This document provides the policy for how course instructors at CHI conferences may be compensated and how the budget for supplies for each course is managed.
- Effective Date: 15.7.2019 – to be applied for CHI 2020 onwards
- Replaces: The SIGCHI Executive Committee policy from 2014 entitled, “CHI Conference: Compensation of Course Instructors”-now deprecated
- Responsible: SIGCHI Adjunct Chair for CHI Steering Committee
Introduction
Courses are a way to help develop our shared community. In general, course instructors are people who would be attending CHI, regardless of whether or not they are offering a course, and the course is a way for them to share their expertise with others. We offer an honorarium to partially compensate instructors for the preparation of their course materials and for missing the part of the conference’s technical program that overlaps with their course delivery.
This policy has been adapted and adopted by the CHI Steering Committee to provide a clear statement of compensation (honoraria) for Course Instructors at the SIGCHI sponsored CHI conference and course budgets (expenses). This policy is intended to provide guidance and expectations to conference chairs, courses chairs, the conference committee, and instructors.
This policy contains a full and complete statement on course budgets and the compensation package for course Instructors. No other stipends, reimbursements, or benefits are provided as a part of the compensation package. Alternate compensation and reimbursement for special needs will be provided only with explicit approval of the Conference Chairs in consultation with the CHI Steering Committee.
A course is aimed at providing attendees with a training program which may consist of one or more course units with one or more instructors. Compensation is based on the number of course units taught. Each course unit is representative of one session of instruction without regard to the number of instructors.
Compensation
An honorarium will be paid for each course unit taught*. The honorarium may be shared between multiple instructors. The honorarium per unit is decided by CHI general chairs of the yearly CHI conference in coordination with the CHI conference Steering Committee. Honoraria for courses with more than 50 attendees may be increased at the discretion of the general chairs of the yearly CHI conference.
There is no separate transportation or subsistence allowance for course instructors. In addition, based upon the “Volunteer reimbursement” policy, course instructors are not eligible for a complimentary registration on the basis of being a course instructor.
If the conference organizers or instructor cancels a course due to low enrolment or other reasons the course instructor(s) will not be compensated.
Course Budgets
All aspects of the proposed budget required for a course must be stated in the initial course proposal and will be subject to approval as part of the course review process. Typically, no requests for expenses will be considered after the course proposal has been accepted.
The cost for necessary materials for course attendees (e.g., Arduino Boards, Drawing Material) should be included in the budget and should be fully covered by an increased course attendance fee for those materials that will belong to the course attendees after the course.
Courses can include, within their proposed budgets, other materials (e.g., post-its, cardboard) for use during the course which doesn’t become the property of attendees. The maximum amount allowed, per course, is decided by the general chairs of the conference on a yearly basis, and will be announced as part of the call for courses, for example in 2020 this amount is $50 (USD) and will be reimbursed to the course’s organizers on submission of receipts. Any other materials (e.g., flip charts, pens etc.) provided to a course remain the property of ACM SIGCHI.
The list of material provided by the conference for the execution of the course are listed on the call for course proposal, every year. Other material that might be needed by courses instructors (e.g., a second video projector) has to be provided by the instructors themselves and cannot be requested to the conference organizers or the courses chairs.
Contact Instructor
If multiple instructors are teaching one course, a single instructor must be designated as the primary contact, who will function as the principal contact for the course with the conference. The contact instructor is responsible for all communication with the conference committee and staff and for coordination with the other instructors in order to provide the required materials in a timely manner and ensure the smooth operation of the course.
The Contact Instructor must provide detailed information to the conference Courses Chairs assembling all information for reimbursement by the General Chairs of the Conference and ACM. The Contact Instructor should be identified at course submission time.
If an instructor is not allowed to receive honorarium, the general chairs of the conference can decide on a case-by-case basis for exceptions to offset the honorarium with registration costs of the conference, for example.
Claims and Settlement
All claims for honoraria should be submitted to the conference Courses Chair within 60 days of the completion of the conference. Claims submitted later cannot be guaranteed to be reimbursed. The conference should endeavour to make all reimbursements within 30 days of receipt of a claim.
*Note that for CHI 2021, this amount is $250USD.