ITE

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 18th Annual Conference on Information Technology Education (SIGITE 2017) and the 6th Annual Conference on Research in Information Technology (RIIT 2017). The theme this year is "Enabling the Future", with a focus on the need for preparing Information Technology students for a future that includes defining the Internet of Things (IoT). Rochester is a fitting place for this theme, as it has long been a city that has leveraged the technological innovations of the day. The Erie Canal allowed Rochester millers to ship their flour across the state to Albany (earning it the nickname, "Flour City"), and flexible photographic film allowed George Eastman to grow his Kodak empire. The canal, and the flexible film are enablers, but with the Internet of Things, ubiquitous computing, and smart communities; information technology is the enabler.

This year, 90 reviewers conducted a total of 384 reviews of 94 submissions of papers, panels, posters, lightning talks, and workshops. For RIIT, 6 of 11 papers were accepted for a 54% acceptance rate; for SIGITE, 23 of 58 papers were accepted for a 39% acceptance rate. A great deal of thanks goes to both the reviewers and, of course, the authors for their excellent work. Not surprisingly, both RIIT and SIGITE papers have a preponderance of topics such as IoT, ubiquitous computing, and dealing with interconnectivity. While many of the papers relate to this year's theme, you will also find papers on curriculum development, capstone ideas, and innovative lab and classroom approaches among a variety of other IT education topics.

SIGITE/RIIT 2017 runs from Thursday to Saturday and is preceded by the annual Chairs and Program Directors Meeting, and vendor workshops on Thursday morning. The formal program begins on Thursday at noon. The program offers a combination of papers, and lightning talks on research in progress, and concludes with a dinner reception for networking with colleagues old and new. Friday features additional paper sessions and lightning talks for SIGITE and RIIT, a poster session in the afternoon, and concludes with a reception for Community College educators. Those not attending the community college reception can find dinner at one of the many nearby restaurants. On Saturday morning, the conference continues with additional papers and an author-submitted workshop. The conference concludes Saturday at 11a.m. Rochester, friends, and lots of opportunities to share-all the necessary ingredients for a great experience. We hope to see you at SIGITE/RIIT 2017 where we can not only discuss "Enabling Our Future", but we can also build new alliances for the future. Thank you!