VULCSE 2012 - Visualization in University Level Computer Science Education 2012

The goal of this workshop is to exchange ideas, experiences, viewpoints from different disciplines, and visions on the role of industry and academia in developing a common ground for aware design and teaching.

Motivation ?
Visualization as representation mode has different purposes in Computer Science education: representing models, networks and traffic, complex data structures or processes. In practice, visualisation is used to create a common ground for understanding between different stakeholders of information systems (clients, users, hardware and software engineers, designers) of whom often only some are computer scientists. In many cases alternative visualisations are available, that may well have different meanings and affordances for these various stakeholders. Some stakeholders (including at least one famous computer science expert) reject visualisations for professionals. Information systems experts currently apply a large variety of visualisations and the different possibilities may well result in different interpretations. Depending on the expertise of the stakeholder using (i.e., drafting or reading) the visualisation, some of these interpretations can result in unintended vagueness, or partial or faulty understanding. In teaching Computer Science at academic level we need to be aware of the importance of choice of representations. Our aim for this workshop is to consider the diversity of visual representations in computer science education, to learn from best practice and to develop a vision on, and research agenda for, collaboration on visualisation patterns and teaching guidelines.

Approach ?
This workshop will allow exchange of ideas, experiences, teaching practices, viewpoints from different disciplines, and visions on the role of visualisation in supporting learning and teaching. Ideally, this exchange will result in the development of a preliminary research agenda for a domain where, as yet, no single one exists that is shared by a community strong enough to put it into (research) practice.

Expected outcomes -
We intend to develop our workshop discussion results into a publication to be submitted for pear review, either in the way of a monograph, a journal paper, or a chapter in a handbook, aiming at an audience of interaction designers or teachers on visualization in interaction design.
Depending of the outcome of the discussion, more structural outcomes like a website of taxonomies of visualization approaches with example, or a catalogue of design studies, will be considered.

Venue -
The workshop is planned to be a full-day workshop at the CSERC 2012 conference. CSERC 2012, in conjunction with FedCSIS 2012, will take place at Wrocław University of Technology, Wrocław, Poland, September 9 - 12, 2012.



Submissions -
Those interested in participating at the workshop should submit an extended abstract (1-2 pages) for a position paper.
Please send the abstracts in PDF format to cserc12(AT)hciv.de (please replace (AT) by -AT-).


Workshop Deadlines -
August 10, 2012: Submission deadline (Extended)
August 15, 2012: Decisions to submitters
August 30, 2012: Updated submissions due
September 9-12, 2012: Workshop (exact date TBA)


Registration Information -

All information regarding registration, venue, accommodation, etc. can be found on the official CSERC 2012 website (http://www.fedcsis.org/cserc).