Call for Papers and Participation
We invite you to submit a paper for the 8th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education (WiPSCE) and join us in Aarhus, Denmark, in November 2013.
Research in primary and secondary computing education is a young field with strong ties to national educational systems. Nevertheless, its theories, methods, and results are internationally applicable and of interest to researchers and practitioners in the field.
WiPSCE aims at improving the exchange of research and practice relevant to teaching and learning in primary and secondary computing education, teacher training, and related research.
WiPSCE has its roots in a long-running workshop of the German computing education community. In 2012 the workshop changed from German to international, and now in 2013 the workshop moves outside Germany to Denmark.
The 2013 workshop will be located in the exciting city of Aarhus — Denmark's second largest city and European Cultural Capital in 2017. The workshop is hosted and organised by Centre for Science Education at Aarhus University which has previously hosted ITiCSE (2002) and ICER (2010) conferences.
Topics
Original submissions in all areas related to primary and secondary computing education are invited. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Learning: attitudes, beliefs, motivation, misconceptions, learning difficulties, student engagement with educational technology (e.g., visualization), conceptualization of computing
- Teaching: teaching approaches, teaching methods, teaching with educational technology
- Content: curricular aspects, learning standards, tools, didactical approaches, context relevant teaching, assessment
- Institutional aspects: establishing and enhancing computing education, professional development
Special Theme
Teaching Computing: The Question of Pedagogical Content Knowledge
In 1986, Shulman identified three different knowledge areas necessary for successful teaching: content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).
In many countries, teacher education includes these three aspects, though PCK can go under different names. This is particularly the case in German speaking countries where computing PCK roughly corresponds to "Didactics of Informatics" (Didaktik der Informatik) — a topic that is the focus of courses that every coming computing teacher has to attend when majoring in computing education.
Currently, many countries are introducing computing as a subject for secondary education, and computing teacher training is discussed, often with a focus on PCK. At WiPSCE 2013, we want to focus on this discussion.
Relevant research questions might be:
- Which PCK is needed for successful teaching in computing
- Which conceptual framework for PCK can we identify that enables us to effectively communicate about, compare, and contrast computing education practices and computing education research across variation in specific content, institutional as well as national practices?
- Which research questions need to be addressed?
- Which obstacles need to be overcome?
Well-explained analyses, theories, and opinions are highly welcome for this special theme at WiPSCE 2013.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions are invited for the following categories:
Full Paper (6-10 pages)
Full papers are expected to meet one of the two categories:
- Empirical Research Paper: Unpublished, original, theoretically anchored research relevant to the topics of the workshop. Empirical research papers are expected to be of high quality and present novel arguments, syntheses, results, methods or tools.
- Theoretical and Philosophical Research Paper: Unpublished, original, theoretically anchored research which includes dissemination and discussion of new ideas, theoretical analyses, or the proposition of an original theory relevant to the topics of the workshop.
Short Paper (3-4 pages)
Short papers are expected to present unpublished, original work in progress related to
empirical or theoretical research relevant to the topics of the workshop.
Practical Report (6-10 pages)
Practical reports describe unpublished, original projects in the field of "primary and
secondary computing education" with an emphasis on practical experiences, e.g. evaluating
a teaching intervention or curricular initiative.
Reports are required to have a solid theoretical basis and need to reflect on the findings in
order to contribute to the theory. Therefore, practical reports should clearly identify the
relevance and importance to computing education as well as their contribution to concepts and
theories in the field.
Demo/Poster Abstract (2 pages)
Demo/Poster abstracts should present emerging ideas for future research, teaching practice,
or tools.
Submission Format
Submissions are required to follow the
standard ACM two-column format. The review process will be double-blind, so authors are
requested not to include their names and affiliations when submitting and to cite their prior
work appropriately.
Review Process and Publication
To ensure selection of high quality contributions, submissions for Full Papers are reviewed
by at least three members of the international Program Committee. Short Paper submissions
and Demo/Poster Abstracts are reviewed by at least two members of the Program Committee.
The WiPSCE Program Committee takes pride in considering submissions thoroughly and providing
constructive feedback.
All accepted contributions will be available as electronic pre-proceedings prior to the workshop.
The papers from the workshop will be indexed and available through the ACM Digital Library (approval pending).
A printed volume of the proceedings can be ordered after the workshop.
At least one author must register and present accepted papers in order for the paper to be
included in the workshop proceedings.
Workshop Format
WiPSCE is a single track workshop with keynotes, research and practice presentations, panels, and discussion sessions. The workshop language is English. The workshop is known for its moderate size and lively discussions.
Important Dates
Submission deadline: June 17, 2013
Re-submission deadline (*): July 1, 2013
Notification of acceptance: August 30, 2013
Submission of revised manuscripts: September 27, 2013
Early Registration deadline: October 6, 2013
(*) We offer a re-submission slack. This means that title and abstract of papers must be submitted by the June 17 deadline, but it will be possible to upload the full versions of papers until July 1. Paper abstracts that are not submitted by the June 17 deadline will not be considered.
Contact
For more information please contact:
- Michael E. Caspersen, conference chair [ mec (at) cse.au.dk ],
- Maria Knobelsdorf, conference co-chair [ maria.knobelsdorf at) gmail.com ], or
- Ralf Romeike, conference co-chair [ romeike (at) cs.uni-potsdam.de ]
Questions? Please contact Elin Aarestrup S�rensen, Center for Science Education, Aarhus University: elin@cse.au.dk