Best‑Practice Guide for Designing Bootcamps and Hackathons - Task 039
Fit to programme
This task has been identified by the working groups as part of the agenda behind WP 3.3.
The task number is 039.
Summary
This task will create a practical best‑practice guide and a set of reusable “event blueprints” for SHAREing bootcamps, workshops and hackathons that focus on accelerated computing projects. Instead of designing every event from scratch, organisers will be able to choose from a small menu of tried‑and‑tested formats, such as triage clinics, stakeholder‑negotiation simulations and reproducible‑workflow sprints, each with clear agendas, roles, materials and simple evaluation questions.
The work will draw on the experience of existing DRI, RSE and HPC training activities and on wider efforts to build a skilled RTP workforce for accelerated and large‑scale compute across the UK. By capturing what works (and what does not) in an accessible guide, this task will help SHAREing and the new DRI skills hubs deliver events that are more inclusive, more consistent and easier to replicate in different institutions. In turn, this will support RTPs in developing the communication, collaboration and project‑shaping skills that are essential for making effective use of advanced computing.
Approach and Methodology
The task will use a mixed qualitative and design‑oriented approach. We will start with a short desk review of existing best‑practice material on organising HPC and DRI training events and hackathons, including guidance from EuroCC and similar initiatives. This will be complemented by brief, semi‑structured interviews with 6–10 organisers of relevant bootcamps, workshops and hackathons (RSE, DRI, HPC, Carpentries‑style events) to capture concrete lessons about what works and what fails, especially for mixed‑ability and cross‑disciplinary audiences.
Drawing on this evidence, we will co‑design 3–5 reusable event “patterns” (for example, triage clinics, stakeholder‑negotiation simulations, reproducible‑workflow sprints). For each pattern we will create a blueprint covering aims, audience, agenda and timings, facilitation notes, suggested materials, evaluation questions and accessibility/EDI considerations (e.g. inclusive group work, support for newcomers, remote participation options). A short overarching guide will explain how to select and adapt patterns for different institutional and skills‑hub contexts.
Feasibility is supported by the limited and clearly scoped number of interviews and patterns, and by building on existing best‑practice resources rather than starting from scratch. The resulting guide and blueprints can be delivered within a 4–6 month window and will be designed so that future applicants to SHAREing calls can readily implement and extend them in line with local needs and budgets.
Outputs
A written Best‑Practice Guide (approx15–25 pages) for designing bootcamps, workshops and hackathons in accelerated computing, made openly available (e.g. via the SHAREing website and a public repository) so it can be reused and adapted by the wider UK DRI community.
3–5 complete event blueprints (“patterns”), each describing a reusable format (aims, target audience, agenda, timings, required roles, materials, accessibility/EDI considerations, and simple evaluation questions). These blueprints should be published as web pages and/or downloadable templates that others can adopt directly in their own institutions and skills hubs.
A short web‑ready summary (1–2 pages of accessible text plus diagrams or checklists) that SHAREing can host to report on the task and signpost to the guide and blueprints, written for a general audience (RTPs, trainers, managers and funders).
Open evaluation artefacts, such as example feedback forms and pre/post self‑assessment questions, again made public so that future events can measure change in professional‑skills confidence and feed evidence back into SHAREing and the UKRI DRI skills hubs.