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About the Summit

This summit aims to gather innovative ideas and actionable proposals to address the key challenges identified in our Improving the Core Contributor Experience report. We’re looking for solutions that will help us improve the overall experience of our Open edX Core Contributor Program, making involvement more efficient and impactful. Our Core Contributor Program is designed to foster genuine participation and support the growth of the platform. It provides community members with special access and associated responsibilities to help develop and promote the Open edX platform.

Call for Proposals

We invite all Core Contributors to submit proposals on one or more of the topics below. Each proposal should address the specific challenges associated with each topic:

1. Enhance Core Contributor Onboarding

We are looking for proposals to improve the Core Contributor (CC) onboarding experience. The aim is to address current gaps and refine the process to create a more comprehensive, clear, and user-friendly onboarding experience.

 What are our current challenges?

  1. Documentation Accessibility: New Core Contributors struggle to locate information pertinent to their role.

  2. Content Quality: Users would like the format and quality of onboarding content to improved so it better engages and informs new members.

  3. Information Clarification: Core Contributors need more in-depth explanations on several topics, including:

    • Role definitions

    • Effective use of communication channels

    • Links to relevant documents and working groups

    • Operation of Core Contributor Sprints

  4. Call to Action: There’s a need for clearer guidance on the steps to take after onboarding, helping new Core Contributors understand how to actively participate and integrate into the community.

  5. Information Overload: New Core Contributors feel overwhelmed by the multiple locations that information is stored (e.g. forum, wiki) making it challenging to discover necessary documentation.

  6. Community Reliance: New Core Contributors often rely on the community for answers instead of utilizing the existing materials, indicating a need for more effective and accessible resources.

 What do I address in my proposal?

  • Overview: Provide a short summary of your proposal.

  • Solution: Provide a clear solution for the challenges listed in this topic. Outline implementation strategies and expected outcomes.

  • Impact: Explain how you’ll measure the effectiveness of the changes proposed.

  • Timeline: Provide an estimated timeline for implementation and any key milestones.

Refer to the survey results for Improving the Core Contributor Experience for supporting data and information.

 Add your proposal to the wiki

  1. Duplicate the proposal template.

  2. Add the duplicated page to this section Proposals: Improve the Core Contributor Experience of the wiki.

  3. When your proposal is complete publish it and add a link to it here.

  4. Please ping Cassie Zamparini on your proposal once it’s completed.

2. Improve Collaboration, Communication & Reporting

Our Core Contributors have emphasized a need for better collaboration, communication, and reporting practices. We’re looking for proposals to help us create this more dynamic and collaborative environment.

 What are our current challenges?

  • Collaboration and Networking:

    • Core Contributors want more collaboration and networking opportunities.

    • Core Contributors would benefit from ensuring that all the working groups they participate in are listed and defined in the active working groups list (view the survey data for details).

    • Core Contributors would benefit from ensuring Working Group names are self-explanatory and consistent across all tools (e.g. Working Group Calendar, Wiki). For example, use "Contributor Coordination Working Group" consistently.

  • Communication Tools:

    • Core Contributors want fewer communication tools. The top communication tools identified were the Discussion Forum, Slack, GitHub, Atlassian Wiki, and Open edX Blog.

    • Core Contributors find Slack’s synchronous nature problematic.

  • Transparency and Involvement:

    • Core Contributors feel there’s a lack of clarity on how to get involved, or find work opportunities.

    • Core Contributors would like a simpler sprint check-in questionnaire than the current Listaflow experience offers.

    • There’s need for clearer and broader announcements of sprint check-ins.

    • Respondents believe the Contributors Meetup Async Update and Core Contributor Check-in should be merged.

 What do I address in my proposal?

  • Scope: Provide a clear solution for the challenges listed above.

  • Format: Clearly outline your proposed solution(s), including implementation strategies and expected outcomes.

  • Impact: Explain how you’ll measure the effectiveness of the changes proposed.

  • Timeline: Provide an estimated timeline for implementation and any key milestones.

Refer to the survey results for Improving the Core Contributor Experience for supporting data and information.

3. Improve Fulfilling Commitments and Planning Processes

We’re seeking proposals to improve the effectiveness and productivity of our Core Contributor program. As our community continues to grow and evolve, it is essential that we enhance our planning tools and commitment tracking methods to better meet the needs of our contributors.

 What are our current challenges?

  • Planning Processes and Tools: Core Contributors stress the need to explore current processes to further enhance productivity and coordination.

  • Commitment Metrics: Core contributors have raised concerns about members' commitment to the program. Explore effective methods for monitoring and measuring individual contributions, as well as evaluating their impact on overall program objectives. This should involve developing metrics that ensure transparency and accountability.

 What do I address in my proposal?

  • Scope: Provide a clear solution for the challenges listed above.

  • Format: Clearly outline your proposed solution(s), including implementation strategies and expected outcomes.

  • Impact: Explain how you’ll measure the effectiveness of the changes proposed.

  • Timeline: Provide an estimated timeline for implementation and any key milestones.

Refer to the survey results for Improving the Core Contributor Experience for supporting data and information.

4. Improve Review Processes

68.5% of participants have reported difficulties in obtaining timely reviews or approvals in our current review processes. These challenges are primarily due to issues in finding suitable reviewers and managing the pace of reviews. To address these bottlenecks and streamline our workflow, we are seeking proposals to improve our review processes and further emphasise the importance of the maintainer program.

 What are our current challenges?

  • Finding Reviewers: Core Contributors tend to struggle to find reviewers.

  • Review Pace: Core Contributors would like the current review process to be faster without compromising quality. Propose methods for tracking review times and identifying bottlenecks.

  • Maintainer Program: There’s need to propose strategies to strengthen our existing maintainer program. This includes recruiting and retaining maintainers, as well as outlining approaches to drive engagement and ensure the program's effectiveness.

 What do I address in my proposal?

  • Scope: Provide a clear solution for the challenges listed above.

  • Format: Clearly outline your proposed solution(s), including implementation strategies and expected outcomes.

  • Impact: Explain how you’ll measure the effectiveness of the changes proposed.

  • Timeline: Provide an estimated timeline for implementation and any key milestones.

Refer to the survey results for Improving the Core Contributor Experience for supporting data and information.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

  • Deadline: at 18:00 UTC (timezone converter)

  • Format: Proposals should be created in Google Docs with comment view enabled.

  • Submit: Add your proposal link to the designated GitHub issues.

  • Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated based on:

    • Relevance to the report’s findings

    • Feasibility and practicality of implementation

    • Quality and clarity of the proposed solutions

    • Potential impact on improving the Core Contributor experience

The Core Contributor Coordination Working Group will review proposals ahead of the Summit. Only proposals submitted by the deadline will be considered.

Summit Guidelines

Let’s discuss your proposals! 🎉

All proposal submitters will have the opportunity to present their topic at the Summit. Please mark this date on your calendar.

  • Date: , from 15:00 to 17:30 UTC (timezone converter)

  • Location: [Insert Meeting Link]

  • Agenda:

    • Introduction

    • Solution Presentations

    • Review of Solutions

    • Review and Agreement on Next Steps

Funding

Participation in this summit is welcomed, but no funding will be allocated. We’ll need to rely on the commitment hours of Core Contributors to find solutions.

Thank you!

We look forward to discussing these topics with the broader community. Your contributions will help us enhance the Core Contributor experience by focusing on the critical areas identified through survey feedback. Our goal is to address concerns related to transparency, coordination, and guidance for new contributors. Together, we aim to make a significant impact on our core contributor community.

For any questions, please feel free to reach out to Cassie Zamparini

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