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Workbook Guidelines and Procedures

Criteria Used To Critique New Workbooks

Below is a list of criteria used by the Workshop Development Committee Chair to critique new workbooks. (Table 1)

Workbooks are reviewed under the auspices of the Workshop Development Committee Chair. Clearly, due regard for the criteria before the workbook is submitted will make the review process more productive, and will also minimize the number and magnitude of revisions to be made by authors.

Any questions about the critique criteria are to be directed to the Workshop Development Committee Chair.

In regard to the list of critique criteria, contained in Table 1, the criteria are indicative, since variations in the workshops make it difficult to design a brief "one version suits all" filter. If and when necessary, remarks involving particulars are put directly on the texts to assist authors in their revisions.

TABLE 1. CRITERIA USED TO CRITIQUE WORKBOOKS

  • No sales pitch for products, services, companies, etc.
  • No claim of copyright by person(s) or corporation(s) is attached to any part of workbook except by URISA.
  • Author ensures that any copyrighted material included in workbook is used with explicit permission of owner.
  • Author biography (one paragraph per author) is included.
  • Format and style procedures are followed (see next page)
  • Table of Contents has logic and flow.
  • References are provided, and are appropriate.
  • Content of text is consistent with title.
  • No overlap/duplication with other workshops.
  • Content is consistent with Introduction to GIS (URISA workbook).
  • Regard is shown for URISA's philosophy, publications, etc.
  • Text is clear, comprehensive, current.
  • Graphics are clear, illuminating, supported by text.  
  • Language/terminology is clear, consistent.
  • No errors of syntax, spelling, grammar, etc.
  • Differences among data, information and knowledge are explicit and appropriate.

COPYRIGHT AND PROPRIETARY MATERIAL

Three procedures have been instituted to hold URISA free from harm on copyright and related matters, while allowing URISA to expand and protect its body of owned intellectual property (workbooks).

  • Authors are solely responsible for ensuring that any copyrighted or proprietary material included in a workbook is used with the permission of the owner or owners. The purpose of this procedure is to explicitly establish that authors are fully accountable for guaranteeing that all copyright or proprietary material included in URISA workbooks are used with the permission of their owners. The burden of this obligation properly falls on authors, as per the procedure, since only the authors know the source of materials and whether permission to use is needed and has been obtained. Written copyright release should be obtained on all proprietary materials and submitted along with the workbook.
  • No claim of copyright by a person or persons or by a corporation or corporations may be attached to any part of a workbook except by URISA. This procedure explicitly establishes that the only workbooks used in URISA Certified Workshops are those which are the sole property of URISA. As a result, no workbook whose copyright or proprietary interest is held by a body other than URISA may be used in a URISA workshop. Upon request, URISA will grant limited and unlimited use license to original workbook authors.
  • URISA workbooks may only be reproduced in whole or in part for purposes to which URISA has given explicit, written consent. The purpose of this procedure is to protect the interests of authors who have assigned copyright to URISA, to protect URISA's intellectual property, and to prevent misrepresentation of materials by persons not competent to use the workbook materials in the manner intended by the author(s) and URISA.

URISA WORKBOOK FORMAT AND STYLE

  • Workshop materials will be provided to participants bound in an 8-1/2 x 11" booklet. The title page will be provided by URISA.
  • Workbooks should contain between 50-100 pages in portrait orientation. Workbooks will be bound photocopies.
  • The workbook should contain a copy of each visual aid used as well as additional reference material that would be useful to the participant. The workbook is not a textbook, but a guide and future reference when combined with notes taken during the workshop.
  • The standard format for the workbook is:
    • Author biography
    • Table of Contents
    • Each session or instructional unit includes copies of all visual aids used in the session (graphic not to occupy more than 1/2 of page), summaries of major points, and reference material or a bibliography of pertinent materials.
    • Pages should have room for note taking. Remember, this is a Workbook.
    • Page numbers (bottom center)
    • The URISA footer (see item f, below) should be added to each page.
  • Page numbering by section is encouraged, e.g. 1-23, 1-24, 2-14, 2-15...
  • Each page should contain the following information in the lower left-hand corner. This is necessary for copyright protection, which applies whether or not the material is registered with the copyright office. "Urban and Regional Information Systems Association © 20XX."
  • A glossary of terms, acronyms, and concepts is always helpful. Remember that what you see as obvious may be unknown or misunderstood by your audience.
  • Allow adequate white space and margins on each page and provide URISA Headquarters with an electronic copy.

REVISIONS TO WORKBOOKS

Authors make minor section and edit changes. Authors may revise workbooks that have not yet been subjected to peer review and consensus. The Workshop Development Committee may engage someone other than an original workbook author to develop a new section for an existing workbook, and the Committee may excise or re-locate an existing workbook section due to changes in the workshop program. In the event of an author not wishing to engage in revisions, then the responsibility for edits, revisions, etc. falls to the Workshop Development Committee.

PROCEDURES FOR NOMINATING, APPROVING, ACCREDITING, RENEWING, AND ASSIGNING WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS

A number of procedures are in place to ensure that professionally qualified individuals populate the instructor base. In addition, the procedures seek to recruit workshop instructors who are representative of URISA's membership, and whose locations or situations enable URISA to serve the national and regional conference markets for workshops.

Nomination and Recruitment of Instructors

Chapters, special interest groups, etc. with an interest in supporting workshop activities may nominate candidates for instructor positions; they may offer their services; or Board members, Workshop Development Committee members and other URISA members may seek them. This is an open process, and any URISA member may be considered for selection as a workshop instructor.

In order for a URISA member to have his or her candidacy for instructor considered, the candidate assembles materials pertinent to the approval criteria and forwards them to URISA HQ. URISA HQ records the submission and then forwards it to the Workshop Development Committee Chair for action.

Approval of Instructors

In order to ensure that instructors are properly qualified to present workshops in the name of URISA, and to satisfy the conditions, which may be required by certification programs, a set of criteria and performance standards, have been adopted. Since the significance of criteria/standards may vary by workshop topic, various combinations of the criteria and standards are used in making determinations. Further, evidence of appreciation of URISA's philosophy and track record, and direct involvement in workshop-related URISA activities, are also considered in decisions about instructor selection and accreditation. The criteria used for approving workshop instructors are presented in Table 2.

TABLE 2. CRITERIA FOR APPROVING WORKSHOP INSTRUCTORS

  • Membership in URISA. Required.
  • A current curriculum vitae (C.V.) or résumé on file at URISA. Required. If C.V. or résumé is not on file, send to URISA Headquarters for review by Workshop Development Committee Chair.
  • GISP preferred.
  • Advanced academic degree preferred (MA, MS, Msc, etc., PhD).
  • Practical experience related to the workshop topic(s) preferred.
  • Publications in field of interest preferred.
  • Participation in URISA or similar conferences as session speaker or panelist in field of interest preferred.
  • Prior workshop experience in URISA or related group, association, institution preferred.
  • Favorable evaluations if previously an instructor or co-instructor in URISA conference workshops preferred.

Workshop coordinators present instructors for accreditation, and the Workshop Development Committee Chair institutes a review process to formally approve/not approve accreditation of nominee.

Accreditation of Instructors

The purpose of accreditation is to ensure that every URISA Certified Workshop is conducted by one or more instructors who has the credentials necessary to justify the certification of the workshop. Based on the materials submitted by candidates for instructor approval, the Workshop Development Committee may assign accreditation.

Assignments

In order to "grow and renew" the instructor base for all workshops, instructors are limited in regard to the number of times and length of time for which they may be given workshop assignments.

Authors of workbooks have the right of first refusal for all engagements for five years at the URISA Annual Conference, after which time they may wish to occasionally instruct for the purposes of making and "checking out" workbook revisions. For instructors in the mentoring process, they may be involved in several workshops in order to be accredited. Instructors involved in revisions to workbooks may also be engaged for several workshops.

It is incumbent upon coordinators to ensure that the above "grow-renew-write-revise" needs are given priority in regard to assignments. Further, it is incumbent upon coordinators to avoid assigning instructor opportunities to persons who are not part of a workbook writing or revision task, or are not in the mentoring/accrediting process.

Finally, in regard to assignments, coordinators are required to designate a minimum of two instructors for all workshops at the URISA Annual Conference, and for all URISA-sponsored workshops at URISA specialty conferences. A criterion to be satisfied, as part of the two-person team condition, is that a mentor/trainee relationship exist between or among instructors for every workshop offering so that URISA can "grow and renew" the instructor base.

Annual Instructor Review

The Workshop Development Committee conducts an annual review, after which it advises coordinators in regard to irregularities and adjustments, which must or should be made involving instructor assignments.

Final Authority on Assignments

In the event of oversights or other errors on the part of coordinators, and in the event of disputes involving instructors, or instructors and coordinators, modifications to assignments are fully within the purview of the Workshop Development Committee.

PROCEDURES FOR PROPOSING, EVALUATING, AND ACCEPTING OR REJECTING NEW WORKSHOP PROPOSALS

The following steps and activities describe the process for dealing with solicited and unsolicited proposals to create new workshops.

  • Expressions of interest are directed to the Workshop Development Committee Chair.
  • Materials containing evaluation criteria, advice, etc. are sent by the Chair, or the URISA Headquarters upon instruction by the chair, to URISA members who propose to develop new Workshops.The Chair will inform non-URISA authors of  proposals that a URISA member must be involved as the "lead player."
  • The decision to accept a proposed workshop is based on the degree to which the workbook, instructor, market, scheduling and other conditions are met, and is done through the Workshop Development Committee Chair.
  • The decision about including an approved new workshop in a conference workshop program is made by the Conference Workshop Chair and Associate Chair upon receipt of documentation from the Workshop Development Committee Chair.
  • The decision about including non-URISA certified workshops on Conference programs is outside of the purview of the Workshop Development Committee. Matters involving non-URISA workshops should be discussed among the Conference Chair and Associate Chair, URISA Board, and Executive Director.

The following are among the many topics for which the Workshop Development Committee has welcomed proposals in recent years.

  • Telecommunications
  • Internet/Intranet
  • Privatization
  • Clearinghouse/Framework
  • Metadata
  • Legacy Systems
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Partnership Techniques
  • High Resolution Satellite Systems
  • Customer Service
  • Presentation Graphics
  • Groupware
  • Data Access
  • Standards
  • Software Evaluation
  • Spatial Analysis - Synthesis Models
  • Impact Assessment Methods/Techniques
  • Spatial Data Infrastructure
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