This page provides detailed information about working group submissions to the ITiCSE 2023 conference. It is part of the general Call for Participation which you should read first, if you have not yet done so.
If you have questions that neither this page nor the Call for Participation can answer, please contact the working group chairs.
Important dates for working groups
Important dates can be found in the sidebar on the right.
The membership application form will be posted on Saturday 11 Feb
What is a working group?
An ITiCSE working group is an intense collaboration between five to ten researchers from around the world to produce a high-value report on a topic of interest in computing education.
Before the conference
A working group begins with a proposal by up to four leaders. The proposals are reviewed by the working group chairs, who decide which proposals can proceed to recruit members.
For about two months, the selected working groups recruit members through the WG pages on the conference website and by other means.
Once applications close, the WG leaders select their group’s members from the list of applicants. There is then a short period of negotiation during which the WG chairs try to resolve any groups that are oversubscribed or undersubscribed. The final WG consists of five to ten researchers, including the WG leaders. The viable groups then begin their intense collaboration work and continue this work until the time of the conference.
Immediately before the conference
On the Thursday preceding the conference (6 July), working group leaders will meet in person with the WG chairs for an introduction session. For the next three days, working groups will meet for intense all-day collaboration and writing. A draft of their final report is to be presented to the working group chairs at the end of the third day, Sunday 9 July.
During the conference
During the conference, there will be a session in which each WG gives a brief presentation of their project. In a recently-introduced break from previous practice, the working groups will not continue their work during the conference; instead they are encouraged to attend conference sessions.
After the conference
Following the conference, the WG chairs will provide broad feedback on the overall direction and scope of the work.
Upon receiving the WG chairs’ feedback, the WGs have some time to continue their work and update the report, which is then submitted for rigorous review.
Reports accepted following review are given a few weeks to respond to the reviewers’ suggestions, and are then submitted for publication in a supplement to the conference proceedings.
Formatting the proposal & practical organisation plan
The initial proposal for a working group is a submission (up to two pages) and an additional one page practical organisation plan, which will together be reviewed for the WG proposal. The following sections present the format and details for the proposal and practical organisation plan.
1 Proposal
The essential components of a working group submission are the title, the names and affiliations of up to four leaders, and an abstract of up to 250 words describing the group’s goal and its approach to achieving that goal. If a working group is accepted to proceed to the recruitment stage, these details will be displayed on this website to recruit interested members to the group. The submission is not anonymous: it must include the authors’ names and affiliations. The remainder of the two pages can be used to indicate the background of the WG proposers/leaders; for example, past experience in the working group topic area (projects, references, etc).
If a working group is accepted to run, a two-page extended abstract will be published in the conference proceedings. This will not be the same as the initial proposal. At the very least, the extended abstract will include the names and affiliations of the other working group members besides the leaders. In addition, it will probably not include the material on the backgrounds of the leaders, but will instead expand on the subject matter.
If working group leaders have a strongly preferred title for their final report, they are advised to choose a somewhat different title for the extended abstract. If there are two publications with exactly the same title, author list, and year of publication, some authors might unintentionally cite the extended abstract rather than the full report.
2 Practical organisation plan
The practical organisation plan (POP) should allow for fair access (inclusive) for participants to contribute, considering such matters as time zones, institutional credentials, pricing, and participant experience.
The POP should briefly describe the following, from the time the WG membership is resolved (maximum one page):
- How to handle different time zones
- Suitable collaboration technology (and alternatives) and how this choice will allow for inclusive, engaged participation
- Work prior to the conference
- Details of introduction meeting for participants
- Number of expected meetings (dates and details) prior to the conference
- Expected state of report (milestones) at multiple stages prior to the start of the conference and draft submission
- Plan of work for the intensive three days, July (7-9)
- Work after the conference
- Tentative meeting/work schedule for final WG report submission
3 Submitting the proposal
Follow the instructions on Submission process at the foot of the Call for Participation page.