CPsquare:Research and dissertation fest

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CPsquare practice notes
sharing what we do and (and trying to explain why we do it that way).

CPsquare traditionally holds a series of presentations and discussions about research projects and outcomes each fall and spring called the Research and dissertation fest. This page describes what the event is, who is involved, and how it works. Other communities may borrow from our process and we'd love to hear your suggestions. (Also, contact us if you'd like to present.)

Contents

Outcomes

  • The presenter benefits from contact with other researchers and practitioners who are immersed in either the subject of communities of practice or methodologies to study them
  • The CPsquare community is abreast of current research and our thinking is stretched by the work and findings of a particular project
  • The CPsquare community may have useful suggestions for project or research direction, application, or even employment
  • Resources such as useful references are shared
  • We keep the conversation alive
  • It’s a lot of fun!

Context and assumptions

This event has evolved over the years as a result of our community's nature and these assumptions:

  • The CPsquare community values rigorous research and ongoing practice. We have considerable depth on both sides and we seek to find ways in which one can inform the other.
  • This series allows authors to hold dialog around their dissertations, theses or research projects with the CPsquare community (which embraces academic researchers, thought leaders and practitioners in many domains related to communities of practice).
  • For authors, presenting to CPsquare community, whose members who are well versed in the theories, methodologies and practices around communities of practice can be very useful and gratifying. This is especially so if they are reporting on “solo” work or they work in an environment where a social learning or community perspective is itself isolating for some reason. This fest offers a sympathetic social context in which to unpack issues you work with.
  • For researchers and practitioners in CPsquare, having people share their research work extends our access to cutting edge, high-quality and in-depth efforts to understand what is CPsquare’s domain.

How it works

  • Several different kinds of projects are appropriate for CPsquare's Research and Dissertation Fest (actually we try to mix these):
    • Proposals - people looking to clarify their research topic, strategy or methodology
    • Work-in-progress - people part way through but who are seeking assistance in some challenge
    • Findings and completed work - people presenting what they have discovered and positioning it in the context of other completed research and understandings.
  • We always try to pair a presenter with a community “host” who can offer support and facilitation during the session.
    • Usually the online dialog begins a few days before the conference call so that the presenter and community members can pose some questions that help unpack the context of the research.
    • A synchronous event (usually around 20:00 or 21:00 GMT) is a focal point but is only a part of the whole
    • Small groups for the synchronous sessions make for good discussions, which are always recorded so that others in the community can participate by reading a chat transcript or listening afterwards. It turns out that the artifacts from one of our R&D presentations may be retrieved and used for months later.
  • Summaries are always appreciated and valued but it's nobody's job to produce one

What to share

There are several kinds of documents that a presenter might usefully share with everyone. Some could be posted well in advance, others just in time for the synchronous interactions, and others can be posted later if appropriate. Different kinds of documents go in different locations:

  • An abstract or project description - goes in the session discussion and is included in the community announcements.
  • An introduction or summary - preparatory reading goes in the session discussion.
  • Slides or other presentation materials - go in the session discussion, posted at least a day or two before a synchronous event.
  • Final report, thesis or dissertation - goes in the CPsquare library whenever it's available.

Notes for presenters

  • Manage the scope of your presentation. Be careful to not try to present 4 years of work in 20 minutes. Better for you to choose a key theme or aspect adequately than to ask everyone to madly skim your work. In fact, it helps if you have a small set of questions that are really important to you that can frame your presentation and the whole conversation. That gives people a sense of your direction and of how the conversation can be helpful to you.
  • As presenter you are invited to bring one or more guests to the conversation.
  • To kick things off, please share a summary (it could be both a document or a set of slides or both) that describes the key issues in your research and makes it readily accessible to a busy audience (takes less than an hour to read). We try to get the discussion going in the online space where your summary is posted before the synchronous conversation.
  • You are invited to share your entire report (thesis or dissertation or a derivative) in CPsquare's Knowledge Base. People will consult it over the years and sharing it in a private space can avoid conflicts with some copyright restrictions.
  • During the synchronous event you are asked to introduce your research in a conference call for no more than 15 to 20 minutes. After that the discussion is a free give-and-take around the issues that come up. Although most often we use a phone bridge and a chat room for note taking (referring to slides that people have downloaded separately) we can also make arrangements for a webinar-type presentation if that would be helpful.
  • At the very end it's nice if you can post some kind of final reflection on your experience and what presenting your work to us has meant.

Notes for session hosts

  • CPsquare has a tradition of hosting presenters as honored guests. The host's role is to make the presenter feel welcome and help them figure out how to have fun and share their work most effectively.
  • There are several levels of effort that you can bring to this role:
    • Minimum: Post or write the speaker and tell them you’ll be there. Show up at the teleconference call. Be forthright about asking the “stupid questions” that get the conversation going.
    • Nice: beyond the minimum, peek at what the presenter has provided and bring questions. Prepare an informal introduction for the presenter.
    • Better: Check in with the presenter -- by email or by phone before the teleconference session.
    • Better yet: beyond that, post some questions and comments in the online space
    • Better yet again: invite other CPsquare members who can contribute in any way to the inquiry or who would benefit from it. Pointing to previous discussions or artifacts can help, too.
    • Wonderful: check in with the presenter and strategize so that your needs, the presenter’s and the community’s needs are all addressed.
    • Fabulous: summarize important points, follow-up online, thank the presenter.
    • Beyond fabulous: add clarification to the CPsquare wiki so that other community members are encouraged to participate productively.
  • Hosts are not responsible for session logistics -- only to support the presentation and inquiry
  • It helps if the presenter and you are both subscribed to the discussion area.
  • It's good if you can tailor our "focus questions" to the topic & the conversation, either online or at the teleconference:
    • How did you come to do this project? Tell us the project's story.
    • How did your involvement with the community or people you write about evolve? How did you get to know them? (CoP methodology issues)
    • What are the implications for practice?
    • In what ways did this work resonate for you?

Notes for Organizer or concierge

  • Make sure the schedule is known and is accurate
  • Make sure the host and the presenter are subscribed by email so that they are alerted when postings are made.
  • Provide support where needed (produce the recording and post the chat transcript).

Notes for session participants

  • Plan to spend some time preparing if you can: dig in.
  • Have fun!
  • Prepare for when it's your turn as either a host or a presenter...
  • Dial into conference call a few minutes early
  • Be prepared for continued phone conversation beyond the appointed time
  • Make sure that someone is handling the mechanics (audio recording, note-taking, etc.)

Personal experience

Since personal experience trumps general statements of intention or practice like this wiki page, here are links to what individuals have said:

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