Episodes are too long, especially ep. 6

[tbooth]

In general the episodes are longer than the Carpentries recommendation, and especially episode 6 is very long. Probably some of the more detailed stuff in the first part (FastQC) can be cut, and/or the entire episode should be split into two episodes - eg. "Handling awkward programs" and "Finishing the pipeline".

[ezherman]

Hi Tim, one thought on how ep06 could be shortened:

"Option 3: Using a directory() output" could be cut. Instead, directory() could be introduced in the section on Salmon. I think the FastQC section would flow better this way: stick to default fastqc output -> use the fastqc option for output directory -> do the former, plus renaming the files.

[tobyhodges]

As a counterargument, I would trim down/remove the other three approaches and only spend time discussing the directory approach. Unless you want to give learners more time to get to grips with wildcards and to practice identifying multiple different approaches that could be taken to achieve the same goal, it seems like the directory() option is the one that best introduces the concepts you are trying to get across here.

[tbooth]

I've gone ahead and split the episode, as I don't think finessing of the FastQC part would bring the length down enough in any case. There may still be room for streamlining but I do think each of the four approaches makes some distinct point. I'm teaching this episode for the first time in over a year next week so I'll see how it works in practise.