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# The CodeRefinery project

## Radovan Bast [@\_\_radovan](https://twitter.com/__radovan)

Nordic e-Infrastructure Collaboration/
UiT The Arctic University of Norway

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## CodeRefinery

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We teach tools and practices for the
development of reproducible and reusable research software.

### We teach together!

- https://coderefinery.org
- https://coderefinery.org/workshops/past/

### Workshops

- Since 2016:
  - **30 full workshops**
  - 19 other workshops/events
  - 3 instructor training events
  - **over 1400 persons trained**
- last 3 workshops: **8 volunteer instructors**, over **60 volunteer helpers**
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<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/coderefinery/reports@b1035391d027f64e0a6cd63244aeca62eab61dca/img/map.jpg" style="width: 100%;"/>
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### Staff and hubs

- 12 persons are on contract (~ 3 FTE/year), funding until Oct 2021
- Major in-kind partner: [Aalto Scientific Computing](https://scicomp.aalto.fi/)
- Major training hubs: Aalto, Stockholm, Oslo, Trondheim

### Network

- 188 persons on <https://coderefinery.zulipchat.com/>
- 553 followers on [@coderefine](https://twitter.com/coderefine)
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<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/coderefinery/reports@b1035391d027f64e0a6cd63244aeca62eab61dca/img/neic.png" style="padding-left: 100px; height: 35px;"/>

<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/coderefinery/reports@b1035391d027f64e0a6cd63244aeca62eab61dca/img/snic.png" style="padding-left: 100px; height: 30px;"/>
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## Typical curriculum

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- Basic and collaborative Git
- Social coding and open software
- Reproducible research
- Jupyter notebooks
- Code documentation
- Automated testing
- Modular code development
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### 3 days on-site in person

### Now: 6 half-days online
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## A vision of reaching many people at once

![The first idea... accept everyone, stream for everyone else](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/coderefinery/reports@b1035391d027f64e0a6cd63244aeca62eab61dca/img/inspiration-1.png)

![A bit later... crazy but genius](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/coderefinery/reports@b1035391d027f64e0a6cd63244aeca62eab61dca/img/inspiration-2.png)

.cite[Twitch: live streaming service popular in the gaming community]

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## Scaling up during 2020: effective team work

- Previously: ~25 participants, ~2 helpers
- Now: 100 participants, 20+ helpers
- Lectures & code-along exercises in the main room: .emph[stream and also record]
- Get help and group exercises in a breakout room
- Participants can register as teams ("bring your own breakout room")
- Installation sessions and helper preparation sessions
- Asynchronous Q&A via [HackMD](https://hackmd.io/) ->
  we publish these ([example](https://coderefinery.github.io/2020-10-20-online/#questions-answers-and-feedback))

### More details

- [Operation manuals](https://coderefinery.github.io/manuals/):
  reference and training for our teaching style
- Blog post: https://coderefinery.org/blog/2020/07/31/mega-coderefinery/
- [Presentation at CarpentryCon@Home 2020](https://github.com/coderefinery/carpentrycon-2020)

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## Growth

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## CodeRefinery: bridging the gap

### Benefits of the Carpentries membership and coordination

- Provide a progression
- Make CodeRefinery visible to the Carpentries community
- Collaboration on teaching to reach people who are difficult to reach
- Provision of priority seats for instructor training

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## Nordic research software engineers

### First online get-together held last week: .emph[100 registrants]

- https://nordic-rse.org/events/2020-online-get-together/

### First conference to take place May 27-28, 2021, Stockholm

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## GitLab service

- Source code repository hosting for .emph[Nordic research software]
- .emph[580 users with projects, 108 groups, 986 projects]
- Notable projects: ARC/NT1, Earth Observation Laboratory, Centre for
  Integrated Remote Sensing and Forecasting for Arctic Operations, Symbioses,
  Nordic Language Processing Laboratory, EISCAT, UiT Master of Applied Computer
  Science, UiT Narvik R&D - Umbrella.
- Maintained by DeiC (very professional maintenance)

### Challenge

- .emph[Long-term funding] (now coupled to CodeRefinery funding)
- .emph[User support] (now CodeRefinery team)

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## Value of the network and teamwork: success stories

### Python course

- Instead of each site developing their own course, we combined efforts and
  together developed one within 3 weeks:
  https://aaltoscicomp.github.io/python-for-scicomp/

### Research Software Hour

- Weekly online stream/show about scientific computing and research software
- https://researchsoftwarehour.github.io/

### Instructor training

- 3 instructor training events in one year, co-organized across
  borders

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## Recent feedback

> "I take this chance to congratulate once more for the very appreciated workshop.
> I really enjoyed all the sessions, this is something I have been looking for
> for a couple of years now and that I will strongly advertise between my
> colleagues.  In particular, I would like to congratulate you for your
> professionalism and for having made the most of all the potential of distance
> learning, without ever complaining about its obvious and unnecessary
> limitations. The team effort during the classes was impressive. Also, the
> material available to support the classes is excellent and I am sure I will
> exploit it in the future."

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# What is CodeRefinery?

## CodeRefinery's biggest development may not be *teaching*...

## ... is it *teaching together*?

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## Future: our "ask"

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### Can we really co-teach, instead of each partner re-inventing teaching?

<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/coderefinery/reports@b1035391d027f64e0a6cd63244aeca62eab61dca/img/pyramid.png" style="width: 120%;"/>
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### CodeRefinery can bring and coordinate best practices

- among infrastructure providers and other "hands-on teachers"
- reducing duplicated work
- teaching hybrid online/in person
- teaching best practices in *lesson development*
- teaching *collaboration*
- teaching *how to train others*

This can't be fully bottom-up.

.emph[We ask the NeIC board to help get us there, determine interest, and lobby.]
]

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## CodeRefinery 2022: .emph[Community project]

Primary tasks:

- Classic "CodeRefinery workshops" with focus on best software practices, organized by partners
- Own training: both open tracks and sponsored personalized courses
- Coordinate other shared collaborative training events
- Train the trainer
- .emph[Seeking co-funding from NeIC and participating universities]

Additional goals:

- Continue coordinating Carpentries events in Nordics/Baltic countries
- Driving Nordic research software engineers (RSE) network
- "Training support" of NeIC, for other projects
- Support professional development of RSEs
- Improve towards a more inclusive community and better gender balance