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# System prepended metadata

title: 'Discussion: Creating online training courses'

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# Discussion: Creating online training courses

- There are a number of tools that university uses that we could use to run online training (canvas, recap, etc)
- Is it worth sticking with university infrastructure, or is it better to create and maintain our own?
- Create something that you can mix and match modules (i.e., same intro to rse but with focus on python/js/etc…)
- Takes a while to create, but once it's there, it's there
- How do we provide long term support — where do people go if they have questions? Could feed into code community
- What’s the audience for these courses? Skill up researchers, university community — not the teaching business, the training business
- We can start from carpentries material
- Recording (in a professional-ish) manner the existing material from the carpentries would be useful if nothing else
- Maybe create a standardised style around the creation of the training material that can be shared to anyone
- What kinds of modules beyond the starter carpentries stuff?
  - HPC
  - PowerBI
  - Java
  - …
  - Discipline specific modules (?)
- Related: schedule working meetings to correct / augment / tackle specific issues in carpentries lesson
  - MD lesson needs work on
  - Python is a merge of the two existing ones, needs work
  - HPC is WIP
- Advantages of using other platforms (beyond Canvas, i.e OpenEDX):
  - More customisable
  - Tailor the look
  - Widespread use for MOOC stuff
- Disadvantages:
  - Would add significant maintenance work to coursework creation and module/course management
  - Would have to pay for deployment and hosting
- We talked about the how and what, but we are still a little fuzzy on the why?
  - Part of our remit of training
  - Extend our current offering which is in person and carpentries’ based to cover other useful topics, and be on demand
- How would this be staffed?
  - Some team members have some time dedicated to training
  - If the HPC staff members do arrive, there will be people who will have some time dedicated to offer specific training
  - How would the carpentries feel about that kind of use of their material?
  - Jannetta seems to think they would welcome it


## Actions:
 - Mike will try creating a PowerBI demo course to figure out the possibilities
 - Maybe one person could use this as a basis to apply to an SSI fellowship
