Contributors Meetup Async Update - Oct 11th - Oct 25th, 2024

Working Groups Core Contributors
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Core Contributor Update: Oct 11th - Oct 25th, 2024

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

:memo: Meeting notes

1.2. Contributor Coordination Working Group

Chair: Jorge Londoño

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-10-01 CC Working Group Meeting Notes

  • Discussion on Newsletter Plugin Proposal:
    The conversation shifted towards a proposal to implement a new plugin for the community’s discussion forum which would automatically generate newsletters from forum posts. The idea aimed to address a communication gap within the community by ensuring members are regularly updated with the latest discussions and changes, which had previously been identified as a significant issue. Doubts about how to proceed with the plugin’s installation and administration were raised, including who would have the authority to install and manage it, and lead the effort behind the proposal. To volunteer for this, it was encouraged to submit a proposal to the upcoming Core Contributor Summit.
  • Core Contributor Summit Preparations:
    The discussion largely focused on the upcoming contributor summit. There was an emphasis on organizing the summit to make sure it serves as an effective platform for discussing and deciding on various proposals, including the aforementioned plugin. It was also mentioned that the summit would be a good opportunity to address communication needs more broadly, discuss how the community interacts, and how best to target different audience segments with relevant information. The future steps involved dividing the time appropriately among the various proposals and ensuring a robust review process to facilitate productive discussions at the summit.
  • Next Steps:
    The meeting wrapped up with confirmation of the procedures for the upcoming summit. It was agreed that the summit proposals need to be organized, reviewed, and presented effectively during the summit. A plan to introduce ground rules for the proposal presentations was discussed to ensure clarity and efficiency will be drafted and reviewed async by the working group, before the date of the summit.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.3. Data Working Group

Chair: @e0d & @blarghmatey

:paperclip: Latest news

  • Upcoming Open edx data work
    • Brief overview of some upcoming data work we’re in the process of scoping: Making our data actionable
    • We want to harness the power of the events data we’re currently capturing and make taking action easy and customizable (for those who want to customize)
    • Slide deck

:memo: Meeting notes

1.4. DEPR Working Group

Chair: @feanil

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes DEPR Meeting Notes (2024)

:memo: Meeting notes

1.6. Tutor Users’ Group

Chair: Kyle McCormick

:paperclip: Latest news

: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 2024-09-26 Frontend Working Group Meeting Notes

  1. Slot Documentation and Release Notes (Sarina Canelake):
  • Sarina proposed improving the release notes for plugin slots, specifically aimed at non-technical decision-makers. She emphasized using screenshots and user-friendly descriptions to show the value of new features.
  • The discussion covered providing before-and-after comparisons in screenshots to demonstrate the changes, like how a header or course card could be customized with plugins.
  • Sarina clarified that she’s not asking engineers to write release notes but would need clear visual examples to assist her in crafting non-technical documentation.
  1. Plugin Slot Props and Standards (Adolfo Brandes):
  • Adolfo introduced the topic of slot props and clarified that adding props to slots is a non-breaking change. This allows for flexibility and evolution of the slots without breaking previous functionality.
  • Jason and Max, who authored a plugin-related PR, discussed how they can meet the technical documentation standards and Sarina’s request for more user-friendly examples.
  1. Modifications to Plugin Slots (Brian Smith):
  • A conversation around how plugin slots are being used in modifying components. The group agreed on the need to ensure plugins do not rely on default content but use provided props.
  • The team discussed how plugin props can be merged without explicitly passing them and considered the risks of plugins assuming default content that might change in the future.
  1. Handling Arbitrary JavaScript in MFEs (Max Frank):
  • Max raised the idea of improving how arbitrary JavaScript can be injected into micro frontend environments (MFEs). Currently, a workaround is used by placing scripts in the footer slot, which isn’t ideal.
  • He proposed refactoring the external scripts functionality to pull loaders from an end-config.js file, making it more configurable and efficient. There was broad support for this idea, though considerations around performance were also mentioned.
  1. Upcoming Releases and Deadlines:

  • The team was reminded of the upcoming Sumac release cutoff on October 23rd. Developers were encouraged to ensure any final features are submitted before that deadline.

  • Key Takeaways:

    • The group emphasized improving communication and documentation between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
    • Slot props were highlighted as a flexible tool that can evolve without causing breaking changes.
    • There was an interest in improving how JavaScript is injected into MFEs to accommodate more diverse needs efficiently.
    • The next major event will be the Sumac release, with a final cutoff in late October.
    • This meeting was productive in addressing both technical and user-facing improvements related to the frontend development workflow.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.9. Large Instances Working Group

Chair: @braden & @Felipe

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-09-17 Large Instances Meeting Notes

  • Internal Hackathon Project and Harmony Works Implementation
    Jhony Avella discussed the progress of an internal hackathon project, which involved the implementation of integration tests for their Harmony chart and plugin. He mentioned that the project is still a work in progress and will be reviewed once a more stable version is available. Jhony also shared that they plan to start implementing the Harmony Works technology on their stack in the next few weeks. He mentioned that they are analyzing what is missing to implement this technology and will propose adjustments before proceeding with the migration.
  • Pod configuration
    Jhony also discussed the changes they are making to the configuration of their pods, including the number of workers, HPA settings, and memory limits, to improve performance and prevent errors. The team is using the K6 load testing library to evaluate these changes.
  • Administrative Details
    Felipe Montoya mentioned a potential shift in hosting calls to Google meets and promised to keep Braden and others informed. The team also discussed the recording of their meetings, with Braden noting that he receives an email with the recording link.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.10. Marketing Working Group

Chair: Eden Huthmacher

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-09-18 MWG Meeting Notes

:memo: Meeting notes

1.11. Maintainers

Chair: Feanil

:paperclip: Latest news

:memo: Meeting notes

1.12. Product Working Group

Chair: Jenna Makowski

:paperclip: Latest news

  • UX/UI Working Group
    • Current Projects Discussion:
      • Updated the group on the ASU project, which is in the discovery phase, and other mobile projects that are progressing through the UX stage.
      • The content libraries project is moving quickly toward development, with a code freeze anticipated in a few weeks.
    • Content Libraries Preview:
      • A demonstration of the content libraries was given, highlighting features such as:
      • Creation and management of collections and components.
      • Advanced filtering tools for easier navigation.
      • A sidebar for library-level information.
    • Review of the Notifications Proposal:
      Discussion regarding the notifications proposal, emphasizing the need for clarity before sharing the screen to avoid overwhelming participants.
      • Notification Complexity and Grouping
  1. The complexity of notifications across various channels (email, mobile push, etc.) was highlighted.
  2. The importance of grouping messages was noted, referencing that too many notifications can reduce user engagement significantly.
  3. Example: X’s platform has experienced a notable drop in click-through rates when users receive more than a certain number of notifications.
    • Proposed Grouping Mechanism:
  4. Notifications could be grouped based on course relevance and urgency.
  5. Examples shared included:
  6. A notification indicating unread replies to a single discussion post.
  7. A summary notification for multiple discussion updates within a single course.
  8. A combined notification for upcoming assignments across multiple courses, which could simplify user experience.
    • Database Overview for Notification Categories
      There is a database that serves as a child page to the centralized multi-channel modifications proposal.
      The database aims to categorize message types, levels, and routing details for both web and mobile notifications.
      Status Indicators: Messages are categorized as “proposed” or “draft” to clarify their development stage.
      Feedback Request: Attendees were encouraged to review the simplified view of the database and identify any expected messages that may be missing.
  • Event-Triggered Notifications Discussion
    • Additional Ideas:T he possibility of implementing event-triggered notifications instead of relying solely on date-based triggers was raised.
    • Examples of event-triggered notifications:
  • Course completion notifications.
  • Achievement notifications (e.g., certificate received).
  • Community engagement updates (e.g., failed assessments).
    • Connection to Course Updates: A discussion ensued about the potential for linking event-based triggers to course updates, enabling more timely and relevant communication with learners.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.13. Security Working Group

Chair: Feanil Patel

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2023-07-26 Security WG Meeting

:memo: Meeting notes

1.14. TOC

Chair: Ed Zarecor

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-08-13 TOC Meeting Summary

  • Open edX’s Current Market Position and Future Potential
    The dialogue opened with concerns about Open edX not achieving a definitive product-market fit which poses a risk to its ecosystem and stakeholders. It was highlighted that expanding the platform’s functionality to cater to residential (on-campus) learning could open new avenues and potentially invigorate its adoption. It would aim to create learning experiences that are more integrated and interactive, providing real-time feedback and support in physical classrooms. However, there was notable deliberation on whether Open edX, in its current architecture, could pivot to meet the demands of residential learning without extensive overhauls or if starting anew with a different product would be more feasible.
  • Concerns and Alternative Suggestions
    Participants expressed concerns about fragmenting the Open edX community with a shift towards a new product. There was also skepticism about whether an entirely new platform was needed or if iterative improvements to Open edX could achieve similar goals. Suggestions were made to further modularize Open edX to allow for easier customization and extension, which could potentially support more interactive and residential learning experiences without starting from scratch.
  • Funding and Resources
    The discussion touched on the need for funding innovative projects that could either extend or complement Open edX to support new forms of learning. It was proposed that small, funded projects could explore innovative educational technologies and tools that could later be integrated into Open edX or stand alone as new products.
  • Conclusion
    The meeting concluded without a consensus on a specific course of action but opened several critical lines of inquiry about the future direction of Open edX. It was agreed that more discussion was necessary, particularly around defining the target customer and market for Open edX and understanding the technical and financial implications of expanding or altering its offerings. The possibility of setting up further discussions or working groups to explore these issues was suggested.
  • Agreed Next Steps:
    • Further Discussions: Organize additional meetings or discussions, possibly involving external experts or stakeholders, to delve deeper into the feasibility and desirability of shifting towards residential learning platforms.
    • Market Analysis: Conduct a thorough market analysis to better understand the needs and expectations of potential markets for Open edX, particularly in the residential learning sector.
    • Technical Review: Assess the technical capabilities and limitations of Open edX in relation to the proposed new features for residential learning, considering both integration into the existing platform and the development of a new product.
    • Community Engagement: Engage more actively with the Open edX community to gather input and feedback on the proposed changes and ensure that any new direction has broad support and meets the needs of current and future users.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.15. Translation Working Group

Chair: Eden Huthmacher

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-10-02 Translation WG Meeting notes

:memo: Meeting notes

2. Events

  • 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

  • Tuesday October 29th - Join the meetup here!
  • Friday November 8th - Async update
  • 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.

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Core Contributor Check-in: Oct 11th - 25th, 2024

:ballot_box: Reminder: Vote to Enhance the Core Contributor Experience

It’s almost time to vote on the proposals presented at the Summit to Enhance the Core Contributor Experience. Voting opens on Wednesday, November 6th, 2024, and will conclude on Wednesday, November 20th, 2024. So remember to have your say!

:stopwatch: Core Contributor Hours

There was a total of 216 hours of contributions reported this past sprint with a 31% response rate.

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:notebook_with_decorative_cover: Summary of Responses

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

@Cassie

  • Thank you to everyone who joined us for The Summit to Enhance the Core Contributor Experience! If you missed it, you can watch the recording here: Watch the Summit Recording. We have a two-week period for community feedback from October 22 to November 5, 2024. I encourage everyone to share your questions, comments, and suggestions on each of the proposals. Your insights will help shape the future of our community. Once the feedback period concludes, we’ll begin the voting process.

@pdpinch

  • We need more eyes on edx-platform PR 35655# which attempts to address the issues we’ve been seeing with corrupted caches affecting the progress page.

What did you accomplish this sprint?

@farhaanbukhsh

  • Started cleaning PR in grade book repo
  • Handled and reviewed a few upstream PR for different MFEs

@Emad

  • Fixed some tutor bugs.
  • Answered some questions in discuss.openedx.org
  • Contributed to upstream projects of Aspects: Superset and Flask App Builder

@jill

  • Participated (async) in the CC program summit – some really great proposals there!

@Felipe

  • Attended Maintenance WG meeting
  • Participated in Summit for CC Experience
  • Reviewed architecture documents for the extension story

@pdpinch

  • We have a release candidate for Sumac!

@farhankhan

@Cassie

  • I coordinated and managed the The Summit to Enhance the Core Contributor Experience!

@Zia.Fazal

  • Reviewed PRs 88 & 89 or SCORM xBlock
  • Reviewed PR 43 of h5p xblock and published new version on PyPI
  • Reviewed PR 35655 of edx-platform
  • Reviewed PR 458 of event routing backends

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

@Emad

  • Upgrade tutor-wordpress plugin to make using Wordpress with OpenedX organizations more seamless

@jill

  • Continue reviewing tutor meilisearch PRs
  • Regular repo maintenance

@pdpinch

  • Review and merge #35675
  • Folks on my team are trying to merge #362 and #347

@farhankhan

  • More SASS to CSS conversions of builtin blocks

What went well this sprint?

@jill

  • Review PRs from Regis to replace Elasticsearch with Meilisearch in Tutor core - he’s done such a great job
  • Adding an edx-search backend for Meilisearch for course content indexing
  • Replacing cs_comments_service Ruby forum with a python version in tutor-forum v2

@pdpinch

  • Coordinating with community release planning and with build-test-release
  • On vacation :grinning:

@antoviaque

  • Great set of proposals and constructive atmosphere at the Contributors Summit

: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

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@braden @Agrendalath Is this something on which you would be able to provide a useful review? Or know of another core contributor who would?

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Sure, I can take a look at this in the next sprint.

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@Agrendalath Thank you! FYI @pdpinch @Zia.Fazal