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Leaders Workshop

The slides and video recordings of talks given during the workshop are available for download on the agenda below

Every year Informatics Europe organises a special Workshop for Leaders of Informatics Research and Education, as part of the ECSS global program, to address specific challenges they encounter in their role. The workshop is a unique networking forum for leaders of Informatics institutions and research groups, and focuses on concrete issues and practical solutions.

The 2020 Workshop with the central theme "Post-Pandemic Ways for Learning and Researching in Informatics" was held online on Monday, 26 October, as part of the online ECSS 2020 program, and chaired by Mehdi Jazayeri, Università della Svizzera italiana, and Harald Gall, University of Zurich. 

The coronavirus has caused a seismic shift in societal life. Everything we do has been changed. Many societies have actually been shut down by choice. Few activities have been left intact. During the pandemic, however, Informatics Technology (IT) has proven robust and chugging along. Indeed, the IT infrastructure has supported many people to continue to work, stay in touch with friends and families, “go to” school, learn and teach, and do research. But many things have changed and we have had to adapt to a new world.

In the Leaders Workshop, we explored the impact of the pandemic on the main activities of teaching and research. How do we teach and do research in the post-pandemic world? How can we make the best of the situation?

2020 Leaders Workshop at ECSS featured a series of webinars addressing education, learning, and research in the post-pandemic world. Every webinar presented a keynote and some discussants that shed light on key questions outlined for every session. The audience got actively involved in a Q&A part with questions in the online chat and breakout sessions. This way we integrated key messages of our experts with live discussions.

Webinar Sessions

The Leaders Workshop featured separate sessions in which speakers shared their expertise with the audience in a webinar style. The audience split up in virtual breakout rooms for a deeper Q&A. The speakers moderated these breakout groups. The final part was a plenum to round out the topics.

Workshop Schedule

Session 1. Informatics Education  [Video Recording] 

Session Chairs: Enrico Nardeli, University of Rome "Tor Vergata" and Michael Caspersen, It-vest – networking universities

  • 10:05-10:15 Opening Speech - Mariya Gabriel's Cabinet (Isidro Laso Ballesteros), European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
  • 10:15-10:35 "Informatics Education in School as the cornerstone of digital society"  (Presentation of Informatics for All Coalition) - Wendy Hall, University of Southampton, Chair of the Informatics for All Committee

[Slides] 

  • 10:35-11:15 "The Renewed EU Digital Education Action Plan" - Georgi Dimitrov, European Commission 
    Directorate General for Education and Culture

[Slides] 

  • 11:15-11:40 "Informatics Education Research: a First Class Citizen in Informatics Departments"- Martin Zachariasen, Rector of the IT University of Copenhagen

[Slides] 

  • 11:40-12:00 Questions & Answers

Session 2. Post-Corona Teaching: How to succeed with virtual learning? [Video Recording] 

[Poll Results]

Session Chair: Mehdi Jazayeri, Università della Svizzera italiana

Teaching when there is no classroom: impact on teacher, student, administrator, university, office hours, labs.

  • 14:00 - 14:40 Plenum
    • Keynote "On the Disappearing Boundary Between Digital and Physical Spaces in Academia" - Arosha K. Bandara, The Open University and Bashar Nuseibeh, The Open University and Lero

[Slides] 

  • 15:00 - 15:30 Return to Plenum
  • 15:30 - 16:00 Coffee/Tea Break

 Session 3. Post-Corona Research: Globalization of research and virtual environments? [Video Recording] 

Session Chair: Harald Gall, University of Zurich

Research when there is no research lab: impact on interviewing, hiring, mentoring, collaboration, publishing, one on one meetings with advisor.

  • 16:00 - 16:40 Plenum
    • Keynote on "Building a Resilient Academic Environment"- Paola Inverardi, University of L’Aquila

[Slides] 

    • Questions & Answers
    • Address by Discussant - Patricia Lago, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
    • Address by Discussant - Ivica Crnkovic, Chalmers University of Technology
  • 16:40 - 17:00 Parallel breakout sessions
  • 17:00 - 17:30 Return to Plenum