Along with the usual
duties of an instructor,
lead instructors are responsible
for leading discussions among the instructors and host about what to teach
and who's teaching what.
They are also responsible for making sure that
the bootcamp's web page and repository are set up in good time,
and for handling evaluation.
All of these duties can be delegated,
but it's the lead instructor's responsibility to make sure they are done.
If you've been assigned the lead instructor role
but aren't comfortable with it,
or find that you don't have time,
please let Software Carpentry admin know
as soon as possible.
Initial Preparation
Create the GitHub
repository
that will host the bootcamp's web pages.
Talk to the boot camp host about the boot camp audience
and their desired curriculum and level.
Talk to the bootcamp host about the audience;
what field(s) are they from,
and what is their expertise level,
and what curriculum would interest them?
With the other instructors, decide:
what content to cover,
what the schedule will be, and
who will teach what.
This usually takes a few iterations, so don't leave it until the last
minute.
Create a schedule for your bootcamp
with instructors' names against each topic being taught.
Be sure to allow enough
time to set up
on the first day,
and for learners to fill in the post-bootcamp assessment on the last day.
Create the home page for the bootcamp in that repository,
and either write or recycle a description of the curriculum
and setup instructions.
Create an Etherpad for the bootcamp.
If you're local to the bootcamp site,
suggest some helpers if you can.
Consult the
instructors' checklist:
all of those tasks apply to the lead instructor too.
A Week or Two Before
Make sure the pre-bootcamp assessment questionnaire has been created
and sent to your learners,
and share the responses with your fellow instructors.
Make sure all the instructors have posted their materials
on the bootcamp web site.
If possible, introduce yourself to the helpers;
give them the link to the bootcamp webpage
and ask them to follow the setup instructions;
and ask them to arrive at least 15 minutes earlier than learners.
First-Day Welcome
Make sure all learners are set up correctly and have sticky notes.
Remind learners of the bootcamp's goals and schedule.
During the Boot Camp
Before each break,
have learners
submit
feedback
on their sticky notes.
At the End
Ask for feedback (one good thing and one bad thing)
and send it to Software Carpentry.
You can collect it on sticky notes,
on the Etherpad,
or with a Google form.
Distribute the post-bootcamp assessment.
It's best if learners complete it before they leave.
Discuss why assessment is important for Software Carpentry and for participants
(quantitatively show and measure impact,
better funding,
ways boot-camps can improve for the future).
Let participants know
they will be asked to volunteer
for impact study interview in 3 months.
Very few people have been volunteering
so their participation is very important.
After
Fill in the workshop summary questionnaire
to let Software Carpentry admin know what was actually taught
and how it went.