Koli Calling is one of the leading international conferences dedicated to the scholarship of teaching and learning and to education research in the computing disciplines. Koli Calling publishes high quality papers that combine teaching and learning experiences with solid, theoretically anchored research. The conference is held annually at the Sokos Hotel Koli, located in the Koli National Park about 70km north of Joensuu, Finland. The Koli Calling 2018 conference is organised by the University of Eastern Finland, Finland, in collaboration with the University of Warwick, UK, and the University of Helsinki, Finland.

CONFERENCE FORMAT

Koli Calling is a single-track conference with research, practice and systems presentations as well as keynote and invited talks. The conference language is English. The conference is known for its moderate size, intimate atmosphere, and lively discussions. To maintain this reputation, a limited number of submissions will be accepted. Last year about 70 participants attended the conference from 9 countries on 3 continents.

STEAM WORKSHOP

Koli Calling 2018 will organize a pre-conference workshop on STEAM Education Formal and Informal Settings on Thursday 22nd November 9:00-17:00, Joensuu Science Park. More information and call for participation will be available through the conference website.

TOPICS

Original submissions are invited in all areas related to the conference theme and should have an explicit connection to computing education. The conference particularly welcomes submissions focusing on HE or upper secondary education. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

* Computing education research: theoretical aspects, methodologies and results;
* Development and use of technology to support education in computing and related sciences, e.g., tools for visualisation or concretisation;
* Teaching and assessment approaches, innovations and best practices;
* Distance, online, blended, and informal learning;
* Learning analytics and educational data mining.

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES

Research papers (up to 10 pages) present high-quality research, broadly categorised as empirical, theoretical or systems papers.

* Empirical research papers will include rigorous collection, analysis and interpretation of empirical data, and might discuss, for example, an educational intervention, use of educational technology, a research survey or a qualitative study of a learning situation. These papers are expected to apply a theoretical framework to support the interpretation of the results and to justify the choice of methodology and analysis approaches, at a level of detail that would permit the research to be replicated.

* Theoretical research papers focus on deriving a better understanding of the process of teaching/learning computing or of conducting research in computing education. These papers should have a strong discussion of relevant theoretical frameworks, for instance, from the educational, psychological, or sociological research literature, and should develop new insights into learning in the discipline. Theoretical papers will be evaluated mainly on the quality of theoretical discussion and the significance of the contribution.

* System papers will present systems or tools developed as a contribution to research or practice in computing education, or perhaps to practice in education more broadly. These papers should describe and present the system or tool, explain the theoretical basis behind it, why it was needed, how it was designed and developed, and present an evaluation of its effectiveness in the context of computing education. Good candidates are tools and systems that are based on previously published research and have already been adopted outside their original context.

Short papers (up to 5 pages) focus on dissemination and discussion of new ideas in computing education practice or research that merit wider awareness and discussion within the community. They can present preliminary results of new educational innovations, present and discuss novel educational technologies, report work-in-progress research (including promising systems or tools that have not yet been evaluated and/or adopted extensively), or raise issues of significance for the development of the discipline, such as long-term strategic needs for computing education and curricula. All short papers are expected to have an appropriate coverage of literature to support the ideas and arguments that they present. Because it lacks some elements of a research paper, a short paper is evaluated mainly by its anticipated impact on discussions during the conference and possible future contribution to the field of computing education.

Poster/demo papers (2-page abstract) are interactive presentations of emerging ideas for research, teaching practice, or tools. Submissions are evaluated based on their originality and possible future contribution to the field of computing education.

SUBMISSION INFORMATION

Please follow the instructions on the conference web page, http://www.kolicalling.fi/.

REVIEW PROCESS AND PUBLICATION

To ensure selection of high quality contributions, submissions for the Research and Short Paper categories are reviewed by at least three members of the international program committee. Poster and Demo abstracts are reviewed by at least two members of the program committee. The Koli Calling program committee takes pride in considering submissions thoroughly and providing constructive feedback. The review process is double-blind, so submitted papers must be properly anonymised.

As in previous years, all papers from the conference will be indexed and available through the ACM Digital Library.​ ​Proceedings from past conferences are available through the ACM Digital Library, https://dl.acm.org/proceedings.cfm

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

Joensuu is easily accessible from Helsinki, either by air (one-hour flight) or by rail (4½-hour journey). Further details about transport arrangements from Joensuu to the conference venue in Koli will be posted on the conference website.

CONFERENCE CHAIRS

* Mike Joy, University of Warwick, UK
* Petri Ihantola, University of Helsinki, Finland