The School is targeted at research students as well as early career researchers [ECRs] interested in exploring current research topics in the areas of data management and data quality as well as a foundational overview of research methods in CS & IS, and machine learning. The series of EII Schools brings PhD students and ECRs together with experienced national and international researchers from institutions across the EII network to enhance and invigorate research education, and to improve a depth of understanding of emerging and fundamental topics in ICT. The Schools offer an opportunity for PhD students and ECRs to share and discuss their research with peers and mentors, and to start developing ideas & concepts into research papers for submission to major international journals and conferences. The experience will also advance the development and raise the standard of the students’ dissertations and research publications in general.

A basic theme underlying the workshop is that the disciplines related to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are applied disciplines and should not draw their models of research practice uncritically from the natural or social sciences. An inspiration for this perspective is Herbert Simon’s Science of the Artificial.

Yet, despite increasing sympathy for this view, and increasing interest in design research and design theorizing with respect to ICT, there is not a great deal of firm guidance for researchers on “how to do” design research well and a number of questions remain unanswered. Experiences with reviewing papers for journals and research grants also suggest that researchers still struggle with aspects of the design research process across the ICT disciplines. The workshop will address this situation.

The program commences with a welcome dinner at 7.00pm Friday 15 August, and continues for 4.5 days [9am Saturday 16 to 2pm Wednesday 20 August] at the Kioloa Coastal Campus of the ANU, located 2.5 hours from Canberra and 3.5 hours from Sydney.

The Career Development Workshop for ECRs will be run in parallel with the Winter School. The purpose of this workshop is to assist ECRs to establish meaningful connections within their research community, to provide opportunities for new and effective research collaborations. to inspire an active research network among ECRs as well as with senior researchers in Australia, and to address issues specifically related to ECRs. ECR delegates will also be welcome to attend Winter School sessions.