Contributors Meetup Async Update - Jan 18th - Jan 31st, 2025

Working Groups Core Contributors
,
1

Core Contributor Update: Jan 18th - Jan 31st, 2025

Use the jump links below to view the section that interests you:

  1. Working Groups Updates
  2. Events
  3. Projects
  4. Next async update and meetup

1. Working Groups Updates

Working Groups Calendar

1.1. BTR Working Group

Chair: @jalondonot

:paperclip: Latest news

  • Sumac retrospective
  • Retrospective for Sumac.1:
    • A retrospective space was created in Confluence to gather feedback on the Sumac.1 release process.
    • All team members are encouraged to provide comments and suggest improvements over the next two weeks.
    • A wrap-up meeting will be scheduled to review the feedback and determine actionable items.
  • :two: sumac.2 ~ 2025-02-09
      1. Planning for Sumac.2 Release:
      • The Sumac.2 release is scheduled for February 10, 2025, with preparations underway.
      • Jorge will reach out to stage owners (e.g., testing, product) to ensure all required PRs and backports are included in this release.
      • Team members were reminded to highlight any known issues or pending tasks for inclusion in the point release.
      1. Planning for Teak Release:
      • The master branch will be cut on April 9, 2025, with the testing process running until the release date on June 9, 2025.
      • Jorge will raise this schedule during the next community meeting to confirm or adjust the proposed dates.
      1. Repository Issues and Improvements
      • Tagging Issues in Repositories:
        • Farhaan identified missing release tags in two repositories.
        • The absence of the required openedx.yaml keyword caused these repositories to be excluded from tagging since Redwood.
      • Action items:
        • Farhaan will manually tag the branches and open PRs to add the missing keywords.
        • He plans to use repo tools to identify other potentially affected repositories and ensure all are properly tagged for future releases.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.2. Contributor Coordination Working Group

Chair: Jorge LondoĂąo

1. Updates on Current Tasks

  • Core Contributor Survey Suggestions (Cassie Zamparini):
    • Proposal to merge the asynchronous updates with community check-ins to make them more user-friendly and easier to digest.
    • A condensed format was tested, and positive feedback was received.
    • Cassie is working on a mockup for further review and invited comments from UX/UI team members.
  • Task Progress Review (Xavier Antoviaque):
    • Many tasks showed progress; specific updates include:
    • Increased engagement from core contributors and maintainers.
    • Issues related to facilitating asynchronous participation (e.g., meeting transcripts, calendar alignment) were resolved and marked complete.
    • Improvements to pull request templates were mostly implemented, with one pending fix.
  • Improving Community Feedback Mechanisms (Ali Salman):
    • Ali is actively working on creating mockups and addressing feedback collection improvements.

2. Handbook and Documentation Overhaul

  • Handbook Progress (Cassie Zamparini):
    • Cassie presented a proposal for restructuring the Open edX Handbook, aiming for improved navigation and centralized documentation.
    • Challenges include overlapping content between the handbook and broader documentation, as well as potential resistance from the Documentation Working Group due to scope.
    • Suggestions from Maria Magallanes and Xavier Antoviaque:
    • Start small by focusing on core handbook content and using it to redirect users to other documentation areas.
    • Avoid attempting to overhaul the entire documentation structure upfront.
    • Engage the Documentation Working Group for structural feedback.

3. Partner Contributions Initiative

  • Progress on Partner Contributions (Xavier Antoviaque):
    • Two meetings with Open edX partners were held to establish standards for partner commitments to core contributions (e.g., developer hours, marketing updates).
    • The initiative aims to balance company incentives with community needs and increase resource allocation for the platform.
    • Next steps include voting on proposals and finalizing plans in collaboration with the Open edX Technical Oversight Committee (TOC).

4. Other Notable Updates

  • Single Responsible Person Initiative:
    • Efforts continue to assign clear ownership of tasks to ensure accountability and streamline decision-making.
  • Open Tickets and Dependencies:
    • Several tasks remain in progress or await updates, including efforts to improve task assignment transparency and repository contributor listings.

5. Next Steps

  • Participants were encouraged to:
  • Provide feedback on Cassie’s handbook proposal and related mockups.
  • Review progress on key tasks and participate in discussions on upcoming initiatives.
  • Stay engaged through asynchronous updates.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.3. Data Working Group

Chair: @e0d & @blarghmatey

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-11-13 Meeting notes

:memo: Meeting notes

1.4. DEPR Working Group

Chair: @feanil

:paperclip: Latest news

:memo: Meeting notes

1.6. Tutor Users’ Group

Chair: Kyle McCormick

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes Tutor Users GW 2024-11-18

:memo: Meeting notes

1.7. Educators Working Group

Chair: @john_curricume

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-10-07 Educator WG

  • In this session of the Open edX Educators Working Group, Eric J. Larson discusses AI literacy, focusing on the distinction between AI capabilities and human-like reasoning. Participants, primarily educators, explore the implications of AI in education, emphasizing the potential and limitations of current AI technologies. Larson elaborates on his book ‘The Myth of Artificial Intelligence,’ highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of AI as an educational tool. They discuss issues such as hallucinations, the impact of AI on student learning, and the importance of maintaining critical and creative thinking. Larson promotes leveraging AI thoughtfully to complement human cognitive abilities, especially in educational settings, while acknowledging the inherent challenges and unpredictable errors of AI systems.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.8. Frontend Working Group

Chair: @arbrandes

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-10-24 Frontend Working Group Meeting Notes

  1. “Frontend Base” Initiative:
  • David Joy introduced a unified library to replace various frontend components, such as headers and footers, enhancing configurability and usability.
  1. Header Configurations:
  • New headers are configured through a “site config” file, enabling dynamic updates tailored to specific modules without major code changes.
  1. Footer Development:
  • A prototype for an adaptable footer was showcased, inspired by layouts like edx.org, offering structured link layouts and improved internationalization.
  1. Module Federation and App Configuration:
  • David presented three app configuration methods (internal apps, federated modules, and external apps) to support modular, flexible builds with potential default configurations for easier integration.
  1. Plugin and Module Slot Configurations:
  • The team discussed organizing plugins and modules for a balance between flexibility and simplicity, suggesting helper functions and default setups for easier configuration.
  1. Internationalization Improvements:
  • Updates were shared on language selection, leveraging browser APIs for language options based on configured translations, eliminating the need for large external libraries.

Outcomes and Next Steps:

  • The group expressed overall approval for the proposed configurations and recommended further testing to explore complex use cases.
  • David will summarize the current work and gather additional feedback on Discourse.
  • The team acknowledged the importance of balancing configurability with usability and agreed to continue refining the system.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.9. Large Instances Working Group

Chair: @braden & @Felipe

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-12-10 Large Instances Meeting Notes

  • eduNEXT
    • Felipe Montoya : We have started the process of migrating our production clusters to Harmony. Starting with smaller clusters and documenting the process, and opening PRs as we encounter issues.
  • OpenCraft
    • Braden MacDonald We’re preparing for Sumac upgrade - happy with removal of Elasticsearch and the fact that forum can now use MySQL as a backend instead of MongoDB.
    • GĂĄbor Boros has opened a PR to add Terraform code for AWS & DigitalOcean to Harmony.
    • Discussion between GĂĄbor Boros and Felipe Montoya agreed that we don’t need to have “one way” to deploy Harmony using Terraform - we can provide examples of how OpenCraft does it, how eduNEXT does it, etc. and people can mix and match, if that’s helpful.
  • RaccoonGang
    • Currently focused on migrating to Tutor for deployments, and encountering quite a few issues.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.10. Marketing Working Group

Chair: Eden Huthmacher

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-11-20 MWG Meeting Notes

:memo: Meeting notes

1.11. Maintainers

Chair: Feanil

:paperclip: Latest news

  • 2U CC Rollout Update: * Changes will be applied on Monday Feb 3
  • Seeking help to Drop 3.8 support and Add 3.12 support: * Drop Python 3.8 & add support for Python 3.12 ¡ Issue #274 ¡ openedx/public-engineering
  • Next Major Maintenance Work: Focus on Django 5.2 upgrade after Teak
  • Django based Codejail Service: * Work on the django based codejail service is in progress.
  • edx-platform Settings: To unit-test settings we need to refactor our settings more so we’re in a tough place to make these current settings.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.12. Product Working Group

Chair: Jenna Makowski

LTI

UX/UI Working Group

:memo: Meeting notes

1.13. Security Working Group

Chair: Feanil Patel

:memo: Meeting notes

1.14. TOC

Chair: Ed Zarecor

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-12-10 TOC Meeting Summary

Announcements

Partnership & New TOC Member
It was announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) had been signed with a large university, which involves them joining the Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) starting in the new year. The announcement of a new member from that organization joining the meetings from February was mentioned, and plans were in place to work with their communications team on a further public announcement.

Migration of 2U Engineers to the core contributor program
An update was provided regarding the migration of all 2U engineers to the core contributor program for obtaining permissions within the project. Existing permissions will be grandfathered into core contributor & maintainers status, but obtaining new permissions will require following the same standards as the rest of the community, going forward.
On the flip side, it will require the community to keep stepping up its contributions in core contributor & maintainers time, to compensate for the shift of responsibility to the community.
Aligning 2U engineers and practices with the community guidelines requires a fair amount of changes within 2U, the rough timeline for the completion of this migration is set for February.

2025 Conference Update

Information was shared about the progress of arranging the upcoming conference, emphasizing that the Call for Proposals (CFP) had closed, and the submissions were under review. It was mentioned that the selection process involved a juried review by community members and stakeholders using a tool called Sessionize. The results were expected to be finalized soon, with keynote announcements pending.

Sumac Release

Concurrently with the meeting, the Sumac release ceremony was being held, though it has since been delayed by a few days. This release is significant and incorporates new functionalities like a central content library, enhancing content reusability across courses. Draft release notes were shared, and community contributions to this release were acknowledged, appreciating last-minute fixes and enhancements.

Market Research

During the presentation of a market research analysis performed for Open edX, extensive discussions centered around identifying the most beneficial markets and strategic focus areas for Open edX. The dialogue primarily navigated through the merits and potential of targeting specific sectors such as community colleges, ministries, corporate training, and certain international educational initiatives.

Presentation

Market Identification

  • Introduced the core market segments that Open edX could serve effectively: community colleges, ministries, and employers.
  • Emphasized the growing need for upskilling across these segments, both in the U.S. and globally.
  • Highlighted the potential in non-credit educational programs which are rapidly growing and are underserved by current Learning Management Systems (LMS).

Go-To-Market Strategy

  • Suggested that a channel partner model should be the primary route to market rather than Open edX building out a large direct sales force.
  • Discussed the benefits of leveraging existing relationships that channel partners may have within the educational and corporate sectors.
  • Shared insights on the substantial investments typically required for go-to-market activities citing examples from other companies in the education industry.

Barriers and Opportunities

  • Acknowledged the technical challenges and support issues currently facing new users of Open edX, stressing the need for improvements to user experience and platform accessibility.
  • The discussion also covered the necessity of raising market awareness given the low existing visibility of Open edX among potential users and partners.

Strategic Partnerships and Engagements

  • Detailed current discussions with large international organizations, aimed at using Open edX for large-scale educational initiatives.
  • Expressed the need to identify and engage with more partners who can aid in distribution and localized support.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.15. Translation Working Group

Chair: Eden Huthmacher

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-11-06 Translation WG Meeting notes

:memo: Meeting notes

2. Events

  • Open edX Conference 2025 Leveraging the Power of Open Source to Democratize Education and Fuel Advances in Learning. July 1 – 4, 2025 • Telecom Paris
  • Would anyone like to highlight any past or upcoming events? Let us know in the comments!

3. Projects

Are there any new or ongoing projects you’d like to discuss? Get the conversation started in the comments below.

4. Next async update and meetup

  • Friday January 31st - Async update
  • Friday February 14th - Async update
  • Tuesday February 18th - Join the meetup here!
  • Details and draft agenda on Confluence

:speech_balloon: Anything to add?

If there’s anything else you’d like to mention, please let us know in the comments below.

1 Like
2

Core Contributor Check-in: Jan 18th - 31st, 2025

:sos: Do you need any help? Or is there anything you’d like to collaborate on?

@pdpinch

:raised_hands: What did you accomplish this sprint?

@jill

@pdpinch

@Felipe

  • Reviewed the RBAC proposal.
  • Attended meetings in large instances and product.
  • Maintenance of repos.

@juancamilom

  • Finalized the analytic work and the report writing regarding the Open edX global footprint report 2024.

@braden

  • Merged React 18 support into Paragon!

@estebanetcheverry

  • Open edX Meetup Feb and Mar 2025 planning.
  • Open edX Conference 2025 planning (testing conference event app).
  • Coordinating Open edX presence in IFE 2025 Conference.
  • (MX) Video support for Open edX use cases for new website.

@Ali_Salman29

  • Updated python dependencies in the edx-search repository.
  • Worked on issues in the Forum i.e 147, 149, 150, and 151.

@sdaitzman

  • Open edX Paragon theme porting test.
  • UX/UI WG meetings.
  • Updated UX/UI WG workshop format.
  • Workshop and share-out related to platform icon usage.

:memo: What do you plan to work on in the upcoming sprint?

@sdaitzman

  • Additional UX/UI meetings and sync, planning future UX/UI review workshops.

@jill

@pdpinch

:clap: What went well this sprint?

@Ali_Salman29

  • Fixed several issues in both edx-search and forum.

@sdaitzman

  • Continuing to build more collaboration across subgroups.

:speech_balloon: Questions or comments?

Please add any questions or comments you might have below. We’d love to hear from you!

And if you’d like to take a peek at the full report, see it on Listaflow.

1 Like