f os sa2012-j.diggs-facilitating student participation in free software
TRANSCRIPT
Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software
within Academic Courses
Joanmarie Diggs
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Topics
● Win-Win Solutions that Don't JustWork™
● Putting the Professors in the Driver's Seat
● Building a Better MouseTrap
● Getting Involved
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Free Software + Academia
A Win-Win Solutionthat Doesn't JustWork™
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Academic Institutions
• Unite theory and practice
• Provide real-world, marketable skills
• Be seen as “cool” and innovative
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Free Software Communities
• More users
• More contributors
• More people who know about Free Software
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Corporate Contributors
• More, and more-qualified, job applicants
• Get to be known by the candidates they want
• Work with candidates before hiring them
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
It Should JustWork™
• Everyone wins
• GNOME welcomes newcomers
• GNOME succeeds with student contributors:
✔ Google Summer of Code
✔ Outreach Program for Women
✔ HFOSS
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
(Where are all the professors???)
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Barriers to Entry
1. Unfamiliar tools
2. Undetermined projects
3. Unidentified resources
4. Unanswered questions
5. Unforeseen obstacles
6. Unestablished curriculum
} Every semester!
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Root Causes● Semesters have a fixed schedule
● Courses have fixed learning outcomes
● Faculty are expected to be in control
● Academia is a closed culture
● Faculty have limited time to teach
● Research is seen as a “better investment”
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The “Season of Code” Problem
A(nother) Win-Win Solutionthat Doesn't JustWork™
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
● Real needs
● Great ideas
● Enthusiasm
● Time
How Could It Possibly Fail?
● Supportive mentors
● Backing organizations
● Infrastructure
● Financial support
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
New A11y Project Outcomes
• GNOME Voice Control – Abandoned
• MouseTrap – Abandoned
• VizAudio – Abandoned
• Dots – Severely neglected
• Compiz eZoom – Severely neglected
• Vedics – Severely neglected
• Simon – Thriving
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Post-Mortem Results
• Students move on
• Accessibility is not “shiny”
• Accessibility is highly specialized
• Existing team members have full plates
• An entity to ensure continuity is essential
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Outreach Program for Professors+ foss2serve
Putting Professors in the Driver's Seat
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Educate the Educators
● Community norms
● Communication tools
● Issue trackers
● Version control
• Build tools
• Patch creation
• Localization
• Releases
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Provide the Tools
• A module (new or existing)
• Infrastructure to maintain that module
• Ongoing mentorship
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Give Professors Ownership
• They set their road map (i.e. projects)
• They allocate their resources (i.e. students)
• They perform code review (i.e. assessment)
• They control their module (and their semester)
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Eliminate Barriers to Entry
1. Unfamiliar tools Steep learning curve
2. Undetermined projects
3. Unidentified resources
4. Unanswered questions
5. Unforeseen obstacles
6. Unestablished curriculum
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Academic Efforts
• TOS – teachingopensource.orgCommunity of academics and developers
• HFOSS – hfoss.orgHumanitarian-centered to attract more students
• foss2serve – xcitegroup.org/foss2serveNew NSF-funded series of projects
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
foss2serve's Main Goals
• Professional development for faculty in FOSS
• Small-group learning communities– Connecting academia with FOSS projects– Faculty become core participants– Creation and sharing of learning materials
• Increase student interest in computing
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
foss2serve's Participants
• Red Hat – POSSEFOSS immersion experience for instructors
• GNOME – Outreach Program for ProfessorsRamp-up and support for long-term participation
• (Your organization or institution here)
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Eliminate Barriers to Entry
1. Unfamiliar tools Steep learning curve
2. Undetermined projects
3. Unidentified resources
4. Unanswered questions
5. Unforeseen obstacles
6. Unestablished curriculum
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Project Goals• Financially self-sustaining
• Not limited to computer science
• International collaboration
• Professors mentor new professors
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
• Modules gain communities
• Modules become core GNOME
• Students remain as contributors
• Expands to include high schools
Project Goals (cont.)
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The Pilot Program
Building a Better MouseTrap
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
MouseTrap
● Standalone GNOME application
● Mouse control via webcam head tracking
● Written in Python, based on OpenCV
● Created during GOPA: 2008
● Contributed to during HFOSS: 2009
● Last non-localization code change: 2010
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Short-Term Goals
• Make the module GNOME 3 compatible
• Define the module's road map
• Establish expertise in academic participants
• Explore/create course material for student involvement
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Medium-Term Goals
• Regular releases
• Significant contribution by students
• Incorporation of the module into courses
• Increased visibility of students participation
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Long-Term Goals
• Module being included as GNOME “feature”
• Users actively participating
• Students and faculty doing core development
• Many disciplines and institutions contributing
`Getting Involved
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
Program Participants Sought
• Computer Science
• Technical Writing
• HCI, Usability
• Special Education
• Art, Graphics Design
• Foreign Language
• Marketing
• Others
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Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic CoursesJoanmarie Diggs | [email protected]
GNOME Accessibility Team Alejandro Piñeiro Joanmarie Diggs [email protected] [email protected]
Western New England University Heidi Ellis Herman L. Jackson [email protected] [email protected]
Drexel University Gregory Hislop Sean Goggins [email protected] [email protected]
Nassau Community College Darci Burdge Lori Postner [email protected] [email protected]