Contributors Meetup Async Update - Oct 26th - Nov 7th, 2024

Working Groups Core Contributors
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Core Contributor Update: Oct 26th - Nov 7th, 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

  • Newsfeed
    • Issue updates on Sumac sample preparation, sandbox configurations, and Indigo theme default settings.
    • Need for a secondary sandbox for experimental testing and header slot tests.
    • Nomination process update, now managed by the chair, with self-nominations allowed.
    • Maksim Sokolskiy nominated, Farhaan Bukhsh for release manager, support is appreciated: Named Release Manager Nomination: Farhaan Bukhsh
  • Sumac
    • :one: sumac.1 ~ 2024-12-09
    • Release blockers
    • Process overview
      • Testing process - Peter Pinch, AndrĂŠs GonzĂĄlez
      • New features testing - Chelsea Rathbun
      • Release management - Maksim Sokolskiy, Farhaan Bukhsh
      • Release documentation - Chris Patti
      • Debugging - Maria Grimaldi
        • No release blockers identified.
        • 12% completion rate. No new release blockers identified.
        • Regarding header plugin slots: testing planned, with PR sandbox setup in progress for plugin compatibility.
        • New tests for Aspects were added to the testing sheet.
        • Discussion on the need to define Indigo as the default theme and determine the appropriate dark mode testing criteria.
        • Backports pending for mobile.
        • Release notes generation blocked due to missing class in Django setup.
        • Active debugging in opened issues, no concerns so far.
        • Indigo theme dark mode issue noted for triage.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.2. Contributor Coordination Working Group

Chair: Jorge LondoĂąo

: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

:arrow_down: Past meeting notes 2024-10-16 Meeting notes

  • 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

  1. Front End Base Initiative:
    • David Joy introduced “frontend-base,” a single, unified library to replace various frontend components, including headers and footers. This initiative aims to improve configurability and usability across different platforms.
    • He demonstrated the new header and footer functionality, showcasing customizable, component-driven configurations for headers that replace previous complex implementations.
  2. Header Configurations:
    • The new headers, configured within a “site config” file, allow flexible and dynamic updates across modules, reducing the need for major code adjustments.
    • David highlighted that headers can now respond dynamically to module-specific requirements, such as different links for studio or learning environments.
  3. Footer Development:
    • David presented a prototype for a more versatile footer, inspired by popular layouts like those seen on edx.org, aiming for adaptable, structured link layouts and improved internationalization.
  4. Module Federation and App Configuration:
    • David introduced three ways to configure applications: internal apps, federated modules, and external apps, each with different deployment options to support modular, flexible builds across platforms.
    • Discussion covered the possibility of modules automatically providing default configurations for ease of integration and reducing the need for manual configuration.
  5. Plugin and Module Slot Configurations:
    • The team debated how plugins and modules should be organized for optimal flexibility and ease of configuration. They aimed to find a balance between granular configurability and simplicity.
    • Suggestions included creating helper functions and default configurations to streamline the configuration process for users unfamiliar with frontend development.
  6. Internationalization Improvements:
    • David shared updates on improving language selection for the platform. The new footer will use updated browser APIs to display language options based on actual translations configured in the system, removing 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

: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
  • Studio Home:
    • Sharing out insights from deep-dive UX review into Studio Home multiple course runs proposal
  • Mobile Sequences
    • Sharing high-level overview and some detailed features for mobile sequences redesign with vertically scrolling unit composition and new unit navigation paradigm Mobile App v2.3 [Open edX]

:memo: Meeting notes

1.13. Security Working Group

Chair: Feanil Patel

:memo: Meeting notes

1.14. TOC

Chair: Ed Zarecor

Additional TOC Membership

During the meeting, there was a brief discussion about augmenting the Technical Oversight Committee (TOC) memberships. However, the conversation did not deepen due to pending discussions with the organization being considered. The commitments should be finalized in the coming days.
It was noted that once these commitments are finalized, an email announcement would be made to the broader community, and subsequent discussions regarding next steps would be held.

Next Steps

  • Continue discussions with the potential new TOC member and finalize commitments.
  • Once finalized, communicate these developments via email to ensure transparency and inform the community about the expanding TOC.
  • Discuss and plan the integration and roles of new members to the TOC in the next meetings, ensuring these additions align with the strategic goals and needs of the Open edX project.

Sidebar Navigation Implementation and Release

There were discussions about the implementation of the new navigation sidebar. It was highlighted that Pearson was initially working on a sidebar navigation which was released in June as part of the Redwood release. Although it is available, it still resides behind a feature flag due to readiness concerns and testing needs. These discussions brought up the importance of having a consistent user experience across different platforms such as Build new skills. Advance your career. and residential systems from institutions. The need to synchronize the user experience to avoid confusion was emphasized, with opinions suggesting that once it becomes the default experience on major platforms like Build new skills. Advance your career. , others would likely adopt it quicker.

Next Steps

  • Engage with the product team to ensure the implementation and readiness of the navigation sidebar across all platforms.

Communication on New Features

There was a consensus on the need for better communication mechanisms regarding new releases and features. It was discussed that significant releases like the sidebar navigation did not have widespread awareness within the community, suggesting a gap in effective communication. The suggestion was to enhance the release announcements on blogs and possibly explore more direct lines of communication like newsletters. This would ensure that valuable additions to the platform are well-publicized and adopted by the community, leveraging the full potential of each release.

Next Steps

  • Explore and implement more robust communication strategies like in-app news notifications and newsletters to inform users and developers about new releases and significant changes, ensuring broader engagement and quicker adoption.

Organizational Commitment and Core Contributor Summit

There was a significant discussion regarding the need for organizations involved with Open edX to commit more actively as maintainers. It was highlighted that while there is a large number of contributors, the maintenance responsibilities are not equally distributed. This imbalance could hinder the platform’s development and sustainability over time.
The conversation focused on the potential for redefining what it means to be a partner within the Open edX ecosystem. It was suggested that being a partner should go beyond merely having a logo on the website but should include tangible commitments to maintaining the platform. The idea of setting expectations for maintenance as a prerequisite for partnership status was proposed.
In light of this, the upcoming summit was mentioned as an ideal opportunity to further this discussion. The summit could serve as a platform to engage directly with providers and discuss the expectations and benefits of increased commitment to maintenance roles - a proposal was introduced to this effect. It was proposed that after the summit, there could be discussions aimed at defining specific maintenance roles and level of responsibilities for partner organizations.
The suggestion was made to start a conversation with the community, particularly with the providers, about what could be committed to in terms of maintenance, and what the community expects out of the partner program. This dialog could help in building a more collaborative and sustainable development environment for Open edX.

Next Steps

  • Presentation of the proposal at the Core Contributor Summit to garner feedback and further refine the approach.
  • Initiating discussions with providers to redefine partnership commitments with respect to maintenance roles. This would involve asynchronous and synchronous communications, potentially facilitated by accessing a mailing list or directly through emails to ensure broad participation.
  • The establishment of clearer expectations and possibly revising partnership agreements to include maintenance commitments as a standard part of the partnership criteria.

Architectural Vision Proposal

In the meeting, the architectural vision for the Open edX platform was discussed again, with a new draft being evaluated, with the goal of establishing an official vision shared by project participants.
The current draft categorizes the platform architecture into different layers: the kernel, the reference product, and extensions or plugins. The kernel represents the core functionalities essential for presenting general education online, like grading and content management. Around the kernel, the reference product is built, providing a more user-specific functionality set, which can still be quite generic and extensible. Extensions or plugins offer customization and additional features that may not be universally required amongst setups using the reference product as a basis.
Participants discussed the boundary between the kernel and additional features or tools that facilitate installation or maintenance. The operator or installer of an instance, which uses those tools, are important users that get less attention from a product perspective compared to instructors or students, but are important for adoption. It was affirmed that such tools, although crucial for user accessibility, may not necessarily reside within the kernel but can be considered critical support tools.
An important question was raised regarding whether tools like Studio, which is essential for course creation, should be part of the Reference Implementation or treated as a separate entity that could potentially be used by other systems. Consensus leaned towards maintaining a tight integration to ensure ease of use for instructors, mimicking the seamlessness of integrated platforms like Moodle.

Next Steps

  • A glossary defining terms like ‘kernel’ and ‘reference product’ will be included to avoid confusion.
  • The proposal will be adjusted and reviewed asynchronously via email to finalize the shared vision, aiming for eventual integration into OEP-53 and broader community endorsement.

AI & LLM Strategy

The need for a clearly articulated strategy for using Large Language Models (LLMs) with the Open edX platform was strongly emphasized. Compared to competitors like Moodle, which are making significant strides in integrating these generative functionalities, Open edX is perceived to be lagging. The suggestion was made to formulate a working group dedicated to creating an AI strategy, which could involve designing an API layer to facilitate LLM functionalities seamlessly and allow third-party innovations.
Participants discussed possible initial features, such as integrating existing LLM services (like OpenAI) through plugins or APIs, enabling capabilities like automated content generation or enhanced analytics. The importance of allowing self-hosting of open-source LLMs like Llama was also mentioned, to avoid depending on proprietary technology, to ensure data privacy and to reduce costs for users.

Next Steps

  • Forming a working group to develop an AI strategy.
  • The group would consider creating an API layer for integrating AI services, enabling the community and external developers to build and integrate AI-driven tools and functionalities.
  • Open edX community members will be encouraged to provide feedback on the architectural proposal and participate in the AI strategy discussions.

:memo: Meeting notes

1.15. Translation Working Group

Chair: Eden Huthmacher

: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

  • Friday November 22nd - Async update
  • Tuesday November 26th - 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.

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Core Contributor Check-in: Oct 26th - Nov 7th, 2024

:ballot_box: It’s Time to Cast Your Votes!

All Core Contributors now have the opportunity to vote on the proposals aimed at Enhancing the Core Contributor Experience. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Voting will close on November 19th, 2024
  • Core Contributors can cast a Yes or No vote for each proposal
  • A proposal will pass if it receives 50% or more Yes votes
  • Any points of contention will be reviewed by the Technical Oversight Committee (TOC)

:arrow_right: Vote now

:stopwatch: Core Contributor Hours

There was a total of 135 hours of contributions reported this past sprint with a 22% response rate. This is down

RESPONSE RATE
RESPONSE RATE1332×502 27.9 KB

:notebook_with_decorative_cover: Summary of Responses

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

@pdpinch

  • I’m very interested in testing out customizing headers and footers with MFE PluginSlots in Sumac. I’m hoping to get some docs…

@Cassie

What did you accomplish this sprint?

@pdpinch

  • Merged #35655 which we are optimistic will finally fix the grades and course outline problems we brought up here
  • Standing up Sumac test instances

@mafermazu

  • Fixed a bug in Open edX Commerce (WordPress Plugin)
  • Got more LTI context

@ali_hugo

@jill

  • Brainstorming talk ideas for Open edX 2025
  • Regular repo maintenance for edx-submissions, completion, and edx-ora2, including: dependabot updates, auto-release-to-pypi on tag push, and (slowly) working through the PR backlog for edx-ora2.
  • Voted on CC Summit improvement ideas – kudos to Cassie for this initiative!
  • Submitted OSPRs:
  • Merged OSPRs:
    • openedx-learning#248 – thanks to Christhian @ eduNEXT for your help with this and other Modular Learning bugs!
    • edx-ora2#2240 – thanks to Emad Rad @ edSPIRIT for this fix!

@Felipe

  • Went to large instances meeting
  • Reviewed PRs in woocommerce plugin

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

@jill

  • Testing Aspects for Sumac

@pdpinch

  • Review new documentation style guide and related docs
  • Get more folks at MIT started with Sumac testing
  • We’re probably going to revisit xBlock Asides soon, as we need to upgrade to Sumac. I’ll be revisiting this discussion

What went well this sprint?

@pdpinch

  • No release blockers yet for Sumac!

: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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