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The COCOON Educational Workshop (2024)

With the rapid advancement of technology, computing education is actively exploring innovative teaching methods to cultivate students' abilities to solve complex problems. Fields such as applied mathematics, theoretical computer science, and combinatorial optimization provide a solid theoretical foundation and practical tools for this educational innovation, enabling students to respond flexibly and creatively to current and future scientific and technological challenges.

The Educational Workshop for the International Computing and Combinatorics Conference (COCOON) will be held in Shanghai, China, on August 23, 2024.

The COCOON Educational Workshop (2024) invites contributions that align with the conference's mission to foster the development of computer science and engineering talent, with a focus on the theme of computing and combinatorics. This workshop seeks to gather insights, methods, and experiences from educators, researchers, and industry professionals on how to effectively teach and nurture the next generation of computer scientists and engineers. This workshop aims to provide a platform for researchers and professionals from academia, education, and industry to exchange the latest research findings and explore the development trends in computing education. Special attention will be given to applying theoretical computer science in education and exploring innovative teaching methods to cultivate exceptional computer science talents.

Topics of interest

The workshop aims to explore innovative pedagogical approaches and practical strategies that leverage the theoretical foundations of applied mathematics, theoretical computer science, and combinatorial optimization to prepare students for the challenges of the future. We are particularly interested in submissions that address the following aspects:

  1. Innovative Teaching Methods: Share novel teaching techniques and methodologies that have been successfully implemented in classrooms, labs, or other educational settings to enhance students' problem-solving skills and critical thinking in the context of computing and combinatorics.

  2. Experiential Learning: Present case studies and best practices from internships, workshops, and competitions that have effectively engaged students in hands-on, real-world applications of computing and combinatorial concepts.

  3. Talent Cultivation: Discuss strategies for nurturing exceptional talent in computer science and engineering, including mentorship programs, collaborative projects, and interdisciplinary approaches that have proven effective in developing the next generation of leaders in the field.

  4. Curriculum Development: Propose and evaluate new curricula or course designs that integrate theoretical and practical aspects of computing and combinatorics, with a focus on addressing contemporary and future technological challenges.

  5. Research and Development: Present research findings that explore the application of algorithms, computational complexity, and combinatorial optimization to real-world problems, with a special emphasis on experimental and applied research that can inform educational practices.

The topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Teaching algorithms and data structures
  • Computational thinking and coding education
  • Computational modeling and simulation in education
  • Complexity theory and education
  • Theoretical computer science in education
  • Combinatorics related to algorithms: research into practice
  • Educational data mining and machine learning
  • Data-driven approaches to education
  • Learning analytics and visualization
  • Educational decision making
  • Personalized and adaptive learning
  • E-learning platforms and tools
  • Teaching-learning and assessment
  • Practice-driven research teacher professional development

Important Dates

  • Submission Deadline: July 31, 2024
  • Notification of Acceptance: Aug 10, 2024
  • Camera Ready: Aug 17, 2024
  • Workshop: Aug 23, 2024

Paper Submission

Submitted papers must describe work not previously published. They must not be submitted simultaneously to any other conference with refereed proceedings or to journals. We regard the following case as a simultaneous submission. Submission of drafts which contain the essentially same results from papers under review in other conferences or journals at the moment of the submission. The length of the submission should not exceed 6 pages in LNCS style (including references, but excluding the optional appendix). Only electronic PDF submission will be allowed via the Springer Online Conference System. Please check conference webpage for more details. Additionally, exceptional papers will be considered for inclusion in a special issue in high-quality educational journals.