Workshop Structure#

To begin with we will introduce you to the Data Hazard labels and what a workshop would usually look like. This includes the ethos of a workshop, which focusses on the importance of multiple perspectives.

Workshop roles#

Facilitators:

  • Probably you!

  • There to run the workshop and help everyone get the most out of it.

  • This involves managing each of the breakout rooms and supporting the discussions.

Audience Members:

  • There to find out more about the projects and provide feedback.

  • Combination of different types of people.

  • Your decision about whether they are ‘experts’ or not (both can be interesting!)
    See more about who to invite in the ‘Identifying your audience’ section.

Project Owners:

  • There to have their project discussed by the audience members.

  • Seeking feedback on an idea or project.
    See more about how to support project owners in the ‘Working with project owners’ section.

Timings#

We use the following timings for the Data Hazard workshop, it lasts between 90 minutes and 2 hours. The workshops use a version of a technique from social work known as ‘The Reflective Team’. This is designed to help ensure that both the audience and the project owner get an opportunity to speak and listen.

  • 5 mins: Housekeeping

  • 20 mins: Data Hazards intro:

    • what are the data hazard labels?

    • why?

    • case study

  • 45 mins: Project discussion in smaller groups using the reflective team exercise:

    • 5 minute project presentation

      • what’s the project and who is involved?

      • what are it’s aims?

      • what data and methods does it use?

      • what are it’s potential applications (if any)?

    • 1 minute audience thinking time

    • 5 minutes audience asks clarifying questions to the project owner

      • Audience will ask factual questions only, e.g. a good question “What does the training data look like?” A bad question “Do you think your work is biased?”

      • Project owner will answer factually only.

    • 5 minutes filling out form (what hazard labels apply) before discussion

    • 20 minutes discussion (project owner listens without speaking)

    • 2 minutes fill in hazards again

    • 5 minutes: project owner speaks while the audience are quiet, saying:

      • What from the discussion resonated the most with them

      • What resonated least with them

  • 10 mins: (Back in the main room) Collecting feedback and wrapping up.

Workshop Ethos#

We think it’s important that the workshops are run with the following things in mind:

  • Multiplicity of perspectives​

    • Everyone has different lived experiences and as a result different views​

    • These views us to find importance in different places

    • Only by considering a range of perspectives can we thoroughly consider ethics.

  • No ‘wrong’ answers

    • We are aiming to explore potential avenues of interest that might not have occured to the project owner.

  • Aiming to prompt discussion and thought, not to settle on yes/no decisions