What is a ComETS group?:

A ComETS Group is a group of individuals who form to explore a topic, address a challenge, or help provide campus leadership around specific issues. ComETS groups often form out of events where interest in a topic is generated. In other cases, ComETS members identify a topic of interest and form a community independently. Typically, members group together, frame a set of goals, notify the ComETS Steering Committee at comets@mailplus.wisc.edu, and announce the new community to the larger ComETS membership inviting other ComETS members to join the group.

• A Community Group is a long term group focused on networking, professional development and collaboration. Our current Community Groups include Media Shops, Assessment, and Learning Spaces. A Community Group forms around any special interest and only disbands when there is no longer enough interest to keep it going.
• A Working Group (a.k.a. Hot Team) is a short-term group that forms to explore a new technology/application, produces a white paper to summarize their exploration, and disbands after a specified time limit (ex: 6-8 weeks to one semester).

See the current list of ComETS groups for more examples.

Guidelines

• Groups may include invited guests that are not members of ComETS, for example faculty.
• Groups have autonomy in determining objectives, goals/outcomes, timeline, and format of meetings.
• Meetings are open and other ComETS members are encouraged to join
• Groups routinely report work, invite feedback, and share outcomes back to ComETS.
• Communication vehicles include the web, the comets list-serve, webspace (below) or organizing a f2f event.
• Groups self-select technology tools to help accomplish work within the community.
• Group decisions/outcomes should be seen as representing group members, and not ComETS as a whole.
• Report back to membership at least once a year (usually at the membership meeting)

Perks

• ComETS provides website group space at comets.wisc.edu.
• Communities/ Working Groups are encouraged to post information about goals, objectives, forums, meetings and events on the website.
• ComETS annual meetings and communication vehicles provide a forum for sharing Community / Working Group passions/suggestionsComETS provides a way for individuals to find others on campus with common interests and expertise

See also: the Instructions on setting up a free WiscList e-mail list.