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ICER 2020
Sat 8 - Thu 13 August 2020

The sixteenth annual ACM International Computing Education Research (ICER) Conference aims to gather high-quality contributions to the computing education research discipline. We invite submissions across a variety of categories for research investigating how people of all ages come to understand computation, and innovations and evaluation of approaches to improve that understanding in formal and informal learning environments.

Research areas of particular interest include:

  • discipline based education research (DBER) in computer science (CS), information sciences (IS), and related computing disciplines
  • design-based research, learner-centered design, and evaluation of educational technology supporting computing knowledge or skills development
  • pedagogical environments fostering computational thinking
  • learning sciences work in the computing content domain
  • psychology of programming
  • learning analytics and educational data mining in CS/IS content areas
  • learnability of programming languages and tools
  • informal learning experiences related to programming and software development (all ages), ranging from after-school programs for children, to end-user development communities, to workplace training of computing professionals
  • measurement instrument development and validation (e.g., concept inventories, attitudes scales, etc) for use in computing disciplines
  • teacher professional development at all levels
  • rigorous replication of empirical work to compare with or extend previous empirical research results
  • systematic literature reviews on computer science education

Research methods of all kinds, including empirical, analytical, critical, qualitative, quantitative, design, and others, are all welcome.

In addition to standard research paper contributions, we continue our longstanding commitment to fostering discussion and exploring new research areas by offering several ways to engage. These include:

  • Just prior to the conference, a doctoral consortium for graduate students, and a work-in-progress workshop for researchers
  • Following each paper presentation: time for discussion among the attendees in preparation for feedback to the paper presenters
  • At other times during the conference: lightning talks and posters ICER provides multiple options for participation, with various levels of discussion and interaction between the presenter and audience. The submission categories and workshops set out below support work at various levels, ranging from formative work to polished, complete research results.

Note the Conflict of Interest policy on the ICER web site at: https://icer.acm.org/. The official publication date is the date the proceedings are made available in the ACM Digital Library. This date will be up to two weeks prior to the first day of the conference. The official publication date affects the deadline for any patent filings related to published work.

Submission Categories

Submissions in the categories below can be made via EasyChair at:

https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icer2020

Instructions for authors can be found on the ICER web site at: https://icer.acm.org/

Research Papers

Papers are limited to 10 pages, and an additional up to 2 pages of references. They are double-blind peer reviewed. Accepted papers are published in the ACM digital library as part of the conference proceedings, and allotted time for presentation and discussion at the conference. For details see the Research Papers page.

Doctoral Consortium

Students will present their work to distinguished faculty mentors during an all-day workshop and during the conference in a dedicated poster session. A 2-page extended abstract submission is required and published in ACM digital library as part of the conference proceedings. For details see the Doctoral Consortium page.

Lightning Talks and Posters

Posters present work (in a standard poster-session format) at any phase from early ideas to complete but unpublished research. A 1-page abstract submission (separate from the poster itself) is required and published in ACM digital library as part of the conference proceedings. Lightning talks are 2-3 minute presentations to all attendees regarding novel, not yet fully explored or tested work. Both submission types should present scholarly work consistent with the overall goals of ICER. For details see the Lightning Talks and Posters page.

Workshops

Work in Progress Workshop

This one-day workshop is a venue to get sustained engagement with and feedback about early work in computing education. White paper submission is required, but white papers are not included in the proceedings. If interested, visit the Work in Progress page.

Co-located Workshops

Proposals for pre/post conference workshops of interest to the ICER community (i.e., those that aim to advance computer science education research) are welcomed and encouraged. ICER local arrangements personnel will be available to assist with workshop logistics where possible. If interested, contact the Workshop Chair, Adon Moskal (Adon.Moskal@op.ac.nz​).

Important Deadlines and Dates

All submission deadlines below can be read as applying “anywhere on Earth” (UTC-12). See above for details of how to submit in each category and where to find instructions for authors.

Research Papers

What When
Abstract submission (250 words, mandatory) Friday, April 3, 2020
Full paper submission Friday, April 10, 2020
Notification of acceptance Friday, June 12, 2020
Final camera ready deadline Sunday, June 28, 2020

Other Submission Types

What When
Doctoral Consortium applications Friday, May 15, 2020
Lightning Talks and Posters
   Submissions: Friday, June 19, 2020
    Acceptance notification: Tuesday, June 23, 2020
    Camera-ready copy (poster abstracts): Sunday, June 28, 2020

Workshops

What When
Co-located Workshop proposals (email) Friday, April 10, 2020
Work in Progress workshop application Friday, June 19, 2020

Conference Schedule

What When
Work in Progress Workshops Sunday, August 9, 2020
Doctoral Consortium Sunday, August 9, 2020
ICER Conference Monday, Aug. 10 – Thursday Aug. 12, 2020

Contact

The conference co-chairs are:

  • Program Chair 2020: Anthony Robins – ​University of Otago, New Zealand
  • Site Chair 2020: Adon Moskal – ​Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand
  • Program Chair 2021: Amy Ko – University of Washington Seattle, USA
  • Site Chair 2021: Renée McCauley – College of Charleston, USA

Chairs can be contacted at: icer2020@easychair.org