TRANSFORM 2022
Instructor information
Thank you for offering to provide a tutorial at TRANSFORM 2022 — we really appreciate you. We're here to help you make your tutorial a success.
Please read this entire document. There are Actions for you at the end.
Your tutorial
Your tutorial will be allocated a data and time (in UTC) in the schedule; here are the provisional slots:
Please note that tutorials this year are only 2 hours long.
The title of your session is probably wrong. Please submit your title and a brief description of your tutorial in the form at the end of this document.
Content
You should aim to make your tutorial as approachable as possible. If it's aimed at intermediate or advanced programmers only, please state this in the description. If you think it's beginner-friendly, please also mention this.
The line between 'beginner' and 'intermediate' is: a person can write a function, load a CSV, and make a plot. If you're assuming those things, it's 'intermediate'.
If you need people to install any software that is not in Anaconda, please do this at the start of your tutorial as part of the demo. Please also put the instructions — especially for any downloads, which can take time — in the Description.
You can see last year’s tutorials on Software Underground’s YouTube channel. For example, check out the awesome PyGIMLi tutorial.
Python environment
We're sharing the following videos with participants: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgLft9vxdduAW-jmhYqXvtfGYJS6v2FjM
Please work on the assumption that the participants will have an environment like this when you start the tutorial.
If possible, it might also be worth having a back-up strategy using Colab or Binder, just in case a person cannot install what they need to follow along. (This can result in a problem with large datasets, so we recognize it won't always be possible.)
Technology
With typically at least 30 people on the livestream, and sometimes as many as 120, the tutorials are too large to be very interactive, so we are planning to livestream them over YouTube Live.
You will not be using YouTube, however. We will invite you to a Jitsi meeting which we will stream. You will be able to share your screen and remain in full control of what is displayed from your computer. There will only be you — with any assistants you want to invite to help you manage things — and one or two people from the organizing team.
We will set up a practice session with you the week or so before TRANSFORM, so you can see the set-up for yourself. You can also try Jitsi any time on our Jitsi server.
In addition to the Jitsi meeting, we will invite people to interact with each other and with you (and us) via a channel in the Software Underground Slack that is devoted to your session. You might find it hard to follow along with this, however, so having a Teaching Assistant monitor it for you is probably a good idea.
There will be no live chat in YouTube.
Software requirements
You can join the Jitsi meeting via your browser. We have found that Jitsi generally works well with Firefox, Chrome or Chromium.
Hardware requirements
You should connect to the Internet using an Ethernet cable, if at all possible. If you must use Wi-Fi, follow these tips to get the best performance and get as close as possible to your router or access point.
You will probably find it convenient to have 2 displays if possible.
We will send you a headset, headphones, or a mic. Please choose which you prefer in the form linked later in this document. If you'd rather use your own, no problem. In general, hard-wired devices are more reliable than Bluetooth.
Actions
Ahead of TRANSFORM
Make sure you know when your tutorial is and get it in your calendar.
Please fill out the form below as soon as you have a title and description and not later than 30 March.
Get your software and hardware sorted out, per the tips listed above.
We will be sending your audiovisual gear on 30 March; watch for it in the mail in early April.
We will send you a Jitsi meeting URL. Do not share the meeting URL with anyone. If you want to invite people to participate, give them the YouTube link.
If you want to make short links for resources — especially useful for URLs people have to type, please send
/shorten <url>to Slackbot.
At your tutorial
Please arrive in the Jitsi meeting at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start of your event. One of the organizers will be there to help you get set up and to take care of the livestreaming.
Please plan to finish your tutorial on time, or up to 15 minutes early. No-one will want to run over time.
Remember that people can pause and rewind the livestream, so there is no need to break during your session unless you want or need to.
When speaking, try to look at the camera occasionally. It's not easy, but it does help engage the students.
During your tutorial, you probably need to slow down a bit compared to your usual speed.
We're still figuring out some of the details of how everything will work. Your understanding and adaptability will be appreciated!
Lightning talks
If you or anyone in your company or research group would like to do a lightning talk, please watch for the Doodles we will post in Slack the week before the event.
Contacts
Look for us on Slack and we'll help you out as best and as quickly as we can:
Brendon Hall (UTC–5)
Matt Hall (UTC–3)
Robert Leckenby (UTC+2)
Dieter Werthmuller (UTC+2)
Irene (UTC+13)