Workshops: Call for Participation

Quick Facts

• CHI'11 Workshops are accepting submissions from potential participants.
• Camera-ready Deadline: 17 December 2010
• Submission Package: 3-page proposal and 4-page extended abstract, 250 word Call for Participation, and a cover sheet with contact information.
• Selection Process: Juried
• At the Conference: One-day or two-day sessions (May 7-8, 2011) with 15-20 participants.
• Archives: Extended Abstracts (DVD and ACM Digital Library)

Message from the Workshops Chairs

Workshops are a chance for attendees with common interests to meet in the context of a focused and interactive discussion. They are an opportunity to move a field forward and build community. CHI workshops might address basic research, applied research, HCI practice, HCI education, new methodologies, emerging application areas, design innovations, or management, strategy, and organizational issues. Each workshop should generate ideas that will give the HCI community a new, organized way of thinking about the topic or that suggest promising directions for future work. If you are working in an emerging area in HCI, please consider organizing a workshop. Some workshops have resulted in edited books or special issues of journals; you may consider including this goal in the design of your workshop. Others have created communities that spawned new, more specialized conferences. We invite you to participate in the workshops venue!

• Daniela Busse, SAP Labs, Palo Alto
• Catalina Danis, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center Research, Yorktown Heights
• Contact: workshops@chi2011.org

What is a CHI Workshop?

Workshops are held the weekend before the start of the conference, on Saturday and Sunday, May 7-8, 2011. A workshop may be one or two days in length. They are scheduled for six working hours per day, with a mid-morning break, a lunch break and a mid-afternoon break. A typical workshop will have 15 to 20 participants.

Workshops are intended to foster discussion and exchange. Because focused interaction among participants is important, participants should have informed positions based on prior experience, as expressed in their position papers. Workshops should not be miniature paper presentation sessions, but focus on community building and communal knowledge creation. Please note that CHI workshops are not classes in which instructors teach content (see Chi courses for this instead). Workshops typically include 15 to 20 participants.

There are two groups of people involved in a workshop: the organizers and the participants.

Workshop organizers submit a workshop submission package (see below for content format) to CHI, which is reviewed and either accepted or rejected. If a workshop is accepted, both CHI and the workshop organizers will publicize the workshop to solicit potential participants to submit position papers.

Workshop organizers solicit participants for their workshop through a Workshop Participants Call for Participation and linked to the CHI 2011 Home Page. Participation in workshops is by invitation only from workshop organizers and is based the organizers' evaluation of a position paper submitted by interested persons in response to the workshop call.

If a person is interested in being a workshop participant, he or she must submit a position paper to the organizers of the workshop. Position papers are statements of interest and/or expertise in the workshop topic, in any format or media as defined by the workshop organizers. The workshop organizers will review position papers using their own criteria, and will decide on the final list of participants. Workshops are only open to people who have had their position paper accepted by the workshop organizers. Participants must register for both the workshop and at least one day of the CHI conference.

Workshop submissions from members of all CHI Communities are strongly encouraged. CHI workshops offer value to members of all communities of practice and research represented in CHI: Design, Management, Engineering, User Experience, and HCI Research. If you have any questions in regards to the suitability of a workshop topic, please contact us at workshops@chi2011.org, or contact your community co-chairs.

Workshop Selection Process

The Workshops venue is a juried track. Juried content will be reviewed by a jury of experts who will evaluate the work based on how compelling they expect it to be to CHI attendees; while not considered archival, content from most juried venues will be represented in the ACM Digital Library. The jury will consider several factors during the selection process, including:

• The potential for the topic of the workshop to generate stimulating discussions and useful results.
• The expected interest level in the topic to the various CHI communities .
• The organizers' ability to demonstrate in the proposal a well-organized process and plan for the workshop that fosters interactivity.
• The overall balance of topics in the Workshops program.
• The proposed size of the workshop. For large workshops, a clear and workable plan for facilitating a lively environment for discussion for all participants will be scrutinized.
• If multiple submissions are received on the same or similar topics, the organizers may be encouraged to merge them.

Preparing and Submitting a Workshop Submission Package

A workshop submission package must be submitted as a single PDF file via the PCS submission system by 22 October 2010. Workshop organizers will be asked to select zero or more CHI Communities to which their workshop is expected to be of particular interest. This information will be used to help identify appropriate reviewers for the submission. The submission package is composed of the following four distinct sections:

1. A cover sheet
2. A proposal
3. An extended abstract
4. A call for participation

The proposal and extended abstract must be in the CHI Extended Abstract format; and the cover sheet and call for participation may be in any format. All of these parts must be submitted in one combined file, in PDF format, no larger than 4 megabytes, via the PCS submission system PCS submission system.

Part 1. Cover Sheet

Each submission must have a cover sheet giving contact information for the primary workshop organizer. This person will serve as the main point of contact with the Workshops Co-chairs.

Part 2. Proposal

The proposal must describe the topic and rationale for the workshop, the organizers' backgrounds and a detailed plan for conducting the workshop (before, during and after). Workshop proposals that articulate concrete plans for pre-workshop preparation and community building (e.g., through a website or other communication with participants) and/or post-workshop follow-up for the creation of tangible outcomes (e.g., poster presentation at the "spotlight on workshops" poster session, publication of a workshop report in the SIGCHI Bulletin or a similar publication, plans for a special issue of a journal) are strongly encouraged. The proposal must be prepared in the Conference Extended Abstracts Format.

Part 3. Extended Abstract

The extended abstract is a description of the workshop intended for publication in the CHI 2011 Extended Abstracts and may not exceed four pages. It must contain a summary of the workshop goals, an overview of the workshop topic, and issues to be addressed. It must be prepared in the Conference Extended Abstracts Format. Note that this is the only document from the workshop that will be included in the CHI conference publications.

Part 4. Call for Participation

The call for participation is a 250-word document that will be posted on the Conference site to recruit participants for the workshop. It should describe the format and goals of the workshop, the participant selection criteria, requirements for position papers (e.g., topics to address, page length), where these papers should be submitted, and state the requirement that at least one author of each accepted position paper must register for the workshop and for at least one day of the conference. The Workshop organizers may decide to cap the number of attendees per accepted position paper.

Consider creating a web page with workshop specific information such as http://www.eecs.tufts.edu/~agirou01/workshop/. If you plan to create such a page, please mention it in your submission.

Upon Acceptance of your CHI Workshop

Organizers will be notified of acceptance or rejection by 15 November 2010 22 November 2010. Organizers of accepted workshops should begin publicizing right away - the call for workshop participation will be posted to the CHI web site shortly after the notification date. We will send instructions to workshop organizers on how to submit the final, publication-ready Extended Abstract, which is due on 17 December 2010.

Organizer Responsibilities: Before the Conference

Organizers are expected to:

• Publicize their workshop: organizers of an accepted workshop are encouraged set up and maintain their own web page in which they provide further and updated information about their workshop. For an example, see http://www.eecs.tufts.edu/~agirou01/workshop/. The workshop page will be linked to from the official CHI workshop site. Consider circulating your call for participation widely, e.g. publicizing it on relevant mailing lists (e.g. CHI-ANNOUNCEMENTS).
• Solicit position papers from potential participants: A position paper might be 2-4 pages long and outlines the submitter's view on the workshop theme and the reasons for the submitter's interest in the topic. The deadline for any participant to submit a position paper should be no later than 18 Feb 2011.
• Select participants on the basis of position papers submitted to you: Notify the participants of acceptance or rejection by no later than 1 Mar 2011.*
• Send the list of confirmed participants to the Workshops Chairs.
• Note that your workshop size is capped by the size expectations you set in your initial workshop proposal. The registration system will not allow more participants to register for your workshop. Contact the Workshop chairs (workshops@chi2011.org) if it becomes necessary to change the size of your accepted workshop. Workshops that do not attract at least 8 participants may have to be canceled by the Workshop chairs.
• Distribute position papers and other pre-workshop materials to participants in advance of the workshop.
• Develop a final agenda of workshop activities.
• Develop a plan for any follow-up activities.

Organizer Responsibilities: At the Conference

At the workshop, the organizers are responsible for facilitating discussion, maintaining productive interaction, and encouraging participation. The emphasis should be on group discussion, rather than on presentation of individual position papers. Diversity of perspectives should be encouraged.

Organizers may optionally produce a poster summarizing the results of the workshop for display at the CHI conference. There will be a time slot during the conference during which representatives of each workshop will have the opportunity to present their workshop results to the rest of the conference attendees. Please see the Information for the Poster Presenters.

Organizer Responsibilities: After the Conference

It is expected that workshop results will be communicated to a larger audience. We ask workshop organizers to produce a report for publication in the SIGCHI Bulletin or a similar venue. We encourage additional avenues of communication, such as organizing an informal Special Interest Group (SIG) at the conference, preparing an edited book or special issues of journals following the conference, or maintaining a web site or email list to network with others who might be interested.

Workshop Registration Fees

The workshop registration fee will be waived for up to two workshop organizers, but all other organizers and participants will need to pay the workshop participation fee. Workshop fees for participants in 2011 are estimated to be $175 for a one-day workshop and $250 for a two-day workshop. In addition to the workshop fees, workshop attendees are required to register for at least one day of the CHI conference.

FAQ and Late-Breaking Information

Workshop Organizers

Q: How many organizers can run a workshop?

A: There is no limit other than the total cap on workshop size. However, note that only up to two organizers will receive free workshop registration.

Q: What supplies, equipment, and furniture will be provided in our workshop room?

A: In your workshop room you will have a projector, round tables set with 8 chairs each, a presenter's table, and an easel with a flip chart. All rooms will have wireless Internet. You may purchase up to $50 in additional supplies that will be reimbursed by CHI (keep your receipts). Audio support (i.e., microphones and speakers) will NOT be provided because workshops are meant to be smaller meetings.

Q: We need help setting up our workshop in the morning or dealing with logistics during the day -- what should we do?

A: One Student Volunteer (SV) will be assigned to each workshop from 8 - 9 am (before your workshop starts). Make the best use of this resource by having a list of tasks for the SV to do. Throughout the day, the workshop co-chairs and a few SVs will be available to handle any additional issues or requests that arise -- just find one of these people (who will be stationed near the workshop rooms) and ask for help.

Q: Can I get help making lunch arrangements?

A: Yes! We will have a dedicated SV helping you make lunch reservations, if you desire. This SV will deliver a worksheet to you in the morning asking for the size of your reservation and food preferences. The SV will make lunch reservations and report the results to you before lunchtime.

Q: When/where do we prepare and deliver our workshop's final summary poster?

A: You poster space is a 4 foot by 4 foot (about 1.5 meters by 1.5 meters) bulletin board that you can fill with materials from your workshop that you want to share. You can transfer these materials from your workshop room to the bulletin board immediately after your workshop, or anytime during the conference. Push pins will be available to post materials on your board, but you need to provide any other supplies you need to create the poster (this can come from your $50 stipend for supplies). Student volunteers and the workshop co-chairs will be available after your workshop to direct you to your bulletin board. Your board will be labeled with your workshop number. You are responsible for taking down the materials from your bulletin board by Thursday afternoon during the conference.

Q: What is a workshop's final summary poster / bulletin board?

A: Organizers may optionally produce materials for a bulletin board summarizing the results of the workshop for sharing during the conference reception/poster session. The summary bulletin board is a way for you to communicate some of the results of your workshop to the larger audience of CHI attendees. Typically these are built during the workshop by selecting from notes, pictures, sketches, summary bullet points, working flip charts and other artifacts produced during the workshop. You are encouraged to enlist the help of your workshop participants to create the bulletin board materials.

Q: Do we need to bring materials to create our workshop's final summary poster / bulletin board?

A: Workshop organizers are responsible for providing all their own office supplies and materials for use during the workshop, including those they need to create a final summary poster. CHI will reimburse each workshop up to $50 for office supplies; this stipend may be used to defray printing costs for the summary poster. To be reimbursed, workshop organizers must fill out a form available from the workshops chairs and mail-in their receipts.

Workshop Participants FAQ

Q: What do I need to submit to participate in a workshop?

A: Each workshop has its own requirements for participation, but generally it is a position paper on the workshop topic to be sent directly to the organizers by their set deadline. Please check the individual workshops' CFPs and websites for details on submissions.

Q: How much will registration for a workshop and the conference cost?

A: The cost for Workshop fees for participants will be $175 for a one-day workshop and $250 for a two-day workshop. Participants ALSO need to register for at least one day of the main conference (see the registration website for main conference fees).

Q: Why do I have to register for one day of the main conference in order to attend a workshop?

A: Workshops are meant to be part of the CHI conference, not separate events that happen to be the same week in a nearby location. The intention is that people will be attending the conference as well; the one-day registration is a special exception. Roughly speaking, the conference fee pays your share of all the overall conference expenses -- the professional staff, a/v, publicity, web site, committee expenses, etc. The workshop fee is supposed to be the actual incremental cost of the having the workshop (room rental, food).

Q: How do workshop attendees register?

A: There is a registration code you have to fill in on the registration form when you register for the workshop. Upon acceptance to a workshop, your workshop's organizer will send it to you once the registration period begins.

Q: When/how do we check in and get our badges?

A: Workshop participants should check in at the conference registration desk to pick up their name badge and conference materials prior to attending their workshop. There will be people at the doors of the rooms checking to make sure that everyone entering has a badge. Registration days/times will be announced closer to the conference dates. Workshops typically start at 9am and last until 5pm on either May 7th or May 8th 2011. Please verify the exact times and day(s) of your workshop prior to registration in the workshops program (not yet available).