Workshop:
Software Carpentry

Teaching Researchers Basic Skills for Computational Research: the Software Carpentry Model

More and more researchers, from more and more disciplines, need basic computational skill to be able to effectively collect, process, report on, and share their research data. For many students, these skills are not taught as part of their undergraduate curriculum. This leads to a demand for postgraduate training in the use of eInfrastructures and programming.

Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry, and more recently, Library Carpentry, have been offering researchers training in “the computing skills they need to get more done in less time and with less pain” globally. A team of volunteer instructors organises hundreds of workshops serving thousands of scientists globally on a yearly basis.

At the University of Oslo, in collaboration with the Science Library and USIT, we have built, and are expanding, a community of instructors offering regular Carpentry workshops on several essential skills (unix shell, version control, python, R, SQL, Make, data management) attracting many researchers from the Oslo area.

In this workshop, you will become acquainted with the ‘Carpentry’ model of teaching, and experience first-hand how a workshop is being run. You will learn about how lesson material is developed collectively, and how volunteers can become certified instructors. You will learn how the Carpentry effort at the University of Oslo is organised, and how you can initiate or promote/stimulate such an effort at your home institution or in your area/country.

We aim to both bring Nordic Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry folks together to initiate a network, as well as recruit others to become involved. As a result, we aim to broaden the geographic areas in the Nordics that are able to offer Carpentry workshops.

The workshop organiser is Lex Nederbragt. He is an experienced instructor, as well as an instructor trainer, for Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry, as well as the main driver of the Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry effort at the University of Oslo.

Who should participate:

  • Anyone interested in finding out more about what Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry are all about
  • Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry instructors from the NeIC countries
  • Staff responsible for training researchers
  • Staff responsible for personnel that provide such training
  • Researchers and staff interested in providing Software Carpentry or Data Carpentry (style) training at their home institutions/in their area/country
  • Researchers and staff interested in building a community of instructors at their home institutions/in their area/country

Agenda

  • 09:00 - 09:20: short round of who is who, role they play at their institute, previous experience with the Carpentries
  • 09:20 - 10:00: history of Software Carpentry at UiO, organisation, status, and outlook, Q&A
  • 10:00 - 10:15: coffee break
  • 10:15 - 11:15: short hands-on: experiencing a workshop (as a learner), subject to be determined
  • 11:15 - 11:30: coffee break
  • 11:30 - 12:30: round-table discussion: how to initiate or promote/stimulate Carpentry workshops at your home institution or in your area/country; initiating a Nordic Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry network?
  • 12:30: finish

Workshop chair:
Lex Nederbragt

Sessions:
  • Monday, May 29, 09:00 - 12:30 (Room: Balder)