Abstract

Technology Research, Education, and Opinion (TREO) talks became part of the landscape at AMCIS beginning in 2015. TREO talks are intentionally designed to cover a broad set of topics including widely inclusive IS academic research, how we teach those topics, and even what we think about the role of technology in society. The basic idea is that the TREO track at AMCIS affords a chance for researchers and practitioners to float new ideas, crystallize their thinking regarding these new ideas, and receive constructive feedback about their ideas. While the TREO platform has varied in its exact format as experimentation and feedback led to new ways of creating engagement, presentations have always been short and necessarily fast-paced. Attendees provide immediate and forward-looking ideas about the information presented. In 2020 and 2021, the worldwide pandemic forced AMCIS to go virtual. Presenters created short videos to serve as their paper presentations. Attendees met online to watch the presentations and then ask questions of the TREO authors. A notable positive outcome of the virtual format and video presentation was the substantial impact noted by the Association of Information Systems of the TREO videos. TREO videos have been streamed approximately 7500 times, about 30 streams per paper. There seems to be a consensus that the TREO concept provides value for authors in terms of access to AMCIS and feedback about work in its earliest stages. However, there is always room for improvement. In this TREO talk we provide some detail on the TREO track and ask authors to provide their own perspective on what is most successful about the track and what could be improved to be more effective. Some of the unique features of the TREO track include abstract-length submissions, editorial review, high acceptance rates, brief and concise presentations, and additional opportunities for impact. The one-page plus references format creates a way for novice and expert scholars to participate with a lower time commitment than a traditional conference paper. Track chairs editorially review the abstracts and provide brief comments on the papers before making a decision regarding inclusion in the conference. The acceptance rate among submissions is high (about 90% in 2022). Editors are not hypercritical of papers, but instead look for how to include as many different perspectives in the TREO program. Admittedly, this high acceptance rate means that some of the work is of lower quality than you might see in the traditional conference paper. Meanwhile, high acceptance rates means that the TREO part of the program is accessible to a wide audience. We plan 14 TREO sessions in 2022, with 6-7 papers in each 90 minute session. Each presenter is limited to just 5 minutes to give a high-level view of their research and then an additional five minutes to address questions and feedback from the audience. Based on the notable impact of the TREO videos in 2020 and 2021, TREO participants have the option to submit a 5-minute presentation of their abstract for inclusion and open access on the AMCIS website.

Download

Share

COinS