New Carpentries Instructors at UKZN to Run Data and Computing Skills Workshops

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Seventeen UKZN researchers were trained as carpentries instructors from 18 to 20 March. They will help organise and teach Data, Software and Library Carpentry workshops at UKZN in 2019 and beyond. Software Carpentry, Data Carpentry and Library Carpentry’s mission is to help scientists, researchers, and librarians get more research done in less time with less pain by teaching them basic lab skills for scientific computing. 

The workshop in Westville was hosted by Professor Francesco Petruccione, Pro Vice-Chancellor: Big Data and Informatics Research Flagship. The training was facilitated by Dr Katrin Tirok (Durban), Ms Samar Elsheikh (University of Cape Town), and Mr Saymore Chifamba (Siyavula, Cape Town) who were joined by Dr Malvika Sharan from EMBL in Heidelberg, Germany. Tirok organised this workshop in association with the Big Data and Informatics Research Flagship along with the Rural Campuses Connection Project II (RCCPII) Capacity Development Initiative. It was co-sponsored by the University Capacity Development Programme and RCCPII. 

The participants from UKZN were joined by researchers from Fort Hare University, the University of Zululand, Rhodes University, Mangosuthu University of Technology, and TENET to enhance collaboration in developing computational skills at universities. Participants included postgraduate students, lecturers, professors and support staff from computer, environmental, health, information and library, life and social sciences. 

Attendees learned the basics of educational psychology and instructional design and examined how to use these ideas in both intensive workshops and regular classes. The workshop was a mix of lectures and hands-on lessons, with the opportunity to practice giving a short lesson using the approaches learned and implement some of the teaching techniques discussed. In the planning session at the end of the workshop, the participants were grouped per their institutions to discuss the logistics and different stages of planning involved in organising a workshop. They then presented their plan to the broader group. The organisers said they look forward to seeing some of these plans put into practice. 

A networking event on 18 March gave the future instructors the opportunity to get to know one another and to meet with interested researchers at UKZN. Petruccione introduced his vision of Python as a language of instruction alongside English and isiZulu at UKZN. He encouraged others at the University to build a Carpentries community and to bring workshops to all Schools and Colleges across the campuses. 

Carpentries instructor training in South Africa previously took place in the Western Cape, Gauteng, and North West. Although these events were open to everyone, the Carpentries are still underrepresented at institutions on the East Coast. With over 30 new instructors trained from KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, the organisers hope that computational skills workshops will be hosted by more South African institutions.

Words and photographs: Katrin Tirok