Carpentries-Workshops Spring 2019 – Summary Of Learners’ Feedback #

Workshops #

Workshops We Taught #

Python (novices) - Feb 8, 2019
Intro to Git (novices) - Feb 15, 2019
Git in Practice (intermediate) - Feb 27, 2019
Data Analysis and Visualisation in R for Ecologists - Mar 8, 2019
Unix Shell (novices) - Apr 24, 2019
Data Analysis and Visualisation in R for Ecologists - May 15, 2019
Introduction to R with Tidyverse (pt. 1) - May 22, 2019
Introduction to R with Tidyverse (pt. 2) - May 29, 2019
Getting your hands on climate data (novices) - Jun 7, 2019

Carpentries @ UiO was also involved in the ResearchBazaar 2019

Two-day Learn Deep-Learning with Python
One-day Get (even) smarter with the Unix Shell
Half-day Publication Ready Scientific Reports with Jupyter Notebook
Half-day Getting Started with Open Science Framework

Don’t forget to update the workshop and course registry on our website https://uio-carpentry.github.io/ - everyone can edit the file index.md in our GitHub repository https://github.com/uio-carpentry/uio-carpentry.github.io

Utilization #

We had booked rooms for 19 full-day workshops, we held 9 workshops.

Feedback From Our Learners #

We got feedback for 6 workshops.

Who Are Our Learners? #

The Majority of our learners are Phds - and researchers on various levels. We have a few students, mainly on masters’ level, and a couple of engineers with various backgrounds.

Who are our learners - academic background

There seems to be confusion about what to choose as “role”; perhaps we could add an explanation to the Nettskjema or add more fields to choose from?

Which Institutions Are Our Learners Affiliated With? #

The vast majority is from UiO. A few learners are from other universities: OsloMet (1) and NMBU (5). Some are from the University Hospital (3), the Veterinarian Institute (1), The Institute of Cancer Research (1) NIVA (3), Noroff (1) and TØI (1). The individual departments are rarely mentioned.

A third of those filling out the Nettskjema did not write their institutional affiliation: Why? – There seems to be confusion around what we are asking for here, and perhaps: Why we want to know their affiliation in the first place.

What Workshop or Topics Are Our Learners Missing? #

Summing up from the surveys, most learners are interested in learning any or more of Python and R. Most want to use it for data analysis, thus requesting focus on packages like Pandas, NumPy, SciPy etc.
They also want more targeted courses on specific kinds of data (e.g. ecology, climate, bio, archeology, spatio-temporal).
Generally, learners ask to learn more about statistics or want to do more practical statistical analysis with R or Python.
Additionally, plotting and visualization are requested.
Indepented from language, many learners asked for workshops dealing with data preparation and data cleaning - basically everything that happens before analysis.
Machine learning is more and more requested.
Generally, there is a need for more workshops on advanced levels. Learners who aren’t novices anymore don’t seem to find workshops for their level; this might also be a reason for why our workshops often have quite advanced learners even though they are explicitely targeted towards novices – an issue that occasionally leads to overbooked workshops and dissatisfied learners and teachers.
There is also the request for workshops for specific tools, like SPSS. USIT has courses; we could consider spreading information about these at our workshops.
Summing up: Including more Data Carpentry workshops could help meet the learners’s needs.

Comments and Constructive Criticism #

Generally, our learners really appreciate that we offer workshops on a variety of topics and rate the workshops overall very positively. Our instructors are highly regarded for their enthusiasm, teaching spirit and patience and the helper-system gets univocally positive feedback.

Positives are: Helpers and individual assistance – enthusiastic teachers – pedagogic teaching – good atmosphere – real life examples (data, code)

There is a certain amount of criticism, not all of which is directed at our workshop organisation and instructores.
Generally, communication before the workshop could be improved. Prior to the workshops, clearer instructions on installation of software, download of data sets or code bits and ** quick self-tests are recommended.
Apart from that, learners would like to get a more realistic schedule for the the workshop: will the topics mentioned in the schedule actually be taught in the workshop. (Comment AR: We have experienced that we are note able to teach the entire Python module in one day; of 10 lessons we manage 6; the course description has the entire 10 lessons, thus creating expectations we cannot meet).
Time management and workshop logistics have been mentioned as an area of improvement, especially when it comes to breaks.
Overall, our instructors and helpers receive very positive feedback. However, live coding and navigation speed is sometimes an issue as are too short or missing explanations.
Most criticism is directed at co-learners who arrive unprepared which leads to delays and occupies helpers and instructors

Are We Reaching Our Goals With Software Carpentry? #

YES. We reach them fully – or at least somewhat.

Are We Reaching Our Goals?

Should We Have Other And More Workshops at UiO? #

Overwhelmingly YES.

Would You Recommend Us?

Overwhelmingly, learners strongly agree or agree that they would recommend our workshops. Only a tiny number is either neutral, or disagrees.

Have You, After The Course, Used What You Learned? #

Have You Used What You Have Learned?

Half answered that they haven’t yet used what they’ve learned but might in the future, while roughly a third answered that they have used some of it. A little less than a quarter of learners said they’ve used most or all of it. Only one person had not used anything at all.

Was This Workshop Worth My Time? #

Was It Worth Your Time?

Overwhelmingly, learners answered that they strongly agreed or agreed that the workshop was worth their time. A few were neutral as to whether it was worth their time, while 3 disagreed or strongly disagreed.

How Much Practical Knowledge Did You Gain From The Workshop? #

Practical Knowledge?

Much more than half of the learners answered that they learned a great deal, while roughly a third answered that they gained some practical knowledge. One answered that they gained none.