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For most students, an 8 a.m. class isn鈥檛 always the best time to listen to and absorb a lecture. The ideal situation to comprehend something may come later in the day, perhaps even when the student is alone in his or her dorm room.

鈥淚 try to reserve as much classroom time as possible for active learning 鈥� taking advantage of the fact that we鈥檙e all in that room together,鈥� says music theory instructor Kris Shaffer.

That鈥檚 the whole idea behind the flipped pedagogy concept. Information is exchanged and memorization happens outside the classroom, while collaboration and discussion happen within.

Likewise, the best way for educators to internalize and grasp a concept isn鈥檛 necessarily in a conference room with dozens of peers, listening to a speaker deliver a prepared presentation complete with PowerPoint and notecards.

And that鈥檚 the whole idea behind the upcoming 鈥渦nconference,鈥� which is being held both online and in person at the College of Music later this month.

鈥淓ngaging Students: An Unconference on Music Pedagogy鈥� gives music theory teachers new ways to bring active learning to their classrooms. But instead of observing and taking notes on a panel, teachers are participating in active learning themselves.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e involved in every stage of the process. At the beginning, we brainstorm what topics we鈥檙e going to cover throughout the course of the unconference,鈥� Shaffer explains. 鈥淭hen we talk about those topics, ask each other questions, and share experiences and scenarios.鈥�

In its third year, the 鈥渦nconference鈥� (previously called 鈥淔lip Camp Music Theory鈥�), will go online for the first time. 鈥淏efore, we found that a big audience was watching on livestream. So we took it all online this year too, in order to make it easier for more people to attend,鈥� says Shaffer.

The online format will also allow a more in-depth look at the various proposed topics, including problem-based learning, teaching online and assessment. 鈥淚 anticipate people will take more time on one topic, break away and then compile their own information to post on the website in blog form.鈥� Shaffer says that should lend itself to the sharing of resources for teaching methods like flipped pedagogy, which aren鈥檛 as widely available yet as study plans for more traditional methods.

The 鈥渦nconference鈥� is open to music theorists and other educators interested in classroom pedagogy. The online session is July 23-24, while the in-person session at the College of Music is July 27-28. For more information,听, or follow听听on Twitter.