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Workshops / Symposia

Quick Facts

Important Dates:

  • Submission deadline: October 16th, 2019 at 12pm (noon) PT – Pacific Time
  • Notification: November 27th, 2019
  • Call for Participation released by workshop organisers and website up and running: (on or before) December 11th, 2019
  • Publication-ready deadline (for workshop organisers): December 16th, 2019 at 12pm (noon) PT – Pacific Time
  • Participant submissions due: (on or before) February 11th, 2020
  • Participants notified of acceptance: (on or before) February 28th, 2020
  • Workshop days: One-day or two-day sessions: Saturday/Sunday, April 25th-26th, 2020

Submission Details:

Selection Process: Curated

Chairs: Jorge Goncalves, Jonna Häkkilä (workshops@chi2020.acm.org)

At the conference: Accepted workshops with a minimum of 10 registered participants (in addition to the organizers) will be held on 25-26 April 2020.

After the conference: Workshop Extended Abstracts will be published in the ACM Digital Library

Message from the Workshops Chairs

We invite you to submit proposal for workshops at CHI 2020. Workshops are a gathering place for attendees with shared 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, or design innovations. 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.

Jorge Goncalves, University of Melbourne, Australia
Jonna Häkkilä, University of Lapland, Finland

workshops@chi2020.acm.org

What is a CHI Workshop?

Workshops are held the weekend before the start of the conference, on Saturday and Sunday, 25-26 April 2020. 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 25 participants, with a minimum of 10 participants.

Workshops are intended to foster discussion and exchange ideas. 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 further guidance).

There are two groups of people involved in a workshop: the organizers and the participants. Organizers are responsible for the workshop’s topic, logistics, and final outcome. Participants are responsible for the content and discussion. The following is an outline of the submission and organization process:

  • Workshop organizers submit a workshop submission package (see below for content and format) to CHI, which is selected by the workshop chairs
  • Once a workshop is accepted, both CHI and the workshop organizers are responsible for publicizing the workshop and soliciting potential participants. Workshop organizers solicit participants for their workshop through a Call for Participation. CHI will also place a link to the workshop’s website on a page listing accepted workshops.
  • Interested participants in the workshop 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.
  • Upon acceptance, the workshop organizers are required to create a website with workshop specific information. They should include the future website URL in the submission. The workshop organizers may decide to cap the number of attendees for the workshop.

Should I be submitting to the Workshops, a Courses or a Special Interest Group tracks?

Workshops are different to Courses and Special Interest Groups. Courses are delivered by expert instructors, typically with established reputations, teaching people who are new to a topic. Workshops are meetings of experts exploring new knowledge. Special Interest Groups enable attendees with a common interest to meet for informal but facilitated discussions during the main conference program. See Courses vs Workshops vs SIGs for more information.

Previous Successful Workshops at CHI

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.

Some example workshops from previous years include:

Preparing and Submitting your Workshop Package

A workshop submission must be prepared according to the Conference Extended Abstracts Format. It must be submitted via the PCS Submission System  as a single PDF file. The proposal must be no more than 8 pages (including references) and have the following structure:

  • Background: Provide a strong rationale for the workshop, describe the issues to be addressed, and state concrete goals for the workshop.
  • Organizers: Present the organizers’ backgrounds, including the main contact person.
  • Website: Provide details of the planned website, including the URL.
  • Pre-Workshop Plans: State your plans for recruiting and community-building (e.g. through a website or other communication with participants).
  • Workshop Structure: Explain in detail the workshop structure, including activities, timing, and resources. Please note that we will try to provide the resources requested, we can offer no guarantees beyond the necessary room space.
  • Post-Workshop Plans: State your plans for follow-up and creation of tangible outcomes (e.g., poster presentation, publication of a workshop report, plans for a special issue of a journal).
  • Call for Participation: Provide a 250-word Call for Participation that will be posted on the conference site to recruit participants for your workshop. This should appear at the end of your Extended Abstract, and should include the following:
    • The format and goals of the workshop
    • The participant selection criteria
    • Requirements for position papers (e.g. topics to address, page length, format)
    • Where these papers should be submitted
    • The requirement that at least one author of each accepted position paper must attend the workshop and that all participants must register for both the workshop and for at least one day of the conference.
    • A link to the workshop website.
  • References: Please add any relevant references using the updated CHI reference format. References must be included within the 8-page limit.

This Extended Abstract is the only document from the workshop which will be included in the CHI conference proceedings. Any position papers or other material submitted by workshop participants are not included.

Additionally, please note the following rules pertaining to workshops (most of which are not new rules, but we are making them more explicit this year):

  • Authors are limited to being on 2 workshops proposals.
  • All authors must be listed on the initial submission. After initial submission, authors can be removed but not added.
  • For each submission, one of the workshop organizers (i.e., an author of the PCS submission, and usually the contact author) must be nominated to act as a reviewer for other workshop submissions. Each nominated reviewer will be expected to review approximately two proposals.
  • Carefully consider the length of your proposed workshop – the potential to attract enough of a CHI audience needs to be commensurate with the workshop length. Accepting a 2-day workshop will be judged against accepting two 1-day workshops. Authors should provide a compelling justification for a longer workshop.
  • The workshop needs to take place onsite at the CHI conference. A room will be provided and assigned to your workshop.
  • There are a lot of factors and constraints that play into the scheduling decisions and so the workshop date is scheduled by the workshop chairs and not chosen by the organizers.
  • While mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks will include light refreshments, lunch is not provided. Workshop organizers should plan on going to local restaurants or other offsite arrangements (Student Volunteers can assist with reservations and recommendations). Outside catering cannot be utilized.
  • The conference provides basic supplies such as pens and large paper pads. Workshop organizers are responsible for supplying all additional materials needed. Requests for any special arrangements / logistics planning must be approved by the workshop chairs ahead of time (e.g., something beyond a standard room). The venue restrictions vary (e.g. sometimes you cannot post or hang anything on the walls).

Special for Hawaii: The Hawaii Convention Center has an amazing rooftop patio (see images here). Feel free to propose creative uses of that space in your submission.

Workshop Selection Process

Workshops are a curated track and highly selective. In prior years, approximately 50% of workshop proposals were accepted (although 2018 saw a 37% acceptance, and 2019 saw a 31% acceptance). Workshop proposals will be selected by the workshop chairs. Acceptance decisions will be based on an assessment of how compelling the workshop is likely to be for CHI attendees. While not considered archival, juried content will be represented in the ACM Digital Library. The workshop chairs 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 organizers’ ability to demonstrate in the proposal a well-organized process and plan for the workshop that fosters interactivity.co
  • The overall balance of topics in the Workshops program and relevance to the main conference theme.
  • The proposed size of the workshop. Whether there is a clear and workable plan for facilitating a lively environment for discussion for all participants, particularly for larger workshops.
  • If multiple submissions are received on the same or similar topics, the organizers may be encouraged to merge them or differentiate them.

Submissions should not contain sensitive, private, or proprietary information that cannot be disclosed at publication time. Submissions should NOT be anonymous. However, confidentiality of submissions will be maintained during the review process. All rejected submissions will be kept confidential in perpetuity. All submitted materials for accepted submissions will be kept confidential until the the publication of the CHI Extended Abstracts, with the exception of title and author information which will be published on the website prior to the conference.

Upon Acceptance of your CHI Workshop

Please note the following milestones which must be met for all CHI Workshops (see the top of this page for the dates):

  • Workshop organizers will be notified of acceptance or rejection by the notification date.
  • Authors of all accepted workshops will receive instructions on how to submit the publication-ready copy of their Extended Abstract.
  • Workshop organizers will have until the call for participation deadline  to submit their final workshop descriptions and publicize their CfPs.
  • Workshop position paper submissions will be  due no later than the participant submissions deadline.
  • Final acceptances for position papers must be completed by the acceptance deadline. This will give participants enough time for early registration to the conference.

Before the Conference

In addition, workshop organizers will be responsible for the following tasks during the time leading up to the conference:

  • Publicize Your Workshop: Organizers of an accepted workshop must set up and maintain their own website in which they provide further and updated information about their workshop. The workshop page will be linked to from the official CHI workshop site. In order to have a successful and well-attended workshop, we recommend that you post your call for participation early and widely (e.g. publicize on social media and on relevant mailing lists, such as CHI-ANNOUNCEMENTS).
  • Solicit Position Papers from Potential Participants: While some organizers may choose alternate formats, a position paper is generally 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.
  • Select Participants : Choose participants on the basis of position papers submitted to you and your goals for the workshop.
  • Provide a Participant List: A list of confirmed participants should be sent to the Workshop Chairs (workshops@chi2020.acm.org).
  • Workshop sizes are provisionally capped to 25 participants. The registration system will not allow more participants to register for your workshop. Please contact the Workshop Chairs if it becomes necessary to change the size of your accepted workshop. Workshops that do not attract at least 10 paying participants may have to be cancelled by the Workshop Chairs.
  • Distribute Position Papers and Pre-Workshop Materials: Materials should be made accessible to participants well in advance of the workshop.
  • Develop a final agenda of workshop activities.
  • Develop a plan for any follow-up activities.

Accepted Workshop summaries of the organisers will be distributed in the CHI Extended Abstracts, and will be available in the ACM Digital Library up to two weeks prior to the first day of the conference.

At the Conference

The workshop organizers are expected to facilitate discussion, help maintain productive interaction, and encourage participation. The emphasis should be on group discussion, rather than on presentation of individual position papers. Diversity of perspectives should be encouraged.

After the Conference

It is expected that workshop results will be communicated to a larger audience. We ask workshop organizers to consider producing a report for publication in ACM Interactions. 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 website or email list to network with others who might be interested.

Workshop Registration Fees for Organizers

Workshop organizers receive complimentary workshop registrations as follows:

  • one workshop fee waived for a one-day workshop
  • two workshop fees waived for a two-day workshop

This fee waiver can be given to any workshop attendee – the workshop organizers can decide. All other organizers, invited speakers, panelists, and participants who attend a workshop must pay the workshop registration fee.

In addition to the workshop fees, all workshop attendees (including organizers whose workshop fee has been waived) are required to register for at least one day of the CHI conference.

CHI 2020 Symposia

Some weekend meetings are labelled as ‘Symposia’. Symposia are intended for larger meetings that address a pressing need for CHI, and they are often persistent features across a series of CHI conferences. If you are interested in proposing a future CHI Symposium, please email the chair of the CHI Steering Committee: https://chi.acm.org/

We note that the SIGCHI Executive Committee has requested that an Asia Symposia will be held at CHI2020, in preparation for CHI moving to Asia in 2021.