An Opinionated Framework

Apprentice is a Jekyll template for creating workshops. The concept was to make it easy to create a hands-on workshop, or even better, multiple workshops, with a consistent structure and feel. It is opinionated in that it makes certain assumptions about what a good workshop should be.

While the focus is on in person, hands-on learning, there should also be a strong online component that learners can come back to as needed.

The content should be organized and open to all to view.

The content in a workshop shouldn’t rely in the creators’ or past instructors to be viable. Enough information should be given to allow reuse.

The workshops should be web friendly in that they are easily indexed and display well on browsers with no additional software needed.

The framework should be as easy as possible for instructors and content creators to use and create workshops with. In practice, creating a Power Point presentation may be easier for one workshop, but it would not fulfill most of the other requirements.

Structure

Apprentice is composed of these parts.

  • A highly informative home page
  • An online tutorial that mirrors the content of the workshop
  • Instructors notes and timeline for in-person workshops
  • Presentation Slides for additional information
  • Clearly defined prerequisites
  • Clearly defined learning goals and objectives