1st International DEDA Seminar

Call for Participation  

When: 25 September 2024 
Where: Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
Deadline for submission: 31 May 2024
Keywords: Responsible Data & AI, Value-sensitive design, Data & Digital Ethics, Data Justice, Critical Data & AI Studies, Action Research

The Data Ethics Decision Aid (DEDA) is a toolkit developed by Utrecht University’s Data School, facilitating dialogic review and deliberation of value-sensitive design in data and AI projects. DEDA maps ethical issues in data projects, documenting the deliberation process and stimulates accountability towards the various stakeholders and the public.  Since its iterative development from 2016 to 2018, the DEDA framework has been utilized by numerous government organisations in the Netherlands and abroad.  

DEDA has expanded internationally, now being available in English, German, Finnish, Swedish, and Greek. This seminar brings together researchers, educators and practitioners utilizing DEDA in different forms, for participatory observation, teaching, or developing value-sensitive design. The seminar is primarily focused on evaluating, exploring and advancing the use of DEDA in academic research and teaching contexts. Aspiring DEDA users are also very much welcome. 

During the seminar we will have 3 rounds of expertise workshops: 

• Societal impact: Stakeholder engagement with DEDA 
• Research methods: Participatory observation with DEDA 
• Education: Teaching data ethics for students and professionals with DEDA 

Motivation for Participation & Submission

If you work with DEDA or plan to work with it, we would like to hear from you. With so many stakeholders and users of DEDA in public governance, education and research we are curious to learn about their experiences, reflect on pitfalls and opportunities, evaluate practices and share insights and results. Please indicate your interest in participating in the seminar with a brief motivation (max 400 words) and if applicable mention your use and experience with DEDA. We invite contributions for presentations in one of the three topics mentioned above, but also welcome suggestions for additional ones. 

Please submit a short motivation for participation with the following contents: 

• What organization/institution do you represent? 
• What is your affinity with DEDA?  
• How do you use the DEDA? 
• Why do you use the DEDA?  
• What would you like to contribute to the seminar? 

Submit your abstract through sending an e-mail to dataschool@uu.nl.

About the Data School

Utrecht University’s Data School is an education and research platform investigating the impact of algorithmisation and datafication on citizenship and democracy. Working closely with societal stakeholders in public management and media industries, the Data School also develops educational formats and applicable tools and processes for responsible data and AI practices.