OOPSLA '97
October 5-9, 1997 - Atlanta, Georgia

Guidelines for Submitting a Tutorial to OOPSLA `97

Table of Contents

In this, the 12th year of OOPSLA, the tutorial committee is looking to continue the positive trends of past OOPSLAs with a program of high quality tutorials and broad appeal. To that end, we are searching for tutorials across a wide range of topics -- everything from introductory surveys to industrial software engineering practices and leading-edge academic research topics. Tutorial proposals on the application of objects to business and industrial problems are especially encouraged.

OOPSLA is the premier technical conference on the subject of Object Oriented Technology, last year drawing over 2500 attendees. At OOPSLA `96, 54 high-quality tutorials were presented, and nearly every seat was sold. Our intention is to establish the same high-quality tutorial program for OOPSLA'97, keeping in mind that the foundation upon which this program is built depends on the qualiy of the tutorials themselves. Please follow the guidelines and suggestions below to help ensure that your proposal wins the support of the tutorials committee and be selected for presentation in Atlanta.

A substantial portion of these guidelines is unshamingly copied from previous guidelines documents, put together by last year's tutorial chair, Guz Lupez, the 1995 tutorial chair, Ron Crocker, and the 1994 tutorial chair, Bjorn N. Freeman-Benson.

I. A Good OOPSLA Tutorial

There are three basic aspects to an excellent OOPSLA tutorial, i.e., one that will win you fame and fortune, as well as praise from your critics:

I.1. Solid Content.

OOPSLA tutorial attendees expect material that is correct, specific, and original; they are not interested in vague generalities or re-hashes of your last paper. They want to leave the tutorial with new knowledge about your corner of object-oriented technology, be it design, analysis, implementation, use, databases, languages, etc. They have real problems to solve and are attending your tutorial because they expect to receive information that they could not simply obtain by reading the latest paper on the subject.

A synthesis of work in an area or comparisons of techniques may provide the attendee with a basis for decision making. Case studies of real projects are particularly interesting and should provide significant details of the decisions that shaped the product. Naturally, commercially or sales-oriented presentations are not acceptable.

Potentially, at least, any object-oriented topic can be used in a successful tutorial -- OOPSLA is well-known for the breadth, depth, and high quality of its extensive tutorial program. We are, of course, very interested in tutorials about the cutting-edge of object-oriented research. In addition, we are also searching for a set of tutorials for practitioners: tutorials on management techniques, experiences, tool evaluations, reuse guidelines, etc. by experienced industry personnel.

Finally, we plan to continue the "methods track" pioneered in previous OOSPLAs-- a (very successful) series of half-day tutorials on specific object-oriented analysis and design methods. In a half-day the tutorial can introduce the notation of the method, cover the steps, give a small example, and give the advantages and disadvantages of that particular method.

I.2. Proper Presentation.

The second reason an OOPSLA attendee goes to a tutorial is the expectation that the well organized material in the tutorial is presented so well that it is much easier to understand than if they had read the latest Addison-Wesley book on the topic from cover-to-cover. The quality of the tutorial materials and the teaching skills of the tutorial speaker are the keys.

Projected material should be capable of being viewed in a large (100-200 person) room. Individual slides should be simple and quickly understood. Diagrams should contain just the necessary information: not too much, not too little. Computer screens or screen snapshots are unreadable without using large fonts. A well prepared presenter who communicates effectively and interacts with the audience, will make a good impression (the fame-and-fortune part) and will be able to convey more information in a shorter period of time (the audience-goes-away-happy part).

I.3. Accessible Expertise.

The attendees not only expect the tutorial material to contain distilled expertise, but they also expect the tutorial speaker(s) to be experts in the field and to be able to answer a wide variety of questions. This expertise should be described in the abstract of the tutorial.

OOPSLA Tutorials are classified in categories:

Requires no previous experience with object-oriented concepts, languages, or systems. Probably useful only for a first-time OOPSLA attendee. Example titles include An Introduction to Object-Oriented Concepts and Decision Frameworks for Project Management.
Assumes some experience with object-oriented concepts, equivalent to what one could pick up by reading an introductory book. The attendee understands the meaning of class, instance, method, and inheritance. Example titles include An Introduction to C++, Fundamentals of Object DBMSs, and Object-Oriented Development with the Booch Method.
Assumes practical experience with object-oriented concepts, equivalent to what one would acquire by using object-oriented techniques for a number of years. The attendee has a practical understanding of encapsulation, inheriting variables as well as methods, multiple inheritance, and polymorphism. Example titles include Design and Management of Object-Oriented Libraries, Types for the Working Programmer, Advanced Use of the C++ iostream Package, and Objects and Distribution.
Assumes extensive experience with a particular aspect of object-oriented technology. The tutorial materials should include an overview to provide context, but the majority of the material should be narrowly focused. Example titles include Types for the Language Designer, Object-Oriented Hardware, Reflective Programming in Smalltalk, and The Behavior of Behavior.

II. A Good OOPSLA Tutorial Proposal

Before a tutorial can be presented, however, it must be accepted. And to be accepted, it must take the form of a Tutorial Proposal and be evaluated by the OOPSLA'97 Tutorial Committee. It is important to note that, to paraphrase Kent Beck, "before you can teach your tutorial to the masses, you have to convince the tutorial committee (i) that the topic should be taught and (ii) that you should be the one to do so." For most tutorial proposals, issue (i) is a no-brainer for the committee, but it never hurts to explain why you think your topic is relevant to the OOPSLA audience. Issue (ii) is more important, because the Committee makes two decisions: first, that you are capable and competent to teach this tutorial, and second, if there are competing proposals on the same subject, which is the best.

The OOPSLA'97 Tutorial Committee consists of people from industry, academics, and industrial research, all with extensive experience in object-oriented technology. The evaluation criteria they will use are, in priority order:

  1. value and relevance of the content to OOPSLA attendees,
  2. expertise of the presenter(s),
  3. presentation ability of the presenter(s), and
  4. quality and completeness of the tutorial materials.

II.1. Contents of the Proposal

There is no definitive set of materials that constitute a submission. There are, however, four items that are required in each proposal:

  1. Cover Sheet including Abstract
    This is the advertising copy for the Advance Program. The abstract will be edited to maintain consistency among entries; however, make the abstract complete, descriptive, and less than 150 words. The background should clearly state all assumed prerequisites (see Section V for examples). The Email address of the primary contact is REQUIRED on the cover sheet. Extensive use of Email will expedite the process
  2. Detailed Outline
    The outline should illustrate the scope, both breadth and depth, of the tutorial, include a list of objectives and a clear indication of the intended audience for the tutorial. The estimated time to be spent on each major item should be noted. Significant examples that will be used should be included.
    A half-day tutorial is three hours broken into two sessions by a coffee break. A full-day tutorial is six hours broken into four sessions by lunch and two coffee breaks. However, the '97 committee will not accept any full-day tutorial unless the author(s) convince the committee that the tutorial cannot be broken down into two half-day tutorials without loss of cohesiveness.
  3. Presenter Resume
    This section should provide a summary of the technical and presentation experience for each presenter. References from previous presentations are useful. Be certain to include previous OOPSLA or other conference tutorial experience. The technical experience should be related to the subject rather than general statements like "NN years in C++ development".
  4. Tutorial Resume
    Has this tutorial been given before? (which is different from whether the presenters have given tutorials before). If so, where?

    Other material that might be submitted could include:

  5. Tutorial Notes
    A set of notes for the tutorial would certainly be useful. We do not expect a completely developed set of notes if the tutorial is new; however, a few representative pages that illustrate the level of content and the quality of the illustrations are necessary.
  6. Representative AV Materials
    Samples of slides, transparencies or other materials.
  7. Other Materials
    Books, papers, and any other information that illustrates the content of the tutorial.
  8. Advertising materials, if the tutorial is offered commercially.

III. Compensation

A tutorial at OOPSLA not only provides the audience with your expertise, but also provides you with the audience's attention. This attention may result in future clients for your consulting, customers for your companies products, or users and funders of your research. In addition, OOPSLA also provides a modest amount of direct compensation, i.e., money. In 1997, and similar to last year, OOPSLA plans to reimburse tutorial speakers with a lump sum which they can apply towards travel expenses and honorarium. This eliminates the need for travel expense forms for travel reimbursements. The following summarize the compensation policy for OOPSLA '97 tutorials:

  1. The honorarium and travel allowance for tutorial speakers from North America will be $1600 for the first half-day tutorial, and $1000 per subsequent tutorial unit by the same author(s). Multiple speakers will decide how this amount is to be split.
  2. The honorarium and travel allowance for tutorial speakers outside of North America will be $2200 for the first half-day tutorial, and $1000 per subsequent tutorial unit by the same author(s). Multiple speakers will decide how this amount is to be split.
  3. Tutorial speakers will receive ONE free conference registration per tutorial half-day; multiple speakers will decide to whom the registrations are to be allocated.
  4. No travel expense forms are required to receive this compensation.
  5. Unless we get a request to the contrary, the compensation will be paid to the primary contact. Tutorials speakers are free to decide how to split their compensation between honorarium and travel expenses. This will not be a decision made by OOPSLA.
  6. Some tutorials will have the option of being given twice (based on demand and the desire to keep the room sizes reasonable). If this occurs, we will notify the speakers for their approval..

IV. Submission Process

  1. Complete the cover sheet on the next page -- NO PROPOSAL WILL BE REVIEWED WITHOUT A COVER SHEET. The abstract corresponds to the abstract requested above. The brief biography should summarize the resume information. An Email address is required.
  2. Attach supporting materials: sample tutorial notes pages, sample A/V materials; more complete resumes, etc.
  3. Submit material to:
    ------------------------------------------------------------
Mamdouh Ibrahim				Phone:  +1.810.696.7129
Electronic Data Systems 		Fax:    +1.810.696.2325
Intelligent and Object Systems		Email:  mibrahim@tad.eds.com
5555 New King Street
Troy, MI 48098 USA
------------------------------------------------------------
    NOTE: DO NOT submit tutorial proposals by FAX!
  4. You will receive confirmation by email or fax that your proposal has been received and is complete.
  5. Proposals are due to reach me no later than 3-March-1997, but the earlier the better. The goal of the OOPSLA'97 Tutorial Committee is highest quality tutorial program of any OOPSLA yet! We will read early proposals and work with the submitter(s) to further develop proposals that need additional information.
  6. Final acceptance will be determined by 1-May-1997.
  7. For additional information, clarification, or questions please feel free to contact the tutorial chair.

V. Examples To Emulate

Below are some examples of background paragraphs and tutorials that previous OOPSLA tutorial committees thought were good examples of the information requested. No endorsement on contents or topic is implied by the use of these examples - they are merely here for example use only.

V.1. Example Background Paragraphs

Background assumed by the tutorial:
Participants should be experienced Smalltalk programmers.
Background assumed by the tutorial:
Participants should have a general familiarity with the object-oriented paradigm, preferably being fluent in one or more object-oriented languages. Familiarity with Smalltalk will be useful, but not required. The intended audience is professionals charged with developing or managing instruction in object-oriented techniques, either in a university or industry context.
Background assumed by tutorial:
The tutorial is targeted to those individuals interested in the managerial issues that influence the success of object-oriented software development efforts. It is assumed that the audience has some familiarity with the basic concepts of object technology and have begun to worry about how to effectively employ the technology.
Background assumed by the tutorial:
Basic knowledge of the operational behavior of languages, particularly inheritance and polymorphism, but with no formal theoretical understanding. Only a knowledge of simple set-theory will be required; and a willingness to perform certain mathematical substitutions. The tutorial is aimed at software professionals wanting to write type-correct software; language designers wanting to understand type issues in OOP; final year undergraduates and first year graduate students wanting to relate traditional notions of type to OOP.

V.2. Example Abstracts

Abstract:
The tutorial has two major parts: Part 1 discusses in detail all object-oriented concepts. The focus will be on a precise non-confusing definition of the core concepts and terminology. Part 1 uses C++ as its sample language to illustrate the material. Part 2 then compares all major object-oriented programming languages: C++, Smalltalk, Eiffel, Objective-C, Object Pascal, and Self. The comparison is done with a double focus: (1) how does the language support and enforce the concepts, and (2) how does the language help software development. A small case study will be used to illustrate the solution in each language.
Abstract:
When the performance penalty of object-oriented systems is mentioned, a common response is to blame antiquated hardware designs for not supporting object-oriented languages as they deserve. To what extent can the performance gap between conventional languages and object-oriented languages be closed using hardware? What architectural changes benefit object-oriented systems, and by how much? There have been many attempts to make hardware that better supports object-oriented programming. This tutorial describes some of these systems, and the extent that they have succeeded or failed in their aims. These systems include the iAPX432, SOAR, Rekursiv and MUSHROOM, as well as some features from mainstream architectures such as SPARC.
Abstract:
There are many issues which need to be addressed before a truly reusable C++ class library can be built. This tutorial will examine these issues from both an abstract perspective (design) and a pragmatic perspective (code). The intermediate level C++ programmer who attends the course will gain experience in the following areas: the design of a minimal public interface; the handling of variable-sized objects; the avoidance of memory leakage; the construction of optimally reusable base classes; heuristics for efficient operator overloading; the roles of containment, inheritance, and multiple inheritance in C++ programming; the use of polymorphic vs. monomorphic functions.
Abstract:
As Smalltalk projects grow, they tend to hit the Smalltalk productivity wall - the point at which added resources do not contribute proportionately to project progress. This can happen at any point between three to six or more developers. This tutorial defines the problem, surveys available products, and provides generic and customized practical solutions using Object Technology's ENVY/Developer as a model.
Abstract:
A project that is using object technology and an iterative development process faces a number of unique issues in order to deal with the project's entire life cycle. This tutorial presents a process framework that can be tailored to a specific project's situation. The tutorial follows a logical order of topics facing projects. Topics include estimating, scheduling, methodology selection, iterative development, and reuse. Specific advice derived from multiple project experiences is given during the discussion of each topic area.

VI. OOPSLA `97 Tutorial Proposal Coversheet

(All information required unless explicitly marked optional)

Use as much space as necessary below. Attach additional sheets when necessary. This coversheet should be sent to the tutorial chair at the address listed below. Email submissions are encouraged. NOTE: DO NOT SUBMIT TUTORIAL PROPOSALS VIA FAX!

Title of tutorial:

Speakers and their affiliations:

Name and Address of contact person:

Email address of contact person:

Level: [ ] Introductory [ ] Intermediate [ ] Advanced [ ] Expert

Topic Area: (you tell us!)

Duration: [ ] Half-day [ ] Full-day [ ] Two-day

Background assumed by the tutorial (what people should know before attending):

(Att ach additional sheet if necessary)

Abstract (complete, descriptive, and less than 150 words):

(Attach additional sheet if necessary)

Brief biography of instructors and this tutorial:

(Attach additional sheet if necessary)

Send completed coversheets to:

------------------------------------------------------------
Mamdouh Ibrahim				Phone:  +1.810.696.7129
Electronic Data Systems 		Fax:    +1.810.696.2325
Intelligent and Object Systems		Email:  mibrahim@tad.eds.com
5555 New King Street
Troy, MI 48098 USA
------------------------------------------------------------

Last modified: Wed Dec 18 11:37:49 1996

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