Bootcamp: current state and future directions - Discussion

[majkah0]

This issue is to discuss the current structure of the bootcamp and possible improvements for batch 7 with regard to the teaching goals and student success. It is an attempt to continue the conversations we had during the bootcamp and reach conclusions that can be translated into practice.

Current state of the bootcamp:
Bootcamp learning goal is to give the students a solid basis for the rest of the course and prepare them for the first hackathon. Current duration is three weeks, starting with the bootcamp weekend with instructors presenting all the material in 15 min talks. Between the talks, the students can solve the exercises. The students then continue studying the units and have to solve the exercise notebooks until the deadline three weeks later. There are 14 compulsory (slu04-17) and 2 optional (slu18-19) units. The median time required for completing slu04-19 is 39 hours (24h for exercises and 15h for learning notebooks), as measured by feedback forms this year. Many new concepts are taught in a relatively short time and it's also a programming challenge for many students. The limited time available leads to students skipping the difficult parts and so not solving the units in the intended order. According to the student feedback, the step from solving the exercises to solving the hackathon is steep and the students feel quite overwhelmed on the first hackathon. The bootcamp is the only specialization with a hard deadline - late submission is not possible and the students missing the deadline are directly excluded from the academy.

Talking points:
Is the fast pace of the bootcamp justified (does it have a purpose)?
Is the hard deadline justified (does it have a purpose)? Could the hard deadline be changed into a soft deadline with the possibility of late delivery (as in the rest of the academy)?
Could the teaching goals be better achieved by splitting the bootcamp in two parts (with two deadlines)?
Could we introduce something like a hackathon prep, similar to exam prep in the prep course?
Does the bootcamp weekend in it's current form contribute to the learning goal?
Does the structure of the bootcamp weekend make sense (15 min talks + 40 min exercise solving)?
Given that many students do not solve exercices during the bootcamp and three of the slus presented on the first day are the most difficult of the bootcamp, does it make sense to include exercise solving in the bootcamp weekend?
Could the bootcamp weekend be split in two?
The workload during the bootcamp is higher than during the rest of the academy. Does this have a purpose? Does it contribute to the learning goal or rather hinders it?
Could the students be informed about the estimated time necessary for each unit so that they can plan better and not underestimate the time commitment?