Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software Projects

Facilitating Student Participation
in Free Software
within Academic Courses

Joanmarie Diggs

2
Topics
● Win-Win Solutions that Don't JustWork™

● Putting the Professors in the Driver's Seat

● Building a Better MouseTrap

● Getting Involved

Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software within Academic Courses
Joanmarie Diggs | jdiggs@igalia.com

Free Software + Academia
`
A Win-Win Solution
that Doesn't JustWork™

4
Academic Institutions
• Unite theory and practice

• Provide real-world, marketable skills

• Be seen as “cool” and innovative


5
Free Software Communities
• More users

• More contributors

• More people who know about Free Software


6
Corporate Contributors
• More, and more-qualified, job applicants

• Get to be known by the candidates they want

• Work with candidates before hiring them


7
It Should JustWork™
• Everyone wins

• GNOME welcomes newcomers

• GNOME succeeds with student contributors:
✔ Google Summer of Code
✔ Outreach Program for Women
✔ HFOSS


8

(Where are all the professors???)


9
Barriers to Entry

}
1. Unfamiliar tools

2. Undetermined projects

3. Unidentified resources
Every semester!
4. Unanswered questions

5. Unforeseen obstacles

6. Unestablished curriculum


10
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”

The “Season of Code” Problem
`
A(nother) Win-Win Solution
that Doesn't JustWork™

12
How Could It Possibly Fail?
● Real needs ● Supportive mentors

● Great ideas ● Backing organizations

● Enthusiasm ● Infrastructure

● Time ● Financial support


13
New A11y Project Outcomes
• GNOME Voice Control – Abandoned
• MouseTrap – Abandoned
• VizAudio – Abandoned
• Dots – Severely neglected
• Compiz eZoom – Severely neglected
• Vedics – Severely neglected
• Simon – Thriving

14
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


Outreach Program for Professors
+ foss2serve
`

Putting Professors in the Driver's Seat

16
Educate the Educators
● Community norms • Build tools

● Communication tools • Patch creation

● Issue trackers • Localization

● Version control • Releases


17
Provide the Tools
• A module (new or existing)

• Infrastructure to maintain that module

• Ongoing mentorship


18
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)


19
Eliminate Barriers to Entry
1. Unfamiliar tools Steep learning curve







20
Academic Efforts
• TOS – teachingopensource.org
Community of academics and developers

• HFOSS – hfoss.org
Humanitarian-centered to attract more students

• foss2serve – xcitegroup.org/foss2serve
New NSF-funded series of projects


21
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


22
foss2serve's Participants
• Red Hat – POSSE
FOSS immersion experience for instructors

• GNOME – Outreach Program for Professors
Ramp-up and support for long-term participation

• (Your organization or institution here)


23
Eliminate Barriers to Entry
1. Unfamiliar tools Steep learning curve







24
Project Goals
• Financially self-sustaining

• Not limited to computer science

• International collaboration

• Professors mentor new professors


25
Project Goals (cont.)
• Modules gain communities

• Modules become core GNOME

• Students remain as contributors

• Expands to include high schools


The Pilot Program
`

Building a Better MouseTrap

27
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


28
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


29
Medium-Term Goals
• Regular releases

• Significant contribution by students

• Incorporation of the module into courses

• Increased visibility of students participation


30
Long-Term Goals
• Module being included as GNOME “feature”

• Users actively participating

• Students and faculty doing core development

• Many disciplines and institutions contributing


32
Program Participants Sought
• Computer Science • Art, Graphics Design

• Technical Writing • Foreign Language

• HCI, Usability • Marketing

• Special Education • Others


33 GNOME Accessibility Team
Alejandro Piñeiro Joanmarie Diggs
apinheiro@igalia.com jdiggs@igalia.com

Western New England University
Heidi Ellis Herman L. Jackson
ellis@wne.edu stoney.jackson@wne.edu

Drexel University
Gregory Hislop Sean Goggins
hislopg@drexel.edu sgoggins@drexel.edu

Nassau Community College
Darci Burdge Lori Postner
darci.burdge@ncc.edu lori.postner@ncc.edu


Facilitating Student Participation in Free Software Projects

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