Reminder: Call for Open Sessions for ICTD2024, 9-11 Dec in Nairobi
Christine Wanjiru Mburu
Call for Open Sessions ICTD2024
The International Conference on Information & Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD) invites you to submit proposals for Open Sessions by 20 Sept, 2024.
Open Sessions are a space for dialogue and participation, complementing the academic papers and notes programme. Open Sessions take the form of panels, workshops, discussion spaces, film screenings or exhibitions with a meet the makers, early career researchers meet-ups etc – ideas for formats are always welcome.
ICTD as a field aims for inclusivity and ICTD 2024 as a conference aims to include perspectives and participation from industry, policymakers, civil society, practitioners, academia, and government. The Open Sessions provide this opportunity to ensure the representation of projects, experiences, and viewpoints that will benefit the ICTD community, especially where they do not fit the full papers or notes formats.
We will ensure that Open Sessions and their organisers are very visible in the programme and significant contributions towards Open Sessions are acknowledged in certificates of attendance.
Open Sessions typically include multiple presenters convening around important, cross-cutting themes. Successful proposals will work towards inclusiveness, relevance, and excellence. Session organizers may extend invitations to particular participants to attend, or present based on emerging themes in ICTD; likewise, participation is open to any conference attendee who wishes to join in on the day of the session.
To propose an Open Session, please fill out this Google form. The deadline for submission is 20 Sept, 2024, at 11.59 pm Anywhere on Earth (AoE).
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeQrWOwBUa_BHY9hVQ94Mgv0MSO9ahdA-WVWCh-si3fynnYcw/viewform
Provide a 100-word summary and an additional 1-page description detailing your goals for the session and how you plan to achieve them.
Guidelines
Open Sessions welcome a variety of submissions and formats. We invite proposals for panels, workshops, early career researchers meet-ups, and more.
Open sessions will be 90 minutes in length by default. They can also be 180 minutes long, but only if there is sufficient justification. Although sessions (and session proposals) will be held in English, we are also open to proposals for sessions in other languages. In such cases, please note the proposed language and indicate why it is important to the session topic. Please also note whether your Open Session should be in-person only or hybrid (we will explore connectivity option with you).
Proposals for sessions will be reviewed and assessed according to the criteria below.
- They should be accessible to a highly interdisciplinary ICTD audience.
- They should be lively, inclusive, and participatory in style and content.
- They should be on topics relevant to the ICTD community.
- They should demonstrate careful planning and a clear agenda.
Examples of sessions and formats, based on prior years are indicated below.
- A workshop to develop an agenda for future research on digital financial services.
- A session in which a UN agency launched a report and invited experts to comment
- A panel of researchers and practitioners to discuss and brainstorm post-PhD opportunities for ICTD researchers
- A participatory workshop in which ICTD researchers developed the ethical standards for the ICTD community (see ICTDEthics.org)
- A short course on co-design in research areas pertaining to global health
- A networking and ice-breaker session for attendees new to the ICTD conference
- A series of short lightning talks followed by an open discussion, where each talk represents an extended abstract on a common, chosen topic such as caste-related inequities in ICTD contexts.
- An open discussion with different funders about how to allow for emergence and open-ended co-production in research projects
Dates
- Sept 20, 2024: Deadline for submission of Open Sessions (using the Form and attaching a 1-page proposal)
- Sept 27, 2024: Initial notifications of acceptance sent (discussions on logistics etc start)
Open Session Chairs
- Dorothea Kleine (d.j.k...@sheffield.ac.uk)
- Wanjiru Mburu (wanjir...@qhala.com)
If you have any questions, please reach out to both the chairs via email, using “ICT4D Open Sessions [add further subject]” in the subject line.