For the last four years, our workshop has been run in a way that’s a little unusual, but which the organizers think is conducive to discussion and a better fit for a virtual format. This post is to walk people through how it works, both so you’re prepared if you’re an author, commentator, or attendee, and in case you’d like to consider this modality in an event you’re organizing:
The workshop is a pre-read event, meaning that once a paper has been accepted, we ask authors to submit a draft in time for attendees to familiarize themselves with the work. We also invite and encourage true works in progress — ideas that are still in flux, papers that are mostly finished except for a section which is still sketched-out, and so on. The plan is for us to work together to improve the papers in the workshop.
Once an abstract has been accepted, we assign a particular commentator for each paper, and put the commentator and author in contact with each other in the hopes that they keep clear lines of communication open running up to the workshop. Commentators lead each session, rather than the author. The Commentator both (a) refreshes people’s memories about the paper’s contents and (b) presents some questions about the project or directions for discussion. The author then has a few minutes to respond and say anything else they’d like their fellow attendees to keep in mind, such as parts of the paper on which they’d particularly like feedback, a few words about the larger project of which this paper is a part, why they chose to write this paper, etc. The rest of the time is devoted to discussion. The organizers will handle the logistics of moderating questions and keeping a queue.
After the event, we have a virtual get-together. Most years, we’ve done this via an app that allow for people to move avatars around to get into and out of discussion groups. It looks a bit like an old-school RPG video game. They allow people to “go up to” particular speakers they want to talk to, find affinity groups, and so on. We have found that while it is still artificial and stilted compared to a physical space, it is better than having everyone in a shared meeting room where only one conversation can happen at a time.
In our experience, this is a great format for getting feedback on new projects and works in progress, and avoids reading out papers. Reading a paper is sometimes a bit boring in person, and in a virtual setting it is even less likely to grab everyone’s attention. If you’re organizing an event, consider something similar, and reach out to us if you have any questions!
Digital Worlds Workshop 