diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 518b51e4..f66b8cca 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ repos:
       - id: end-of-file-fixer
       - id: sort-simple-yaml
   - repo: https://github.com/psf/black
-    rev: 24.2.0
+    rev: 24.3.0
     hooks:
       - id: black
         args: ['--line-length=119']
diff --git a/.readthedocs.yaml b/.readthedocs.yaml
index 6862e41e..e303aa84 100644
--- a/.readthedocs.yaml
+++ b/.readthedocs.yaml
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ build:
   os: ubuntu-20.04
   tools:
     python: "mambaforge-4.10"
+  jobs:
+    pre_build:
+      - mkdir ~/tmp
 
 sphinx:
   builder: html
diff --git a/conda.recipe/meta.yaml b/conda.recipe/meta.yaml
index 0caf1506..98175aec 100644
--- a/conda.recipe/meta.yaml
+++ b/conda.recipe/meta.yaml
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ requirements:
     - dxchange
     - olefile
     - pooch
-    - panel<1.3
-    - param<2
+    - panel
+    - param
     - pyvista
     - holoviews
     - bokeh
diff --git a/environment.yml b/environment.yml
index f04c4350..c159f939 100644
--- a/environment.yml
+++ b/environment.yml
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ dependencies:
   - datashader
   - hvplot
   # GUI
-  - panel<1.3
-  - param<2
+  - panel
+  - param
   - pyvista
   # IO
   - dxchange
diff --git a/src/imars3d/backend/dataio/data.py b/src/imars3d/backend/dataio/data.py
index 4bff10f2..ebbdd648 100644
--- a/src/imars3d/backend/dataio/data.py
+++ b/src/imars3d/backend/dataio/data.py
@@ -59,14 +59,20 @@ class Foldernames(param.Foldername):
     * any of the paths searched by resolve_dir_path() (if search_paths is None).
     """
 
+    def _validate(self, val):
+
+        if isinstance(val, (list, tuple)):
+            for v in val:
+                super()._validate(v)
+        else:
+            super()._validate(val)
+
     def _resolve(self, paths):
-        if isinstance(paths, (str, Path)):
-            return super()._resolve(paths)
-        elif isinstance(paths, (list, tuple)):
+
+        if isinstance(paths, (list, tuple)):
             return [self._resolve(path) for path in paths]
         else:
-            name = next(x for x in [self.name, self.label, "Foldernames parameter"] if x)
-            raise ValueError(f"{name} must be a string or a list of strings")
+            return super()._resolve(paths)
 
 
 class load_data(param.ParameterizedFunction):
diff --git a/src/imars3d/backend/workflow/engine.py b/src/imars3d/backend/workflow/engine.py
index c1e756fb..3736333f 100644
--- a/src/imars3d/backend/workflow/engine.py
+++ b/src/imars3d/backend/workflow/engine.py
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ def _instrospect_task_function(self, function_str: str) -> namedtuple:
         # depending on the value of other parameters. Methods `dryrun()` assume that
         # parameters are independent of each other
         independent = False if function_name in ["load_data"] else True
-        outputs = dict(function=f, paramdict=f.params(), params_independent=independent)
+        outputs = dict(function=f, paramdict=f.param.params(), params_independent=independent)
         return namedtuple("TaskFuncionInstrospection", outputs.keys())(**outputs)
 
     def _resolve_inputs(self, task_inputs: dict, paramdict: dict) -> dict:
diff --git a/tests/unit/backend/dataio/test_data.py b/tests/unit/backend/dataio/test_data.py
index 82cb87b0..efbe04fb 100644
--- a/tests/unit/backend/dataio/test_data.py
+++ b/tests/unit/backend/dataio/test_data.py
@@ -69,7 +69,8 @@ class TestFoldernames(param.Parameterized):
     # test wrong input
     with pytest.raises(ValueError) as e:
         TestFoldernames(f=open(tmpdir / "temp.txt", "w"))
-    assert str(e.value) == "f must be a string or a list of strings"
+
+    assert str(e.value) == "Foldernames parameter 'TestFoldernames.f' only take str or pathlib.Path types"
     # test single directory
     tf = TestFoldernames(f=str(tmpdir))
     assert tf.f == str(tmpdir)
diff --git a/tests/unit/backend/diagnostics/test_tilt.py b/tests/unit/backend/diagnostics/test_tilt.py
index b73b7200..f2f26ca5 100644
--- a/tests/unit/backend/diagnostics/test_tilt.py
+++ b/tests/unit/backend/diagnostics/test_tilt.py
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ def test_apply_tilt_correction():
 def test_tilt_correction():
     # error_0: incorrect dimension
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-        tilt_correction(arrays=np.arange(10), tilt=1.0)
+        tilt_correction(arrays=np.arange(10))
     # make synthetic data
     size = 100
     rot_axis_ideal = get_tilted_rot_axis(0, 0)