Home> Blog> UBC Went Well

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Ted Hart and Ethan White just wrapped up a bootcamp at the University of British Columbia, and by all accounts it went very well:

GoodBad
  • learn terminal
  • explanations are clear
  • SQLite is awesome
  • learn some Python
  • following along on screen
  • enthusiasm
  • content was relevant
  • practical software
  • SQLite is very helpful in data management
  • Etherpad
  • SQLite
  • SQLite: could use it tomorrow
  • like lots of problems with partners
  • iPython & SQLite
  • liked different levels as beginner so could get help
  • Etherpad ++ for collaborative note taking
  • current & up to date
  • Git
  • helpers and red light green light
  • pace was good
  • great intro to lots of methods (handled volume of info well)
  • free and open source software
  • good overview of things to improve workflow
  • collaborative notetaking and chating and small problems
  • Git from the command line (Linux guy)
  • Git & SQL, can use and share now
  • hands on problems well balanced with learning
  • good job balancing info and level variation
  • better examples of why Python is cool
  • disecting existing code
  • want to be inspired by an example of something cool
  • but not far enough to implement (longer)
  • cool projects
  • cheat sheets
  • brief one line explanation of everything before class & tailored workshops to specific disciplines
  • too hard to keep up
  • installation is much more difficult than R
  • fewer things so that we can actually use it
  • new to programming more exercises
  • not as clear how to use shell so less useful
  • shell: examples of why we should care, e.g., working across files
  • need to know more about iPython
  • lot of information, too much at times (fun stuff was at end)
  • didn't get to interconnecting the pieces (collaborative Git project) [group repo to play with]
  • group by OS or other similar interests
  • would have like to use Git from terminal
  • where are things coming from and going to
  • iPython notebook disconnected from scripting workflow
  • wanted SQL to R/Python (would have come back for another)
  • more time to integrate everything
  • why Python: spend a few minutes explaining why we chose it and what the alternatives are
  • expected it to be more advanced and focused on integration (more info)
  • "here's what you're going to learn" at beginning
  • not far enough in Python to know where to go next
  • some of the one and one help would have been good to share with the group
  • more difficult problems more collaboratively