Submissions – FabLearn Stanford 2017

Submissions for FabLearn Conference 2017 are now closed.

FabLearn 2017, in cooperation with Association for Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI), invites submissions for its seventh annual conference, to be held on October 21-22, 2017 at Stanford University. The conference theme in 2017 is: “Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for Making in Education.”

FabLearn is a venue for educators, policy-makers, students, designers, researchers, students, and makers to present, discuss, and learn about digital fabrication in education, the maker culture, and hands-on, constructionist learning. We are seeking submissions for:

Research Papers (full and short papers)
Demos (projects, curricula, software, or hardware)
Workshops (demonstrating fabrication tools, skills, and techniques to conference attendees)
Student Showcase (for elementary to high-school students to show their projects or share rich learning experiences)
Educator Submissions (for educators to share best practices & curricula, experiences, and visions)

Accepted full and short papers appear in the Proceedings of FabLearn 2017, which will be published and indexed in the ACM Digital Library. All other accepted submissions will be citable and will be made available and archived on the conference website.

Deadlines

Full papers, Short Papers, and Demos are due by July 31st, 2017, by 11:59 pm (Pacific Daylight Time). Decisions will be sent in the third week of August.
Workshops, Educator Submissions, and Student Showcase are also due by July 31st, 2017 by 11:59 pm (Pacific Daylight Time). Decisions will be sent in the third week of August.

Submissions website

We use the EasyChair conference submission system: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=fl2017

Types of Submissions

RESEARCH PAPERS: FULL

While adherence to the conference theme (Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for Making in Education) is not mandatory, it is highly recommended.

Submission/presentation guidelines:

Presentation: Oral presentation during the Research Panel
Page limit: 8 pages
Format: Within the 2017 ACM Master Article Template, use the ACM_SigChi format (www.acm.org/publications/proceedings-template)
Submissions via EasyChair by July 31, 2017, by 11:59 pm (PDT)

RESEARCH PAPERS: SHORT

For researchers to present current and future projects in the realm of digital fabrication, hands-on science and engineering, and making in educational settings. Acceptance will be based on submissions that report original work that has not been previously published. Authors are encouraged to demonstrate work in progress and late-breaking research results that show the latest innovative ideas. We invite presentation of ongoing work and preliminary results, by experienced academics as well as young researchers and designers. Short papers are not expected to include as through a literature review as full papers, but should include some details on methods and analysis as well as initial results Papers should stress the importance of the submission to the digital fabrication/makers/hands-on learning communities. At the conference, authors of accepted short papers will participate in a ‘madness’ session, giving a very quick overview of their work. This will be followed by a poster session where they will have the opportunity to speak with attendees about their work.

While adherence to the conference theme (Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for Making in Education) is not mandatory, it is highly recommended.

Submission/presentation guidelines:

Presentation: Structured poster sessions with short (1-3 min) presentation + poster time with facilitated question & answer session. (5-10 posters per grouping)
Page limit: 4 pages
Format: Within the 2017 ACM Master Article Template, use the ACM_SigChi format (www.acm.org/publications/proceedings-template)
Submissions via EasyChair by July 31, 2017, by 11:59 pm (PDT)

DEMOS

For developers, entrepreneurs, and educators to showcase new digital fabrication tools, hands-on learning platforms, construction kits applicable to education, and student projects. At the conference, authors of demos will participate in a ‘madness’ session, giving a very quick overview of their work. This will be followed by the demo session where they will have the opportunity to demonstrate their product or project. Your submission should contain a detailed description of the product or project being demonstrated, an explanation of its importance to the digital fabrication/makers/hands-on learning communities, and any power or space needs.

While adherence to the conference theme (Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for Making in Education) is not mandatory, it is recommended.

Submission/presentation guidelines:

Presentation: Poster and demo table during the demo/poster session
Page limit: 4 pages. You may include pictures and links for one or two videos as well.
Format: Use the FabLearn Demo Submission Template (Google Doc: https://goo.gl/y2Ydb1). Remember to submit in PDF format (you may need to reduce the file size of the PDF to submit to EasyChair).
Submissions via EasyChair by July 31, 2017, by 11:59 pm (PST)

WORKSHOPS

For educators and designers to lead a workshop for conference attendees demonstrating digital fabrication and/or hands-on learning activities, hardware, software, or non-digital techniques, used in classrooms, museums, and any other type of learning space. Workshops will be 100 minutes long.

While adherence to the conference theme (“Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for Making in Education”) is not mandatory, it is highly recommended: if applicable, please include an explanation of how your submission fits in with the conference theme.

Submission/presentation guidelines:

Presentation: 100-minute workshop during the weekend conference on October 21 or 22.
Word limit: 1000 words and 4 pictures. You may include links to videos as well.
Format: Use the FabLearn Workshop Submission Template (Google Doc: https://goo.gl/JPFRdK). Remember to submit in PDF format (you may need to reduce the file size of the PDF to submit to EasyChair).
Content: Every workshop submission should include: (1) Title and abstract; (2) short bios of the instructors; (3) description of the scope of the workshop, expected level of experience of participants, main topics covered, and outcomes; (4) explanation of the importance of your submission to the digital fabrication/makers/hands-on learning communities; (5) maximum number of participants and technology/space/material/logistics needs.
Submissions via EasyChair by July 31, 2017, by 11:59 pm (PDT)
Note: We will be accepting fewer workshops than in prior years due to schedule limitations.

STUDENT SHOWCASE

For elementary to high-school students willing to showcase a project, technology, idea, or share a reflection on their fabrication space. We are also seeking incomplete projects, things that went wrong, and experiences that could be valuable lessons for other students and the maker community.

Proposals should describe a completed (or not completed) project that could be brought to the conference and exhibited during the demo session or discussed by the student in a small panel format. Submissions may include a critique, project documentation, and/or stories about the student’s experience in a fabrication space. If you are an educator and you have some great work in your class, please encourage your students to submit!

Submission guidelines:

Page limit: 2 pages, with as many pictures and explanations as needed. Links to videos are also OK.
Format: Use the FabLearn Student Submission Template (Google Doc: https://goo.gl/B3G66k). Remember to submit in PDF format (you may need to reduce the file size of the PDF to submit to EasyChair).
Submit via EasyChair by July 31, 2017, by 11:59 pm (PDT)

EDUCATOR SUBMISSIONS

Teachers, administrators, and program facilitators: we are looking forward to reflections on your experiences with maker-centered learning in classrooms, museums, and other learning spaces. Please include a description of the formal or informal educational experience, an explanation of its importance to the maker-centered/hands-on/digital fabrication learning communities, and thoughts about what can be learned more generally from your experience and its value for other educators. This category is not meant to be an “academic” paper, but rather a structured report of best practices and interesting experiences.

Submission guidelines:

Page limit: 4 pages
Format: Use the FabLearn Educator Submission Template (Google Doc: https://goo.gl/hrUaMA). Remember to submit in PDF format (you may need to reduce the file size of the PDF to submit to EasyChair).
Submissions via EasyChair by July 31, 2017, by 11:59 pm (PDT)

Presentation descriptions – Educators will participate in one of the following:

Panel – 5-minute presentations by each of 3-5 panelists followed by a discussion and Q&A for all panelists. Panels will be formed by the FabLearn Education Chairs.
Round Table – 10-minute presentations by 1-2 educators followed by intimate discussion.
Ignite Talks – A series of 5-minute high-energy presentations with 20 slides each.