Here are some guidelines for chairing sessions at ITiCSE.
Please be in the room for at least 15 minutes immediately before your session.
We have asked authors to check that their presentation is working with the equipment in the room. We have also asked them to let you know how to pronounce their name, and what pronoun to use when introducing them. Of course not everyone will pronounce names equally well, but we do urge you to make a conscious effort to use the pronouns that the presenters give you.
You are not responsible for the technical systems, for the uploads and plugins. We expect each room to have a volunteer who will help with those aspects.
You are responsible for timing. Please have a reliable timing device with you. Please do your utmost to start your session on time, even if people are still drifting in, and to keep each presentation within its allotted time. Full papers run for 25 minutes. We have advised authors that this is typically divided into 15 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for discussion, questions, and movement between rooms. At your discretion, you may allow presenters to present for up to 20 minutes, but they must then stop.
We have asked for a set of time sheets to be put in each room reading 5, 2, Question time, and STOP. Please show the first one to the presenter after 10 minutes, the next after 13 minutes, and the third after 15 minutes. The STOP sheet is for any who are still presenting at 20 minutes, and if they ignore that, please stand up, interrupt them, and remind them that they must now permit discussion, questions, and movement between rooms.
Tips, techniques, and courseware presentations are similar but shorter, and have less flexibility. They each run for 15 minutes, which is divided into ten minutes for presentation and five for discussion and questions.
It is your role to moderate the questions – choosing the questioners and ensuring that they don’t dominate the session – but if the presenter appears willing to take on that role, please let them. It can be awkward if there are no questions following a presentation. Please read each of the papers in your session as soon as you can (we expect them to be available in the ACM digital library before or at the start of the conference), and devise a couple of questions. Even if they are burning questions that you really want to know the answers to, please give the audience precedence if they have questions. Your questions are the backup plan, and should not take precedence over those from the audience.
Towards the end of question time, please invite the next presenter to come out and prepare to start their presentation.
At the end of question time for each presentation, please invite the audience to show their appreciation by applauding the presenter. At the end of the session, you could extend this to thanking all the presenters from the session.