Workshop Presenter – Submission Form

Workshop Presenter Application

Although the UBC Farm Community Workshop series is temporarily on hold, we are still accepting submissions for workshops from prospective presenters. We will review submissions and contact presenters when we are ready to re-launch our workshop series.

Our workshops are typically 1.5-3 hrs, and usually fit into one of three general categories: gardening/farming, food and beverage preparation and preservation, and sustainable living skills.

We pay our presenters a competitive honorarium, which depends on the length of the workshop, as well as provide reimbursement (up to a specific limit) for supply expenses.

If you have any questions, please contact Seth Friedman, seth.friedman@ubc.ca.

  • We'll usually contact you via email; but it's good to have your phone number in case something urgent comes up.
  • If you are offering more than one kind of workshop, please submit separately for each workshop.
  • Ideally, several dates could work for you. If so, please list all of them here. If you are generally available on certain day(s) of the week, you may also indicate a general availability. For 2021, we prefer to host workshops on weekday evenings. Thursday evening is our preferred day of the week between Feb & mid-April. Tuesday evening is our preferred day of the week for mid to late April. Although we prefer to host workshops on Tues-Thurs evenings, other days of the week (Monday, Friday, and Saturdays) are also possible, on a case-by-case basis.
  • For online workshops, we prefer a 1.5 to 2 hour limit, if possible. We discourage online workshops longer than 2 hrs, though open to trying it, if necessary. Online workshops longer than 2 hours should employ methods of direct interaction to keep the participants engaged.
  • For 2021, we prefer to host workshops on weekday evenings (Tuesday-Thursday). In general, we like to start our weekday evening workshops at 6 pm. However, we can start earlier or later in the day, if necessary. (For 2021, we prefer not to host Saturday workshops, but if that is the only day of the week that works for a presenter, we can schedule between 9 am and 5 pm.)
  • One of the exciting aspects of moving our workshops online is the potential to greatly increase the maximum number of participants attending each workshop and thereby increase accessibility. However, as workshops get larger, there may be trade-offs in terms of opportunities for you to directly engage with participants. Please reflect on which of the following approaches you'd prefer for your workshop:
  • Please try to identify the specific maximum number of participants. If you're unsure, we can discuss with you. (Reminder: we provide financial bonuses to you for workshops that attract higher numbers of registrants. Please refer to the Information Guidelines document for details.)
  • Most online workshops will be delivered from the comfort of your home, as solid internet access and refuge from possible wind/rain are critical to ensuring good audio-visual quality. However, with proper equipment, we may be open to the possibility of you delivering some of your workshop "in the field", where you can more directly interact with plants, etc..
  • Please close any unnecessary applications on your system, and do a quick internet bandwidth test. Visit www.speedtest.net -- After your test, please write the results below, being sure to include both download and upload speed and the unit of measurement. EXAMPLE: 139 Mbps (down); 47 Mbps (up)
  • Are you planning on sharing video content (example: youtube video, pre-recorded video, etc.) during your live presentation? Sharing video consumes greater internet bandwidth. It's helpful for our staff to know in advance if you intend to do this, so we can be better prepared to troubleshoot (if necessary). Note: this question is not referring to the live video feed of yourself presenting; it's referring to pre-recorded video content.
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    Are you connecting to internet via Wi-fi? Or via a cable? If you have speed/stability issues with connecting to the internet, a wired connection is recommended.
  • We intend to use Zoom for our online workshops. How much experience do you have using Zoom?
  • For our 2020 online workshop, we did NOT record; however, many participants inquired about access to recordings. What is your preference regarding recording of your workshop?
  • The bare minimum requirements to conduct an online workshop include: 1) a laptop (or smart phone) that can capture your video; 2) reliable and sufficiently fast internet access; and 3) a reliably quiet location. Good quality audio is of paramount importance, even more so than smooth video. If you're planning on remaining stationary at your desk during the workshop, you can get by with using your equipment's built-in microphone. However, if you're planning to move around during the workshop, either indoors or outdoors, then using an external microphone (headset or lavalier) becomes very important.
  • We will turn off audio and visual capacities for participants during most workshops. Especially for large workshops, we found it works much better to have participants use the chat box or Q&A feature. If, for any reason, you prefer that participants have those capacities, we can turn them back on.
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    Our standard practice is for the moderator to be the bridge between you and the participants' questions / comments. At appropriate intervals during the workshop, the moderator will read the questions / comments out loud. This approach is done, in part, so that you can focus solely on your presentation, and not get distracted by trying to monitor various boxes. Does our standard approach work for you -- that is to say, moderating questions and comments during the workshop? Or would you prefer to hold comments / questions until the end of the workshop?
  • Given that the switch to online programming is still new to us, we'd like to request a quick test session of your audio/visual quality and set-up. Assuming we move forward with scheduling your workshop, we hope to schedule this "test session" within the next several weeks, if possible. It should likely take about 10-30 minutes. For this test session, please ensure that you are in the same location and using the same equipment that you'd be using for your actual workshop. For this test session, do you have general scheduling preferences or limitations? (If you've already done a test session with our staff, then it's your choice as to whether you'd like to do another one.)
  • In our view, one the things that distinguishes a "workshop" from a "webinar" or lecture is the opportunity that participants have for direct engagement. We expect that all workshops will allocate time for Q & A. This is, of course, the most common method for participant engagement. In addition, depending on your experience level with delivering online workshops, you may be familiar with some or all of the following tools for online direct engagement: polls, break-out rooms, or annotation tool. Depending on the topic, there's also the possibility of hands-on engagement via each participant acquiring supplies and completing a real-world activity during the workshop. Other ideas include: informal quizzes, show & tell, even games! What are your thoughts about online participant engagement strategies that you intend to use during your workshop? (Note: the longer the workshop, the more you're encouraged to think of creative ways to engage your online audience; however, it's perfectly okay to just plan to stick with Q & A.)
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    In our view, one the things that distinguishes a "workshop" from a "webinar" or lecture is the opportunity that participants have for direct engagement. We expect that all workshops will allocate time for Q & A. This is, of course, the most common method for participant engagement. In addition, depending on your experience level with delivering online workshops, you may be familiar with some or all of the following tools for online direct engagement: polls, break-out rooms, or annotation tool. Depending on the topic, there's also the possibility of hands-on engagement via each participant acquiring supplies and completing a real-world activity during the workshop. In general, what are your intention for online participant engagement during your workshop?
  • Be as specific as possible while also being concise. As necessary, we may edit or ask you for additional information. When your registration page goes live on our website, we will let you know -- and would appreciate if you could please double-check your published workshop description for accuracy.
  • If we have your bio from a previous submission, no need to re-submit (unless your biographical information has changed). Your bio will go on our website, and may also be used in our marketing and promotion for your workshop.
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    We encourage you to consider ways that participants can engage in your topic in a hands-on manner, even from the confines of their homes. If you list items here, please also clarify if you're REQUIRING these items, or SUGGESTING. Be aware that some participants may have challenges with engaging with in-person shopping.
  • We encourage you to consider ways that participants can engage in your topic in a hands-on manner, even from the confines of their homes. If you list items here, please also clarify if you're REQUIRING these items, or SUGGESTING. Be aware that some participants may have challenges with engaging with in-person shopping.
  • This may include things as simple as an information sheet. We can use this in our marketing / promotion.
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    This may include things as simple as an information sheet. We can use this in our marketing / promotion.
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  • With receipts, we can reimburse up to $50 for online workshops. If you expect supplies will cost more than $50, we might still be able to reimburse you, as long as we know in advance, and may consider raising the price of the workshop.
  • Occasionally, due to low enrollment, a workshop will be cancelled. In order to give adequate notice to presenters and registrants, this decision is made approximately 5 days prior to the workshop. If you require more advance notice than 5 days prior to your workshop, please explain (otherwise, leave blank):
  • If you have one (ideally, colourful and eye-catching, as it's important for marketing your workshop). Maximum file size: 500 KB. If we already have your photo, no need to resubmit. If you're new to our series, please upload a photo.
    Accepted file types: jpg, gif, png, Max. file size: 1 MB.