to be to learn about innovative teaching techniques, tools to enhance instructional skills, resources for managing change in an ever-changing profession, the latest trends and educational strategies, and, of course, networking with fellow educators.
The CLEC 2021 program is full of diverse, thought-provoking sessions designed to inspire educators and to impart positive take-aways that can be applied at your respective academic institutions.
We are excited and look forward to seeing everyone at Virtual CLEC 2021!
Terry Kotrla is Program Director at Austin State Hospital Medical Laboratory Science Program in Cedar Park, Texas.
DeAnne Maxwell is CLS Program Director at Franciscan Health Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dana Powell Baker is Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical Center School of Health Professions in Kansas City, Kansas.