More on Instructor Training

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Since we announced yesterday that we are re-opening applications for instructor training, several questions have come in by email and on Twitter. We’ve answered the general ones below, and will update this post as others arrive.

Why are you running open-enrollment classes?

Our primary goal is to increase our reach: many geographic regions and research disciplines are sparsely represented in our instructor pool, or not represented at all, and we are always conscious of the need to maintain and improve diversity.

How does this relate to instructor training for partner organizations?

Partner organizations are guaranteed a certain number of instructor training slots as part of their agreement with us, and those trainings are given priority over open-enrollment offerings.

How many classes are being offered, and how many spaces are available?

We are currently planning to run two classes, each for about 30 participants.

Where will the training take place?

These two classes will take place online, and will run over two full days. We will choose dates and times to accommodate as many people as possible.

How are participants going to be selected?

We will select participants based on previous involvement with Software and Data Carpentry, location, research discipline, previous teaching experience, ability to commit time to teaching and mentorship, and all of the other factors in the application form.

When will selections be made?

We will start notifying people in a few weeks (i.e., the second half of August).

In what time zones will classes take place?

We haven’t decided yet, but they will be aimed at different timezones so that we can accommodate the widest possible range of participants.

Will you offer more open-enrollment classes in future?

Yes.

Wil people have to re-apply to take part?

No: we will keep all applications, and contact people as spots become available to see if they’re still interested.