To add to the point of admin access, it is also common for folks on company-issued devices to have limited access. Depending on host institute, IT often takes a long time to have required software installed, especially so if they need to approve it first.
In the past, we've used carpentries maintained binders to teach Python when locally installing conda was not an option, with varying degrees of success (firewall issues may occur). I've always recommended using binder in carpentries workshops. There are a few advantages of using cloud-based tools to teach carpentries lessons, IMO: 1. It gives learners an opportunity to familiarize themselves with cloud computing, which is increasingly common and even necessary in today's data analysis. 2. We've never managed to get everyone to complete pre-workshop setup no matter how many emails organizers send out. This then requires a considerable amount of time on day 1 to get everyone set up. Using binders solves this problem as binder projects can be preconfigured with necessary packages and data files. 3. It provides a unified terminal interface and file system. This saves instructors time to explain differences among MacOS, Linux, and different Windows terminal programs. It also makes it easier to teach file system since everyone will be on a Linux OS. And most importantly, it is OS-agnostic, and requires lowest hardware specs. SP On Wed, Jul 7, 2021, 5:23 PM Reid, Andrew C.E. via discuss < [email protected]> wrote: > > > With regard to admin access, I think there's a very valuable broader > point, namely that instructors and learners in many venues might > have differing levels of access to computers, so the suggested one-pager > on engaging with IT support staff or working within access limits seems > obviously high-value. > > For US government employees in particular, this evidently > varies by agency (and probably staff role). At my agency, sufficient > computer access to install and configure software is common among > research staff. > -- A. > > On Wed, Jul 07, 2021 at 05:51:27PM -0400, Elizabeth McAulay wrote: > > I think the following topics might be useful to have written down, but > I'd like to also advocate for instructors being willing to narrate and > explain these topics in workshops. The Carpentries tone for me has > emphasized learning and inclusivity, and that means acknowledging learner > needs through interaction during the workshop. I don't think anyone is > suggesting otherwise, but I thought I'd say it specifically so that the > purpose of the lesson, or maybe "pre-lesson," be understood in the larger > picture. > > > > My suggestions for this lesson are: > > 1) It might be good to know what "home directory" means in different > operating systems. > > 2) Common spreadsheet programs > > 3) Common text editor programs > > > > Slightly separate topic, in a recent Community Discussion Call, we > covered that US Government employees will never be given administrator > privileges to their machines. This was a discussion with two US Government > agency employees who had trained to become instructors, so they will be > working to lead workshops inside their agency. I thought a good one-pager > that might explain how machine IT staff could be brought in as helpers and > advocates could be useful. > > -- > Dr. Andrew C. E. Reid > Physical Scientist, Computer Operations Administrator > Center for Theoretical and Computational Materials Science > National Institute of Standards and Technology, Mail Stop 8555 > Gaithersburg MD 20899 USA > [email protected] > > ------------------------------------------ > This list is for the purpose of general discussion about The Carpentries > including community activities, upcoming events, and announcements. Some > other lists you may also be interested in include discuss-hpc, discuss-r, > and our local groups. Visit https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/ to > learn more. All activity on this and other Carpentries spaces should abide > by The Carpentries Code of Conduct found here: > https://docs.carpentries.org/topic_folders/policies/code-of-conduct.html > > The Carpentries: discuss > Permalink: > https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss/T2d21128097488a42-Me7aa65ad04a844a9fbd5701b > Delivery options: > https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss/subscription > ------------------------------------------ This list is for the purpose of general discussion about The Carpentries including community activities, upcoming events, and announcements. Some other lists you may also be interested in include discuss-hpc, discuss-r, and our local groups. Visit https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/ to learn more. All activity on this and other Carpentries spaces should abide by The Carpentries Code of Conduct found here: https://docs.carpentries.org/topic_folders/policies/code-of-conduct.html The Carpentries: discuss Permalink: https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss/T2d21128097488a42-Mb08ca30c39c61eb79f3968bd Delivery options: https://carpentries.topicbox.com/groups/discuss/subscription
