Champaign, Illinois Wednesday May 14, 2008

Call for Papers and Technology Showcase Demonstrations

“Computers have superior abilities for processing patterns, although humans remain superior at interpreting meaning in patterns” - Rosalind W. Picard

Call for Papers and Technology Showcase Demonstrations

This is the call for papers and Technology Showcase Demonstrations to be delivered during the pre-conference day on Creativity Tools in Qualitative Research, associated with the 4th International Congress on Qualitative Inquiry. We welcome your participation in the conference day as a delegate or as a presenter, and we are excited about this new forum to discuss qualitative research, technology, and creativity.

• Date: Wednesday May 14, 2008, (8:30 A.M. ­ 5:00 P.M.)

• Location: University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana (Illini Union)

Goals

The purpose of the pre-conference day is to engage researchers in a discussion of the relationship between qualitative research, technology, and creativity. The organizers welcome contributions in the following areas:

• 1) Theoretical frameworks used to understand the role of technology in qualitative research.

• 2) Ethical and social justice considerations in the use of technology in qualitative research.

• 3) The role, function and relevance of specific technologies in qualitative research.

• 4) The impact of the digitization of qualitative data on collection, storage, analysis, and distribution of findings.

• 5) The emerging technological issues influencing the preparation and instruction of qualitative researchers in their future engagement qualitative research.

Paper Presentation Information (see Technology Showcase Info at the bottom)

• Oral Paper Presentation Format

• Oral paper presentations (up to 25 minutes for each paper) should include a discussion of objectives, main points, conclusions and implications, followed by 5 minutes of question and answer for each paper. Two papers will be selected for each one-hour time period, and concurrent sessions may be held depending on the number and quality of submissions.

• Foci

• The pre-conference has an overarching goal of examining the Creativity Tools that inhabit the intersection of technology and qualitative inquiry. Any papers that address this intersection are welcome. Topics may include (but are not limited to):

1. Theories about creativity tools in qualitative research

• Examples: What does “creativity tool” mean in qualitative research? What theoretical arenas help us understand the interaction of technology and qualitative research? What are the assumptions, biases, and blinders that influence the development and use of technology in qualitative research? How is creativity fostered and thwarted through the intersection of technology and qualitative research?

2. Ethical and social justice considerations in the use of technology in qualitative research:

• Examples: What impact does the digital divide have on the use of technology in socially responsible research? Who owns the means to produce and the facilities to use such technology? How does technology ensure or threaten the honorable handling of sensitive information? How has technology influenced the positive and negative aspects of aggregated, cross-site analyses? How can the intersection of technology, creativity, and qualitative research provide an avenue for relevant research in social justice?

3. The role function and relevance of specific technologies in qualitative research:

• Examples: How is the analysis of non-textual, digital data providing new lenses for qualitative researchers? What impact has the use of qualitative data analysis software had on the practice of qualitative research? What forms of technology and specific technological tools are promoting or thwarting creative approaches to qualitative data? What is the impact of technology on the discussion of rigor and standards in qualitative research?

4. The impact of the digitization of qualitative data on collection, storage, analysis, and distribution of findings.

• What technologies are being used to collect and store qualitative data? How does digital data differ from other data, and what are the implications for data management? How have BLOGS, web sites, pdf files, etc. positively/negatively changed the distribution of (and access to) research findings? What technologies might we see in the next ten years that will influence the ways qualitative data is collected, stored, and analyzed, and the means through which it is distributed?

5. The emerging technological issues influencing the instruction of qualitative researchers in the craft of qualitative research.
• In what ways should technology be engaged in the instruction of qualitative methods for graduate students? With already scarce time allotted to qualitative methods instruction, what does the introduction of technology add/subtract to the syllabus? How does the use (or lack of use) of technology in qualitative methods instruction shape the way students find professional pathways? How are qualitative research professions influencing the form and content of technology use in qualitative methods instruction?

• While many of these foci overlap, submissions should indicate the general thrust of the submission and preferred strand for presentation. Note that the constellation of abstracts and proposals may influence the placement of your presentation in the larger program, although you will be informed of this placement prior to the conference and you may conduct your presentation as planned, regardless of the designated strand. You will have between 15 and 20 minutes to present, depending on placement.

Paper Proposal Submission Instructions

• All paper proposals are to be submitted online by the deadline of December 1, 2007. To submit a proposal for a paper presentation, use the same on-line conference submission form that collects all conference paper submissions, available on the ICQI2008 web site (http://www.icqi.org/). Note ­ do not use the “panel submission” form, and instead use the “paper/poster submission” form. From the “paper/poster submission” form, use the drop down arrow in the “submission to” window, and select the “Pre-Conference Session: a Day in TQR”. The intent is to assess the papers through a blind, peer-review process ­ so please be mindful of this goal when crafting your 150 word submission.

Technology Showcase Information

In addition to the paper presentations, the day includes a technology showcase. The ICQI 2008 Technology Showcase is meant to allow qualitative researchers to learn about Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) packages they are not familiar with or would like to learn more about. It is intended to allow presenters to meet researchers interested in exploring their software options.

The format is designed to meet both the needs of participants and presenters. All participants will be given a brief description of each presenter's package prior to the session. There will be four 12 - 15 minute introductory sessions for participants to meet with presenters for software demonstrations and brief questions if time allows. This will be followed by a 25 minute Q & A session, where participants can ask more in-depth questions of the presenter of their choice.

To submit an application as a showcase presenter, be sure to read all of the instructions in this paragraph. Use the same on-line conference paper/proposal submission form that collects all conference submissions, available on the ICQI2008 web site (http://www.icqi.org/). Note ­ do not use the “panel submission” form, and instead use the “paper/poster submission” form. From the “paper/poster submission” form, use the drop down arrow in the “submission to” window, and select the “Pre-Conference Session: a Day in TQR”. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you place “Showcase submission” at the top of the form to distinguish your proposal from a paper proposal.

Important Dates

• 1 December (Saturday), 2008 Deadline for submission of proposals

(Registration for attendees begins)

• 29 February (Friday), 2008 Notification of acceptance or regret

• If accepted, your piece will be presented at the conference. If accepted, within a week you will need to confirm your participation. Shortly thereafter you will be notified of your specific time/location, and the other presentations in your session.

• 14 May (Wednesday, 2008 Pre-conference day registration begins at 8:30 AM (program starts at 9:00AM)

Posted by prolurkr at November 15, 2007 07:45 AM

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