These courses are offered for the CWC; they are ordered into five topic groups. We offer 11 long courses (10 hours or more) and a range of medium and short courses and presentations. Within each topic, the longest courses are listed first and the short presentations last.
The registration for courses is now open. After the registration deadline, we will check the number of participants for each course. If the number of registrations for a particular course are too low, the course might not be offered at the CWC. Final confirmation of course registrations will be sent out after the registration deadline.

In addition to the courses, every day will end with a keynote talk or a panel discussion. Keynotes and panels are held by invited guest speakers; they will be announced separately.

To register, follow the instructions provided on the registration form. When registering for courses, please check the timetable to avoid overlappings.

Note that the extended early bird registration deadline is now the 6th December.

Software Engineering
Project Management
Usability - Human-Computer Interaction
Applied Computer Science
Presenting, Teaching, and Research

Software Engineering

• SOEN1: Software supporting Business – A holistic introduction to Software-Engineering

  During the history of Software Engineering not only methodologies (structured programming/Jackson – Object orientation (OO)) and languages have been developed but also processes and organizatorical structures have been changed (Waterfall process - cyclic process). These changes were initiated by new technologies (memory capacities, processors , graphical UI's and development tools) and theoretical background (abstract data types), together with derived languages (ADA, Smalltalk, C++,...) as well as new requirements from customers (Usability, servicability, maintenance costs, ...). All these influences lead to the best practices known today in software engineering.
  Software is supporting business or administrative work or others and is therefore always connected to the customer domain it is integrated in. Therefore knowledge about designing and implementing software is not sufficient to create applications supporting business effectively. The intercation between business process modelling and System analysis is also part of the lecture. The course contains an historical overview of Software Engineering along the three main routes theory, processes and teams and business process modeling. The lecture will be supported by excercises on analysis and business process modelling.
  • Presenter: Ute Twisselmann
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 15 hours (over 5 days)
  • Target group: open
  • Requirements: some experience in programming (C++, Java or Smalltalk)
  • # Participants: up to 20

• SOEN2: Software modelling with UML 2.0

  Unified Modeling Language (UML) is a universal description language for all kinds of object-oriented software. It is used to express the constructs and relationships of complex systems. It was created in response to a request for proposal issued by the Object Management Group (OMG), the organization that owns the UML standard. The standard 2.0 gives it since at the beginning of 2004.
  In the course will be presented the most important aspects of the dynamic and structural modelling of the software. All acquired knowledge will be used by the analyzing of some concrete software systems. Detailed will be shown the Class diagrams, Use Case diagrams, Sequence diagrams and State machine. The course is suitable in particular for participant, which are already familiar with the bases of programming and would like to experience, how the complex software system may be useful modelled and efficiently developed.
  • Presenter: Christina Dorotska
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 15 hrs (over 5 days)
  • Target group: undergraduates, graduates, reearchers and practitioners
  • Requirements: interest in object oriented programming
  • # Participants: up to 12




• SOEN3: The technical side of managing a project

  Do you talk to your mates when programming? Who is changing the code right now? Two or more people developing a software together face several challanges: How can all the developers (programmers, translators, artists, ...) work on the same code at the same time? Who is keeping track of the bugs that people found? Can you automate the compilation and installation of the software?
  This course will introduce you to tools that can help addressing these problems. The course focuses on hands-on experience -- so you will get the chance to try out all of the tools yourself! Examples are wikis, version control tools like CVS, build tools like ant and make, and bug tracking systems. Some of the tools can even help you manage projects where you're the only person involved.
  This course is for you if you have some experience in programming and are interested in getting to know tools that can make a developer's life much easier. Ideally, you should have been part of a project that didn't go too well, but you're also welcome if you've only worked on your own so far.
  • Presenter: Andrea Schweer
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 10 hours (over 3 days)
  • Target group: open for all audiences
  • Requirements: basic programming skills
  • # Participants: up to 12




• SOEN4: On paintings, bridges and other problems in Discworld - An introduction to the (Unfortunately the presenters had to cancel the course offer).




• SOEN5: Philosophical Ontology in Information Systems: Building an Enterprise Ontology

  Ontology has become popular in software engineering circles in the past couple of years. The rising interest for ontology in software engineering circles indicates growing concern for a better representation of reality in order to deliver better software. However, the benefits it has delivered are far from the original intentions. The main reason for this is that the term "ontology" was borrowed from philosophy without honouring its implications.
  The workshop will familiarize the participants with the ontological structures of Philosophy. We try to answer the question of how best to model best concepts of the real world by means of philosophical ontology. At the beginning of each session we reflect first on one or two philosophical concepts. Then we try to apply these concepts and transform our insights on ontological structures into practice by developing an Enterprise Ontology based on these structures.
  • Presenter: Ruth Hagengruber
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 6 hours (over 3 days)
  • Target group: Students from Software Engeneering and Life Sciences
  • Requirements: Interest in ontologies and software engeneering
  • # Participants: up to 7

Project Management

• PM1: Introduction to project management

  This workshop is aimed at graduate students or professionals, who already have experience in project work (necessary!), are about to or will in the future (co-) lead projects and therefore want to acquaint themselves with basic methods and tools for project planning and control. In small groups these tools are applied practically, so that their advantages and disadvantages become clear.
  The contents of the course includes the definition of important terms and roles in projects. Different organisational structures and phase concepts of projects are presented. The tasks and problems of project management are focal to this course. Planning tasks like capacity planning and tools to support various planning and controllin gactivities such as diagrams, networks or meetings are discussed and applied in the practical exercises.
  The participants of this course are welcome to contribute their own experiences in projects and are encouraged to discuss problems confronted with in projects
  • Presenter: Ruth Marzi
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 14 hours (over 3 days)
  • Target group: graduate students and professionals
  • Requirements: experience in project work
  • # Participants: up to 12




• PM2: Systems thinking and IT project management

  Information Technology (IT) projects often experience cost overruns, delays and quality problems. These difficulties are, in part, due the unanticipated side effects of the project manager’s “corrective measures”. As IT professionals, we need to understand the complex nature of projects so that we might be better able to manage the process.
  This course uses a case study and an interactive simulation to illustrate how to combine the traditional project management tools with more innovative system dynamics techniques. In this seminar, you will learn techniques to help you: 1) identify the classical control tools used in traditional project management; 2) recognize the differences between process and a system; 3) gain a better understanding of systems thinking; 3) create and use causal loop diagrams to capture the project dynamics; and 4) use systems thinking to respond appropriately to changes in the project schedule, product quality, productivity, rework and staffing concerns.
  • Presenter: CJ Kalin
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 6 hours (on 1 day)
  • Target group: open for all audiences
  • Requirements: basic knowledge in system analysis
  • # Participants: up to 30




• PM3: Agile Project Management

  to be announced - case studies
  • Presenter: Rebecca Blackshaw
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 6 hrs (over 3 days)
  • Target group: tba
  • Requirements: interest in object oriented programming
  • # Participants: up to 15




• PM4: Business Process Management - A Model for Assessing Organisational Maturity

  Business Process Management (BPM) is emerging as one of the most sustainable management practices of our generation. Many organisations are keen to progress BPM maturity and gain access to the significant benefits that can result. Currently however, there is a mountain of information available about BPM and what it can mean to organisations. This research cuts through the mountain and presents the results in a model that focuses on critical BPM issues whilst being easily applied and understood within organisations. After identifying more than 150 BPM models, leading BPM authors from the USA have described this model as the "most advanced BPM maturity model they've seen"! So, if your time is valuable and you're looking for a quick way of finding out what's really important about BPM implementation and advancement this is the lecture for you. On the other hand, if you're simply interested in keeping abreast of the latest research in this progressive area and would like to contribute your thoughts and experiences to an evolving BPM model then you'll also enjoy participating.
  • Presenter: Tonia de Bruin
  • Course type: Lecture
  • Length: 2hrs (on 1 day)
  • Target group: Open for all audiences, particularly professionals and academics with an interest in process management from an organisational perspective
  • Requirements: interest in BPM practices
  • # Participants: up to 30

Usability

• HCI1: Gender norms in digital brain and body images

  In this course I will work on digital images and animations of bodies and brains. At the interface between IT and biomedical sciences these images are wide spread via new media as "true" pictures of the real body. However, these images result from complex series of technical constructions and, thus, incorporate also cultural gender norms and dichotomies. The aim of this course is to analyze (a) the steps of technical image production, where cultural norms can be inscribed in these pictures, (b) what is shown in the pictures and what is missed, and (c) how these images influence our beliefs and perceptions of gender, body and the brain.
  The course will start working out the steps of digital body and brain imaging (data processing, IT-methods of filtering, interpolation, segmentation, rendering, computer graphics). Literature will be given to the participants in advance and particular examples of body image construction will be analyzed in detail in the course. In the second part the participants shall choose particular images from an internet survey and analyze them with methods, that will be introduced by the docent. Third, the participants will prepare and conduct a small empirical study with participants of the congress on how these images influence the perception of gender norms concerning body and brain. The results shall be presented on the congress.
  • Presenter: Siegrid Schmitz
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 15 hours (over 5 days)
  • Target group: undergrads, graduate students, and practitioners
  • Requirements: none
  • #Participants: 20




• HCI2: Usability Engineering IT Systems - From Concept to Prototype

  Today it is imperative that information technology (IT) systems provide an agreeable user experience. Users are becoming less tolerant of systems that do not meet their needs or effectively help them achieve goals.
  This course is targeted at people interested in creating usable systems. Those who register will develop basic skills to help create systems that are easy to learn and use, effective and efficient, and liked by the users. This course will be hands on and will feature three steps: 1) user definition and requirements, 2) usability evaluation and 3) iterative design with paper-based mock-ups.
  • Presenter: Kirsten Thomson and Chris Knowles
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 8 hours (over 2 days)
  • Target group: open
  • Requirements: interest in product development in R&D or academic environments, basic knowledge in research and development lifecycles
  • # Participants: up to 12




• HCI3: What's driving the machine? Talking about how people interact with computers

  Computers have changed immensely in the past 50 years, going from a large machine housed in glass and interacted with only by trained technicians to bland boxes seen on desks everywhere, and even further to handheld devices, chattering boxes in cars, and mobile phones. With this expansion has come increased interest in how to make computers easier for people to use (rather than training the people in how to use computers). This course will touch upon various aspects of Human Computer Interaction, including some of its history, some of the principles widely advocated by experts, and what it means when the computer no longer sits on a desk. During the course, not only will there be "lecture time", but "practical time" where students work in small groups to apply what they have learned.
  • Presenter: Dana McKay
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 5 hrs (over 3 days)
  • Target group: open
  • Requirements: none, interest in HCI
  • # Participants: up to 20




• HCI4: Good Design

  When is a system designed well? There are many aspects to well designed systems. During this 2 hour workshop we will focus on aspects of design that help provide an effective user experience. This course will 1) feature a walkthrough of some well used usability principles and 2) provide examples of 'good' and 'bad' usability from every day life and IT systems in use today.
  • Presenter: Kirsten Thomson
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 2 hours (on 1 day)
  • Target group: open
  • Requirements: interest in product development
  • # Participants: up to 20

Applied Computer Science

• ACS1: Introduction to Computer Networks

  ISO/OSI, TCP/IP, CSMA/CD, Token Ring, ATM, repeater, bridges, router, gateways, switches - what's that and what do we need it for anyway?? No problem: We need it for electronic mail, for log-on at remote computers, for file transfer or in order to get information from the web. For these applications an enormous fundament is necessary. A fundament we normally do not notice at all. We usually neither care what kind of networks are used by these applications, nor how the masses of data are coordinated. We ignore why computers understand each other, and how they find their partner for communication even though there are so many computers and they are located arbitrarily.
  In this course we want to try to understand this bedlam of wires, packets, protocols and acronyms and to analyse what happens in a network. For this the basic principles for communication in a network are explained. We will then discuss matters more thoroughly in little exercises in groups and present our results to the other participants.
  • Presenter: Doris Jung
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 15 hours (over 4 days)
  • Target group: open for all audiences
  • Requirements: basic knowledge in computer science
  • # Participants: up to 15




• ACS2: Programming of Robot Dogs

  Programming can be very exciting if the programmer immediately recognizes what she has just programmed. With Sony Aibo robot dogs programming can be examined on the behaviour of the robot. The Sony Aibo was designed after the model of a domestic animal with four legs as well as a head and a tail, "thereby one finds it sympathic at first sight" (Sony). It has twenty servo actuators which make naturally movements of the robot dog possible when it is running or putting down. Additionally it can show with its eyes, tail and ears movements "feeling expressions". This workshop offers an introduction to the programming of Sony Aibo ERS7 robot dogs by means of an easy to learn script language. Apart from some theory most of the time we experiment with small changes of behaviour of the robot dogs and program further tasks.
  • Presenter: Birgit Koch
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 15 hours (over 4 days)
  • Target group: open for all audiences
  • Requirements: interest in edutainment robotics
  • # Participants: up to 8




• ACS3: Speech processing methods and applications

  This lecture with discussions comprises of the presentation and detailing of methods and applications for speech processing in the context of human-human- and human-machine-interaction. Theoretical basics and examples for applications are presented. The topics include human speaking resp. hearing physiology as well as human-human-communication and characteristics of human dialogues (linguistic basics such as lexicon and morphology, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic analysis). Furthermore, methods for the automatic recognition and generation of speech (neural networks, hidden Markov models, grammars) and their problems and limits are discussed. Speech quality measurement and the evaluation of speech processing systems round up the contents of this course.
  The participants of this course are encouraged to form their own opinions on the applicability of this technology in praxis, which will be discussed.
  • Presenter: Ruth Marzi
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 14 hours (over 3 days)
  • Target group: undergarduates, graduate students and professionals
  • Requirements: basic CS knowledge
  • # Participants: up to 30




• ACS4: Hands-on Knowledge Representation

  As the information economy becomes ever more integrated globally (and efforts such as the semantic web ever more tempting), the search for a universal language for machine-readable knowledge representation and sharing becomes ever more intense. Cycorp, originally an AI research company, has over the last 18 years built an enormous 'formal ontology' for this purpose, in a language with the full expressiveness of first-order logic. In 2002, 40% of the this ontology was released as open-source ('OpenCyc' - cf. www.opencyc.org).
  Come and play within this system! Explore the knowledge already represented, add your own, and ask the system questions using its purpose-built 'inference engine'.
  • Presenter: Cathrine Legg
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 12 hours (over 4 days)
  • Target group: open
  • Requirements: Interest in AI, logic-based programming languages
  • # Participants: up to 20




• ACS5: Pen-Based Computing

  Pen-based computing is quickly becoming main stream. This seminar will provide an overview of pen-based computing. Including design and interaction requirements, implementation issues and current research in the area.
  • Presenter: Beryl Plimmer
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 6 hours (over two days)
  • Target group: open
  • Requirements: basic programming skills
  • # Participants: up to 20




• ACS6: How does a digital library work?

  This course will involve hands-on experience at using and creating digital collections, using Greenstone, an open source digital library system developed at the University of Waikato. Digital libraries allow you to organise your documents and files, and provide various means of accessing the information such as searching and browsing.
  • Presenter: Katherine Don and Chi-Yu Huang
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 4 hours (over 2 days)
  • Target group: open
  • Requirements: none
  • # Participants: up to 15




• ACS7: Technical Innovation Workshop

  This workshop is similar to what we do in the Virtual Development Center (a partnership among several universities and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology).
  The workshops have brought together women with a variety of life experiences (teenagers to octogenarians, technophile to technophobe) to provide a forum for women in local communities to make their views on technological developments known to major research and development organizations; to generate new and unique ideas for technological changes and developments that would be of benefit to women and families; and to provide a setting in which women from all levels of technical expertise can discuss their needs, and increase their skills in expressing their views on technology.
  An essential feature of the workshop is the Thinking Environment*. The Thinking Environment* is a model of human interaction that is committed to the idea that things work best when people think for themselves. The underlying framework is fairly straightforward and asserts the following:
  • Action is only as good as the thinking that precedes it; and
  • The quality of a person's thinking depends on the quality of attention she is given while she is thinking.
  We begin the workshop with a brief description of the Thinking Environment*, and then give participants the opportunity to practice by working with two or three different people in pairs which we call Thinking Partners. Throughout the remainder of the workshop whether we are working in small brainstorming groups, large information sharing groups, or pairs, we work within the Thinking Environment* framework to ensure that everyone gets the quality of attention that encourages quality thinking.
  
  • Presenter: Ruth Davis
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 4 hours (on 1 day)
  • Target group: all audiences, as diverse as possible: technophobe to technophile
  • Requirements: none
  • #Participants: 30




• ACS8: How Does Knowledge Get Into the Machine? A Short History From Philosophy to AI

  Seamless mapping between objects in reality and in software is a main target in representing reality in information technologies. More and more the focus is shifting from technology to semantics and modelling relationships.
  The philosophical tradition of Knowledge Representation can be traced back to the 15th century. It provides a history full of various methods, for representing the knowledge of reality in a systematic way. We will begin with Camillos system in which knowledge has been stored in a way, that everybody can use, whatever question is posed. Knowledge can be activated according to the needs of the questioner. We will explore the development from this system to the current AI expert system. I will present methods that influenced our way of building knowledge in semantic nets.
  • Presenter: Ruth Hagengruber
  • Course type: Lecture
  • Length: 4 hours (over 2 days)
  • Target group: Open to all audiences. Students and participants of all disciplines who are interested in artificial intelligence and philosophy.
  • Requirements: no special requirements
  • # Participants: up to 30

Presenting, Teaching, and Research

• PTR1: How to give a presentation - moderation and presentation explained

  How to work with groups - moderation and visualization explained When we are working in groups, we would like to use the creativity of all group members and we would like to refer all persons into the group happenings. Women often encounter borders when they are part of mixed groups. For example in meetings women often do not dare to express their opinion or even more badly they are over-heard. The moderation technique can help to involve women in group happenings more deeply and to solve conflicts in the group.
  In this workshop the participants will get to know moderation and visualization techniques that will be tested in many small exercises.
  • Presenter: Birgit Koch
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 15 hrs (over 4 days)
  • Target group: open for all audiences
  • Requirements: none
  • # Participants: up to 12




• PTR2: Cut your own publicity film

  (Unfortunately the presenters had to cancel the course offer).




• PTR3: Mathematical proofs made easy

  Mathematical techniques are quite useful for a lot of things, including computer science. Often people think about math: "difficult". But actually, the underlying idea of a proof can be simple and even beautiful. These are the ones we are looking at in this course.
  You will learn and practice several approaches to proving mathematical statements that are useful in computer science.
  I will show you that maths does not have to be frustrating and difficult but can be a lot of fun.
  • Presenter: Katrin Hofmann-Credner
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 9 hours (over 3 days)
  • Target group: open for all audiences (no special mathematical skills needed)
  • Requirements: interest in maths
  • # Participants: up to 15




• PTR4: Workshop for PhD students: Succeeding as Women Computing Students

  Beryl has worked in the local computer industry in the 1970’s and taught at polytechnics and Auckland University. In this workshop she will share her experience of working in the computer industry, teaching and studying computing while balancing family and other commitments. She does not claim to have all the answers, but she sure has lots of experience. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to share their own experiences and tips with the group.
  • Presenter: Beryl Plimmer
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 3 hours (on 1 day)
  • Target group: open, especially students
  • Requirements: none
  • # Participants: up to 20




• PTR5: Tips and Tricks when teaching online using a Managed Learning Environment (MLE)

  This workshop provides practical strategies to ensure the success of an online course. These include consistently repeating course content in a variety of integrated media, scheduling or automation of course content, encouraging weekly student participation and encouraging students to become active members and contribute to the class.
  The workshop will be highly practical in nature with participants encouraged to implement each strategy in a Blackboard course created for the workshop. Participants will be provided with workbooks that contain all the instructions for each strategy and links to further resources and references.
  The workshop will use Blackboard© but people using other Learning Management Systems (LMS) may also find it useful. Participants will gain hands on experience by experimenting in their own area of the Managed Learning Environment (MLE) using HTML and other resources provided online and in the workbook.
  The facilitator of the workshop has many years experience with teaching and learning online.
  • Presenter: Mae McSporran
  • Course type: Workshop
  • Length: 4 hrs (on 1 day)
  • Target group: Trainers in the business environment, students and lecturers
  • Requirements: ability to use the Web and with Windows environment
  • # Participants: up to 12




• PTR6: Teaching in big classes

  How to interact with big classes and get the students involved in presenting and contributing to the course material.
  Teaching and learning in really big classes can be a difficult proposition for both students and lecturers. Students are often hesitant to ask questions or to interact with fellow students. Identity and communication are replaced by anonymity and isolation. Lecturers often do not get feedback from students; therefore feel unsure about whether they have been successfully conveying the material or whether the students have grasped the point of the lecture.
  There is also a heavy demand on limited resources ranging from library materials on reserve and laboratory space, to tutors and markers, to the lecturers time. Furthermore one has to address the issue of how do you assess hundreds of students appropriately and fairly and provide adequate and sufficiently rapid feedback? Not to mention the social and psychological issues of motivation, concentration, and sense of community ... important for both students and lecturers. Teaching and learning in large and very-large classes can be improved by careful preparation of lecture material, by personalising lectures, by including active learning strategies, by maintaining close contact with the tutors and support staff of the course, etc.
  The main purpose of this course is to present the various strategies adopted in order to improve the learning environment of our students and to keep them motivated. The examples used demonstrate how students can actively be involved in teaching a big class, depending on their level. The presentation of this course includes some of the techniques presented by actively involving the audience and resumes with a discussion forum.
  • Presenter: Ute Loerch
  • Course type: Lecture
  • Length: 2hrs (on 1 day)
  • Target group: open
  • Requirements: none
  • # Participants: up to 30




• PTR7: Writing a thesis: time management and presentation issues

  Are you always working late at night right before the deadline?
  And giving a presentation is really a pain for you?

  If this applies to you - this course is for you: it gives an easy introduction into self- and time-management when writing a project report or a thesis. We will also talk about how to present the results of your hard work. Practical (real-life) examples will illustrate the problems and solutions.
  

  Then the course is mainly focussed on undergraduates and graduate students, but open for all interested participants.

  • Presenter: Annika Hinze
  • Course type: Course
  • Length: 2 hrs (on 1 day)
  • Target group: open for all audiences
  • Requirements: none
  • # Participants: up to 15




• PTR8: Kanohi ki te Kanohi: Maori Women in Information Technology (IT)

  to be announced
  • Presenter: Julia Ngatuere, Jenni Tupu, and Alison Young
  • Course type: Seminar
  • Length: 2 hrs (on 1 day)
  • Target group: open
  • Requirements: interest in Women in IT, Wahine in IT
  • # Participants: up to 30