Improving the ISOC Fellowship programme to attract people from under-represented regions into the IETF

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Hi Jari,

Here's is a draft about improving the ISOC Fellowship programme to attract people from under-represented regions into the IETF. The draft builds upon the ISOC work, proposing adjustments and additional efforts, with the goal of enabling more sustained and active participation by contributors from under-represented regions.
In a blog article ( http://www.ietf.org/blog/2013/04/diversity/ ), it 
is mentioned that:
 "The design team will present their recommendations to the community,
  and engage in the discussion.  Recommendations with community support
  will be taken forward."

The draft only makes suggestions instead of recommendations. I am copying this message to ietf@xxxxxxxx so that the community can comment about the draft.
Regards,
S. Moonesamy
 



                                                            S. Moonesamy
                                                                        

Expires: April 13, 2014                                 October 10, 2013


       Improving the ISOC Fellowship programme to attract people
              from under-represented regions into the IETF
                        draft-ddt-fellowship-03

1. Introduction

   The IETF Chair set up a Diversity Design Team in July, 2013 to
   understand the diversity problem and suggest solutions to make the
   IETF more inclusive.  There is already an ISOC Fellowship programme
   to the IETF for participants from emerging regions.  The Fellowship
   to the IETF helps to increase the diversity of inputs to, and global
   awareness of the IETF's vital work.  This document builds upon the
   ISOC work, proposing adjustments and additional efforts, with the
   goal of enabling more sustained and active participation by
   contributors from under-represented regions.

   Section 2 lists the objectives of the existing ISOC Fellowship
   programme and the selection criteria.  The current programme does
   help new participants to establish an initial face-to-face contact. 
   However, long-term benefit requires helping these participants to
   engage in the full range of IETF interactions.  The most effective
   way to contribute to the IETF is through on-going active
   participation and by reviewing and commenting about working group
   drafts.  There are suggestions in Section 4 to better align the ISOC
   Fellowship programme with the expectations of the IETF Community by
   having selection criteria that encourages active IETF participation,
   and by having an evaluation panel with the expertise to evaluate IETF
   contributions.

2. Existing support for participants from emerging regions

2.1. Objectives of the ISOC Fellowship programme

   The Internet Society's efforts are encompassed by a basic Fellowship
   Programme and a Returning Fellowship Programme.  The Internet Society
   has provided significant financial support given that attendance by
   technologists from emerging and developing economies is currently
   limited [FEL].  It is considered that actually attending a face-to-
   face IETF meeting promotes a stronger understanding of the standards
   process, lays the foundation for active involvement in IETF work, and
   facilitates personal networking with others that have similar
   technical interests [FEL].
 


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   The main purpose [FEL] of the ISOC Fellowship programme is to:

      - Raise global awareness about the IETF and its work.

      - Foster greater understanding of, and participation in, the work
        of the IETF by technologists from emerging and developing
        economies.

      - Provide an opportunity for networking with individuals from
        around the world with similar technical interests.

      - Identify and foster potential future leaders from emerging and
        developing economies

      - Demonstrate the Internet community's commitment to fostering
        greater global participation in Internet Forums such as the
        IETF.

   The goals of the ISOC Returning fellowship programme [RET] are to:

      - Provide an opportunity for highly committed former Fellows to
        return to the IETF to advance specific standards work.

      - More fully integrate technologists from emerging and developing
        economies into the IETF.

      - Advance the technical leadership potential of individuals from
        emerging and developing economies.

      - Provide immediate value to a working group by participating in
        scribing the working group meeting and contributing to the
        meeting minutes.

2.2. Selection criteria for the ISOC Fellowship programme

   Some of the requirements [SEL] for qualifying for ISOC Fellowship
   programme are:

      - Hold a university-level computer science, information
        technology, or similar degree, or can demonstrate similar and
        relevant work experience.

      - Be employed in a technical or technical management capacity with
        a data network provider (including university networks), a
        technology vendor, a local technical association, or other
        similar organisation OR be a university-level computer
        science/information technology professor, lecturer, or student
        currently undertaking research in one or more areas of current
 


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        IETF standardisation work. Students must be enrolled in a
        graduate-level program (Masters or Ph.D).

      - Possess a strong understanding of how the IETF relates to and
        impacts their work or area of study and demonstrate how specific
        areas of current IETF work are relevant to their pursuits.

   Some of the attributes [SEL] that reflect favorably on the
   application are:

      - Involvement in one or more regional data networking
        organisations, such as regional operators groups

      - Having actively participated in the work of an IETF Working
        Group through the mailing lists.

   A Returning Fellowship award will not be given to the same individual
   twice in one calendar year.

3. Expectations of the IETF Community

   The current ISOC Fellowship Programme is primarily useful for initial
   introductions to IETF activities and culture.  However the goal in
   the IETF, itself, is for continuing and active participation, which
   goes considerably beyond introductions.  Moving from introduction to
   participation requires additional effort..  Although attending IETF
   meetings fosters an understanding of the work of the IETF it does not
   ensure active participation.  Active participation in the work of an
   IETF Working Group is listed as an advantage instead of a requirement
   for the fellowship [SEL].

   The existing selection criteria puts an emphasis on university-level
   qualifications and the academic interests of the applicant [SEL]. 
   However, it has been mentioned in discussions about academic
   participation that the IETF filters out proposals from researchers
   simply because they just do not fit in standardization work [DIN].

   The Returning Fellowship programme is a laudable initiative by the
   Internet Society to further encourage IETF participation from an
   under-represented sector.  It is unclear how an ISOC Fellow can build
   upon the initial -- but limited -- experiences of the basic Programme
   and Returning Fellow Programme, to achieve the Fellow's technical
   leadership potential, through on-going, active participation in the
   IETF.

4. Suggestions

4.1. Selection criteria for the basic Programme and Returning Fellow
 


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   Programme

   The most effective way to contribute to the IETF is through active
   participation and by reviewing and commenting about working group
   drafts [FAA].  It is proposed that the applicant fulfills the
   following criteria:

      - Be proficient in English.

      - Has been actively and constructively participating in the IETF
        for at least six months.

        For example, reviewing drafts, commenting on IETF Last Calls,
        writing code for drafts or taking part in interop testing are
        fine ways to be seen to have participated. Candidates whose
        contributions are considered more useful should be preferred
        over those who are less useful. Judging utility for
        contributions requires knowledge of the specific field.

      - Resident of a country in an under-represented region.

4.2. Evaluation panel

   It is suggested to include Area Directors or Working Group Chairs on
   the evaluation panel [FAS].  These people will bring in the expertise
   to evaluate the contributions made by the applicant.  They can also
   determine whether the applicant has an understanding of the work done
   in the IETF.  It is suggested that the evaluation panel prioritize
   people who have been contributing over time to real IETF work.

4.3. Guidance for applicants

   Applicants can familiarize themselves with the technologies being
   discussed by, for example, implementing the relevant specifications
   or evaluating implementations [ACS].  Applicants can ask for advice
   on the edu-discuss@xxxxxxxx mailing list [EDU].

4.4. Effectiveness of the fellowship

   The effectiveness of the fellowship can be assessed by tracking the
   IETF activities of the fellows and doing a follow-up to find out why
   fellows drop out.

5. Open Issue

   The following is left open as it may require broader feedback.

   There were comments to remove the "resident of a country in an under-
 


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   represented region" suggestion (Section 4.1) so that people from
   "developed" regions who would not ordinarily have the means to attend
   an IETF meeting are included in the programme.

6. Acknowledgements

   The author would like to thank Alejandro Acosta, Adrian Farrel, Roque
   Gagliano, Vinayak Hegde and Kathleen Moriarty for contributing to the
   discussions about participation from emerging countries.  Thanks to
   Dave Crocker and Stephen Farrell for their substantial contributions
   to improve the document.

7. References

   [FEL]    Internet Society, About the Fellowship, Accessed 4 October,
            2013, <http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/education-
            and-leadership-programmes/ietf-and-ois-programmes/internet-
            society-fellowship-0>

   [RET]    Internet Society, Returning Fellowship to the IETF
            Programme, Accessed 4 October, 2013,
            <http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/education-and-
            leadership-programmes/ietf-and-ois-programmes/internet-
            society-fellowship-4>

   [SEL]    Internet Society, Selection Criteria for Fellowships to the
            IETF, Accessed 4 October, 2013,
            <http://www.internetsociety.org/what-we-do/education-and-
            leadership-programmes/ietf-and-ois-programmes/internet-
            society-fellowship/selection-criteria>

   [DIN]    <http://www.ietf.org/mail-
            archive/web/diversity/current/msg00344.html>

   [FAA]    <http://www.ietf.org/mail-
            archive/web/diversity/current/msg00339.html>

   [FAS]    <http://www.ietf.org/mail-
            archive/web/diversity/current/msg00337.html>

   [ACS]    <http://www.ietf.org/mail-
            archive/web/diversity/current/msg00355.html>

   [EDU]   <https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/edu-discuss>

8. Author's Address


 


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   S. Moonesamy

   Email: sm+ietf@xxxxxxxxxxxx
















































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