Unconferencing as a Catalyst for Graduate Student Growth in Critical HRD.

This article examines the use of unconferencing—a participant-driven, flexible approach to professional development—to support two Critical Human Resource Development (CHRD) graduate students and a faculty member at the University of Minnesota during their engagement with the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) annual conference. Grounded in Collaborative Autoethnography (CAE), the study highlights how unconferencing practices facilitated authentic dialogue, peer feedback, and collective caregiving, thereby addressing systemic barriers and power dynamics that often marginalize critical scholars, including international students. The findings emphasize unconferencing's role in fostering an ethics of care, enhancing scholarly identity development, and creating inclusive, non-hierarchical spaces within traditional academic conference settings. The article concludes with recommendations for faculty, universities, and academic associations to adopt unconferencing strategies to better support graduate students' professional growth and advance critical scholarship in HRD.