ITiCSE 2002

Working Groups

Aarhus, Denmark

June 22-26, 2002

This information is intended for working group leaders and their members.

The working group coordinator is Joe Bergin (berginf@pace.edu)

The working group main page is: http://csis.pace.edu/iticse2002wg/

Leading a working group

Joe Bergin and Tom Naps

(This was written a number of years ago. Some things have changed, but it is still valuable.)

We have been involved in ITiCSE working groups for the past three years. This note is an attempt to give a few pointers towards success for working group leaders and members. The purpose of a working group is to produce an artifact such as a report, paper, or web site on a particular topic. A report is published by ACM at the end of the conference. This work is started when the members are chosen for the group, some weeks before the conference, and is completed on the last day of the conference itself. The schedule is quite tight and some groups have come to grief for a variety of reasons. We will try to say here what has made our groups a success.

Before the proposals are due, those who would like to lead a working group must write a tightly focused proposal with a well defined set of deliverables. They must also decide what kinds of participants they desire in the group and describe the criteria accurately. They should also invite people who they know have the desired expertise to apply for membership. When choosing applicants they should accept people with some experience in the topic of the group. A working group is not the place to learn about a new area. The members must bring their own expertise to bear on the topic.

The leaders of a group must organize the group prior to the conference. Email, web sites, listservs, and chat rooms can all help. In 1998 we had a large group (12 members) and so we divided up into sub groups with group members (other than Tom and Joe) designated as subgroup leaders. This was a help in getting the group organized early. The main work prior to the conference was the gathering of individual contributions and only a bit of coordination was done early. The leaders must analyze the early work just before the conference itself and have some ideas for a plan of action when the group finally meets at the conference site.

The working groups meet for one day prior to the conference and have the entire day to work. After that, the work must go on in tandem with the conference. Members (and leaders) must not underestimate the time required to produce the final report. Don't expect to be able to attend all conference presentations. Leaders should, however, be aware that the members will want to attend selected talks, so meetings need to be informally arranged. Leaders themselves should be willing to spend most of the week on the work of the group and will need to forgo much of the conference. It is helpful that regular breaks are scheduled during poster sessions so that participants can learn of the work that is not formally presented in the proceedings of the conference.

This year we learned just prior to the start of the conference that the participants were slightly off topic. The initial meeting at the working group site was to refocus the group. The leader must spend some effort keeping in touch with the work of the individual members to keep the group focused.

We found it very helpful to have a schedule that called for first drafts from individuals by noon of the second day of work (the first day of the conference itself). This brought all of the initial work together into a rough draft so that we could see what still needed to be done. In our case some of the sub groups needed more work than others. One of the sub group drafts was particularly well done, however, and could serve as a model for the others. This helped us regain and maintain focus. Throughout the process one of us spent most of his time coordinating the parts and carrying information from one subgroup to another. The other of us maintained some control over the developing draft. Our second draft deadline was for noon of the third day of work and at this point it was coming together quite well. A few holes were noticed in some of the sections and the next day was spent both in filling these and in giving some attention to integrating the styles of writing of the parts, as they were done by different individuals. The last day was spent in final organization of the paper, spell checking, formatting, writing introductions and conclusions, and wrapping up the work. Some groups have failed in the past (and one of ours had difficulties) because there were no early deadlines providing points at which the process could be analyzed and the gaps found and corrected. We strongly suggest a firm schedule with an early first draft deadline. This draft must be distributed to all members, who should pay special attention to those parts that they have not worked on themselves.

One of the main reasons that our group worked so well this year is that we had good experienced people, who could write well. We also had leaders, who, while keeping the group focused on the topic, where not overly paranoid about the process who trusted the members to do what was needed. Mostly we just got out of people's way and let them work. Some groups have failed in the past due to leaders who tried to marshal the work and the group too tightly.

The paper we prepared during the week was well done. It shows a difference in writing styles in a few places and a few abrupt transitions. This was due to the fact that parts were prepared by different individuals and the deadline was too tight to really smooth out those differences. But it also shows what good people can produce under a tight schedule in a supportive environment.

Information for ITiCSE Administration.

We strongly suggest that working groups be provided with adequate support. We think that this includes a workstation connected to the web for each three or four group members. These workstations need to be in the room assigned to the group. The workstations need an appropriate word processor and web browser as a minimum. The rooms need to be quiet and have chalk or whiteboards. Rooms shared between groups has been tried in the past without success. The rooms should be reasonably close to the location of other ITiCSE proceedings so that members can easily attend.

Web access is absolutely critical to success. A laser printer is needed by the group, though this can be a shared printer. Suitable office supplies are also needed, both to prepare the report and to prepare for the poster session. Staples, paper clips, markers, chalk, etc. should be provided by the host institution or by SIGCSE/SIGCUE/ACM.

New information since the above was written. We meet two days prior to the conference instead of one before and one after. There is no longer a poster session. Instead, each group has a few minutes to outline its work to the conference delegates in a regular session. There is also a month after the conference in which the team (primarily the leaders, perhaps) can refine what is done, smooth out the writing, collect references, and the like. The final paper is reviewed, with feedback coming back to the groups.

The individual working group leader, in consultation with the working group coordinator, is responsible for getting members of the groups. Your members should supply the information detailed below. Conversely, some people will apply to the coordinator and such names will be given to the leader. The leader, with the advice of the coordinator, may accept or reject any member. Each group should aim for six to ten members, including leaders. Justification may need to be given for going outside these bounds. In particular, groups can be canceled for having too few members.

The leader must organize the group prior to the conference and have significant work completed prior to the first day on site. This should include a web site for presentation of the groups work and findings. Eventually it can become a virtual meeting place of people interested in the topic. You can and should establish a mailing list for your members and perhaps an interactive web site (wiki). The working group coordinator can, perhaps, aid you here.

The leader is also responsible for the draft due on the last day and the final report due one month later. This report will be published in the SIGCSE Bulletin and in the ACM Digital Library. It will also be put on the web on various ITiCSE pages.

What to expect as a member

Before the meeting

Apply to the leader of the working group you want to participate in. Send a copy to the working group coordinator (berginf@pace.edu). You should supply the following information.

To apply for a working group you should send the following information to Joe Bergin and to the leader of the group that you wish to join.

Name and contact information (of course)

Reasons for wanting to join the group.

Background and prior contributions to the topic of the group.

If possible, a short bibliography of your prior work in the area.

(For various reasons of security and convenience, please send plain text, rtf, or pdf.)

Application deadline is April 19, 2002

Work remotely and intensively prior to the meeting with other members.

Begin work on your wg web site.

During the meeting

Arrive two days prior to the conference for the main part of the working group activities. Be prepared to stay to the end.

During the conference you may attend talks, but be prepared to spend most of your time on wg activities.

Work closely with your group.

Help your group in your short presentation.

Continue work on your website.

Have fun and learn a lot

Have a solid draft of your report ready by the last day.

Note that it will be helpful if the group has a few laptops.

After the meeting

Work with the leader(s) to polish the draft. The final draft is due one month after the conference ends (July 27 -- firm deadline).

Continue work on your website.

Time Line

This will be finalized soon -- a list of due dates. All are now tentative, but once finalized will be firm.

Feb 7 to April 1: Applications to join a group are accepted and may be assigned early to a group.
April 1: Deadline for applications. Each group will hold (at least) a few slots open until the deadline.
April 5: Group membership finalized.
April 8 to June 20: Groups work electronically.
June 21: Group members arrive in Aarhus. Orientation for group leaders, tour of facilities, etc. in afternoon or early evening.
June 22, 23: Full days of group collaborative work.
June 24: Work continues in parallel with conference
June 25: Presentations at plenary session during mid morning. Otherwise work in morning and break for tours in afternoon.
June 26: Work continues. Draft report due by about 16:00 (You won't want to miss the closing plenary.)
June 27 to July 26: Report is refined. Due to WG coordinator on July 26.
July 26 to August 2: Reports are reviewed and feedback given to leaders.
August 23. Final reports as revised are due to the coordinator for transmission to the SIGCSE publications chair.

Aarhus facilities

This year the working group sessions will be held in a nicely renovated old hospital on the University grounds adjacent to the conference site. Each working group will have a room (perhaps two) with at least two computers (Windows -- with the usual software) connected to the internet. There will be a printer available, though it may not be in the same room, and there will be copying facilities provided. Networking should be available for participant laptops.

We also expect to have chalk or white board markers, paper, flip charts, etc. Any special needs should be communicated to the working group coordinator.

The above picture of the wg building was taken from in front of the main conference venue.

The rooms are as follows

Small room for 3 or 4 participants

Medium room for 5-7 participants

Large room for 8 or more participants

The possibility also exists for having two adjacent small rooms as there are a limited number of the larger rooms.

What the working group coordinator does

Before the meeting

Helps the committee with the criteria and the advertising

Uses contacts to encourage submissions from active groups.

Reviews the proposals submitted. (Establish a board of reviewers).

Helps the committee choose the accepted working groups

Notifies the proposers of acceptance or rejection

Helps the leaders gather members

Provides information to the leaders and members

Helps the committee with site preparation and lists of needs for the groups

Provides a handout for the SIGCSE mailing

Attends the planning meeting(s).

Provides a page of abstracts for the proceedings

During the meeting

Provides support to the groups and liaison with the committee and the facilities

Obtains copyright form signatures

Helps coordinate the working group presentations at the conference

Collects and reviews the report drafts after the meeting

After the meeting

Collects and reviews the incoming reports during the first month. (Establish a board of reviewers).

Gives reviewer feedback to the participants.

Provides the completed reports to the SIGCSE pub chair for printing in the SIGCSE Bulletin.

From the official job description:

Working Groups Coordinator

Working Groups are an ITiCSE keystone and the most prolific technical activity of the conference second to paper sessions. The Coordinator not only solicits and manages the selection of working group topics, he or she also manages the entire working group experience.

Primary Responsibilities:

Solicit working group topics and leaders.

Coordinate the review of working group topics and lead the selection process for accepted working group topics and leaders.

After the Program Committee Meeting, notify the accepted and rejected working group topic submitters of their status.

Solicit working group participants, including creation of a web site and a Call For Participation document to be distributed at SIGCSE.

Coordinate the participant application process.

Communicate with all working group participants, keeping them up-to-date on working group issues.

Address any special needs of working groups, before and during the conference.

Solicit working group editors, for the post conference editing session.

Coordinate the post conference editing session and manage the working group documents through the post conference editing process until they are submitted to the Bulletin editor for publication.

How the proposals were reviewed for acceptance in 2002

Submitted proposals were abstracted by the wg coordinator. The abstracts were sent (without names or affiliations) to seven reviewers. Six reviews were returned. Each reviewer was allotted 18 points to distribute between the six proposals, with no more than five points to any one proposal. These results were used as advisory only. Some groups with natural constituencies or with special meaning for the particular conference were accepted even with lower numbers. The stated criteria were:

Wide interest in the CS education community in the outcome

Likelihood of attracting members

Likelihood of producing a useful product

Reviewers were also permitted other criteria if they stated them. One reviewer suggested adding "international" to the first two criteria. Another suggested adding "Likelihood of actually working prior to the conference."

How members were solicited

As soon as the proposals were accepted the coordinator encourages the leaders to find members from their associates. The coordinator also sends a message to the SIGCSE online list describing the groups and pointing SIGCSE members to the working groups home page. Potential members are encouraged to copy the coordinator on applications and leaders are encouraged to keep the coordinator informed. Some members are accepted immediately, but it is a policy not to close the membership until after the deadline for application passes. Most of the membership was accepted as the applications came in. Many of the members were colleagues of the leaders and/or prior working group members.

A two sided flyer (brochure) is printed for distribution at the U.S. SIGCSE conference in the Spring. This describes the groups and encourages membership. It is packaged with the registration materials and can also be mailed to the membership.

Two weeks before applications close, the coordinator again sends a message to the SIGCSE membership. Several members did apply at the last moment.

Last Updated: April 27, 2002