SIGCOMM Education Workshop 2026: Networking Education for the AI Generation (A4NE)
Visit the workshop's website at https://a4ne-workshop.github.io for more information.
Monday, August 17, 2026 | Full-day Workshop (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) | Hybrid — In-Person + Virtual
Program
8:30 – 8:45 AM | Welcome |
8:45 – 10:15 AM | Session 1: AI Panel — Accepted Papers Moderators: Ranysha Ware (In-Person), Jon Crowcroft (Virtual) Panelists: Arpit Gupta (In-Person), Alex Krentsel (In-Person), Koojana Kuladinithi (In-Person), Vasanta Chaganti (Virtual) |
10:15 – 10:45 AM | Coffee Break |
10:45 AM – 12:15 PM | Session 2: Curriculum Panel — Accepted Papers Moderators: Larry Peterson (In-Person), Fraida Fund (Virtual) Panelists: Aaron Gember-Jacobson (In-Person), Ricky Mok (In-Person), Beatriz Palacios Abad (Virtual), Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Gueye (Virtual) |
12:15 – 1:15 PM | Lunch |
1:15 – 2:45 PM | Session 3 — Open Mic: What's on your mind? What are you doing in your courses? This session is a mix of an “open mic,” “community session,” and “outrageous opinion”-style session at SIGCOMM, but focused on topics of interest to the SIGCOMM education community. It's a chance for anyone in the community to talk about what they're working on or about a topic that they're passionate about, to discuss ideas about what the community of SIGCOMM educators can do with and for each other, or perhaps to talk about “pet peeves.” Speakers in this session might address topics that came up during the morning sessions and warrant continued discussion. This session is intended to be an interactive and engaging workshop-style experience. Moderators: Jim Kurose (In-Person), Bruce Davie (Virtual) |
2:45 – 3:15 PM | Coffee Break |
3:15 – 4:45 PM | Session 4 — Birds of a Feather Breakouts (Virtual + In-Person) Birds of a Feather breakouts trade the whole-room format for small, self-organized groups, both in-person and virtual, so the conversation that only got started earlier in the day has room to go deeper. Each group takes a topic, for example, a course design problem or an assessment approach, or a way to bring current research into the classroom, and spends the session on it. We start together, and then we'll break out. We're aiming for four to five topics proposed in a shared Google Doc. |
4:45 – 5:00 PM | Closing |
Call for Papers
The AI revolution demands we rethink networking education from the ground up. This workshop invites networking researchers and educators to develop frameworks for AI integration that deepen understanding rather than shortcut learning, transform labs and assessment for contemporary realities, and forge interdisciplinary pathways connecting networking to emerging topics, policy, and societal impact. Building on the successful 2020 SIGCOMM Education Workshop, we channel this momentum to develop evidence-based, community-driven solutions, to modernize networking curricula, preparing students for the next generation of AI-integrated networks.
Networking education faces unprecedented opportunities for innovation. Generative AI is transforming pedagogy, yet educators lack effective integration strategies. Cross-disciplinary "Networking+X" courses are emerging to serve both CS majors and students in policy, social sciences, and humanities. Hands-on labs increasingly leverage testbeds like FABRIC, while new pedagogies (flipped classrooms, interactive settings) reshape learning. Open educational resources can democratize access to quality materials.
We invite submissions that advance the future of networking education. We encourage submissions from educators, early-career faculty, industry practitioners, and others who may not typically publish in traditional networking venues. Papers will undergo a constructive review process, with the goal of accepting most submissions. The workshop will be hybrid to maximize inclusivity and participation. In‑person attendance is not required for submission or acceptance. Remote participation and asynchronous engagement will be supported. We welcome research papers, experience reports, and position papers that explore innovative approaches to teaching networking at all levels, including:
- Computing Education Research: Empirical or theoretical studies (controlled studies, longitudinal analyses, measurement work).
- Experience Reports and Tools: Teaching interventions, curricula, tools, reflections on AI integration.
- Position and Curricular Initiative Papers: Curriculum design, program structures, broader issues like ethics, and the impact of AI integration on student learning.
- Design and Demo Papers: Descriptions of educational tools, platforms, testbeds.
- Work-in-Progress and Emerging Ideas: Ongoing studies, pilot data, conceptual frameworks.
We welcome two kinds of submissions:
- Short papers: 1–4 pages.
- Long papers: 5–10 pages.
Authors are also encouraged to share artifacts with stable URLs for their work.
Please also visit the workshop's main web page.
Topics of Interest
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- AI Integration: Generative AI for progressive abstraction, assessment design, lab automation, and supporting student learning.
- Networking+X Courses: Cross-disciplinary approaches connecting networking to policy, security, censorship, and societal issues; courses for non-CS majors.
- Labs & Hands-on Learning: FABRIC testbed experimentation, real-world data access, and practical networking experiences.
- Course Modernization: Redesigning introductory and advanced networking courses for contemporary topics.
- Teaching Pedagogies: Flipped classrooms, interactive settings, and innovative instructional approaches.
- Undergraduate Research Mentorship & Pedagogy: Strategies for mentoring undergraduates in networking research; integrating research experiences into courses.
- Assessment & Evaluation: Evaluating learning outcomes, broadening participation, and measuring pedagogical effectiveness.
- Open Educational Resources: Textbooks, assignments, and curricular materials for community sharing.
Submission Instructions
Submission Format: Use ACM's LaTeX template with \documentclass[sigconf, 10pt, anonymous]{acmart}. Submissions are non-archival. Accepted papers will be discussed in themed panels led by Program Committee members.
Please submit your paper via https://a4ne26.hotcrp.com/.
Important Dates
| Submission deadline | June 7, 2026 AoE |
|---|---|
| Acceptance notification | June 26, 2026 |
| Camera-ready deadline | July 1, 2026 |
| Workshop date | August 17, 2026 |
Organizers
| Organizers | Institution |
|---|---|
| Matthew Caesar | University of Illinois |
| Vasanta Chaganti | Swarthmore College |
| James F. Kurose | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
| Ranysha Ware | Swarthmore College |
Program Committee
| Name | Institution |
|---|---|
| Jon Crowcroft | University of Cambridge |
| Mallesham Dasari | Northeastern University |
| Fraida Fund | NYU Tandon |
| Cheikh A. B. Gueye | Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal |
| Sanjay Jha | University of New South Wales |
| Dave Levin | University of Maryland |
| Maïssa Mbaye | Université Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis, Senegal |
| Vishal Misra | Columbia University |
| Junaid Qadir | Qatar University |
| Nik Sultana | Illinois Institute of Technology |
| Ram Sundara Raman | UC Santa Cruz |
| Qiao Xiang | Xiamen University |
| Katrina LaCurts | MIT |
| Mina Arashloo | University of Waterloo |