Community Session Hosts Handbook#
About This Handbook#
The Community Discussion Host Handbook is designed to support members of The Carpentries community who are serving as a Community Discussion Host. It is maintained by The Carpentries Community Engagement Team. If you believe anything needs to be added or updated here, or if you would like to provide feedback on the content, please email the Community Engagement Team or open an issue on the source repository of this handbook. If you are unfamiliar with any of the terms used in this handbook, please refer to our Glossary of terms.
Introduction#
Hosting a community discussion is a great way to meet more people in The Carpentries community, get to know the organisation better, learn from the experiences of others and share your knowledge and experience with an even greater number of people.
Community discussions are also an integral part of our Instructor Training Certification Process, also known as ‘Checkout’. As a Community Discussion Host, you get to welcome new Instructors into our global community and introduce them to community discussions as an ongoing resource for support and advice as they develop their teaching practices.
Topics covered during community discussions range from teaching workshops and developing curricula to building local communities and assessing the impact of our workshops globally. There are four types:
Community Sessions: Our community discussion sessions are sessions on any topic relevant to the community that can be in any format. Each month, the Community Development Team hosts Welcome Sessions for new community members to meet members of the Core Team and learn about ways to engage with the organisation. Regional Community Calls: These calls are hosted by our local and regional subcommunities. A list of local and regional calls can be found at the top of the Community Discussions Etherpad
Skill- up Sessions: A skill-up session offers a professional development opportunity for the community where relevant skills are taught.
Collaboration Sessions: Collaboration sessions dedicate time and space to co-develop a community resource or to co-work on any community activity.
Note. Any of these four types of Community Discussions can be attended to meet the requirement as part of Instructor Training Certification.
Roles and Responsibilities#
A community member can serve as a community discussion host for any length of time, considering their availability and interest. Specific responsibilities include:
Attend an onboarding session
Sign-up to receive relevant communications for serving in this role. Instructions for signing up can be found in the Communication and Collaboration Spaces section of this handbook
During a quarterly scheduling period, schedule one or more community discussions on the date(s)/time(s) you want to host a discussion.
Facilitate one-hour community discussion sessions that you have signed up to host.
Make space for participation from anyone attending as part of ‘Checkout’. While participation is not a requirement for checkout, we want to make sure new community members feel welcome and get their questions answered. On the sign-up list, these people will have included the word checkout next to their name.
Complete a brief form following each session you host. It is important that when you copy attendance into this form, you include the word ‘checkout’ next to the names where it appears in the sign-up on the Etherpad. The Core Team uses this information to record participation in AMY, The Carpentries internal database. This is the primary way future Instructors get credit for completing this checkout step.
Onboarding#
If you are interested in becoming a community session host it will take ~ 45 minutes of your time to get onboarded. Instructions are provided below:
Watch the onboarding video. The video can be found on our YouTube channel and you can also view the accompanying slides. Once you have watched the video or gone through the presentation, please send an email with the subject “Community Session Host Onboarding” so we can record that you have been onboarded to the role.
Offboarding#
If you are no longer interested in serving as a Community Discussion Host, please send an email to the Community Development Team. They will remove you from the #discussion-host Slack channel and unsubscribe you from the Discussion Host mailing list.
Communication and Collaboration Spaces#
This section includes a list of communication channels and collaboration spaces that support Community Discussion Hosts. Participants in these spaces are expected to follow The Carpentries code of conduct. A description of the tools listed can be found in the community glossary.
Community Calendar#
Once you have scheduled to host a call, a calendar invite will be sent to the email address that you used when signing up. All community discussions will also be listed on our Community Calendar.
Etherpad#
A list of Etherpads relevant to serving as a Community Discussion Host include:
Community Discussions Etherpad: This Etherpad contains a list of all upcoming community discussions where community members can sign up to attend and find login information for joining a session.
Pad-of-pads: A list of The Carpentries’ most commonly used Etherpads and other resources.
Messaging and Communication#
Slack is the software platform used by The Carpentries to support synchronous and asynchronous communications. Channels support communications, collaboration and co-creation among a subset of community members, depending on the channel’s purpose. You can join The Carpentries Slack workspace to follow conversations on the channel relevant to this role:
#discussion-hosts: channel for Community Discussion Hosts and those interested in hosting community discussions
If Slack is new to you, our Slack Quick Start Guide will help you to set up your profile and give you an overview of how we use the platform on a day-to-day basis.
Mailing List#
You can access The Carpentries mailing lists from Topicbox. The Discussion Host mailing list is used for announcements relevant to Discussion Hosts. To join one or more Carpentries mailing lists, you will need to create a login. Once you have done this, you can scroll through the list of groups and click “Join the Conversation” (for open mailing) or “Request to Join” (for those mailing lists requiring administrator approval).
Step-by-Step Guides#
This section includes step-by-step guides to support you in your role as a community discussion host.
Each quarter, communications will be shared from the Community Engagement Team via Slack and TopicBox with instructions to sign up to host a community discussion. Visit the Communication and Collaboration Spaces section of this handbook for instructions on joining one or both of these communication channels.
Community discussion hosts will sign up using Calendly during the signup period. Calendly allows you to select dates and times in your timezone for the sessions you plan to host. Dates and times already selected will not display.
Once hosts have scheduled themselves for a Community Discussion via Calendly, an automated workflow will add each event to the Community Discussions Etherpad and the Community Calendar. Another communication from the Community Engagement Team will inform hosts when the sessions have been added.
In the rare instance that you need to schedule a session outside of the quarterly scheduling period, the community discussion host should complete the Request to Schedule and Facilitate Carpentries Community Discussion form. The session is not confirmed until the host is contacted by a member of the Community Engagement Team.
Signing Up to Host a Regional Community Call#
Subcommunity Coordinators are responsible for scheduling and hosting Regional Community Calls. These calls are currently listed, with their date and time, at the top of the Community Discussions Etherpad and include a link to where the group records their call notes. If a Subcommunity Coordinator is interested in listing a Regional Community Call there and having it added to The Carpentries Community Calendar, they should email community@carpentries.org. If they instead want to have the call added to the Community Discussion Etherpad where individuals can sign up to attend and collaboratively take notes, they can add the events using Calendly during the signup period as described in the Signing Up to Host a Community Discussion Session section of this handbook. This will automatically add the event to the Community Calendar and the Etherpad. To learn more about becoming a Community Coordinator, please visit the FAQs section of this handbook.
Checklist for Hosting a Community Discussion#
Community discussions use the Community Discussions Etherpad where community members can sign up to attend and collaboratively take notes during the call. Many regional subcommunities use their notetaking platform for Regional Community Calls, and links to where they record notes can be found at the top of the Community Discussions Etherpad and are also available in the Community Calendar listing.
Before the Discussion Session#
Sign on at least 5 minutes before the beginning of the discussion session.
It is recommended to create a waiting room. This enables the host to explicitly let people in, rather than allowing anyone to enter.
Gain host access.
Two days before the event, the host will receive an automated email from Calendly that includes the host key.
Enable closed captioning to improve accessibility of the event.
Zoom provides automatic captioning of calls. Accuracy of captioning may be limited due to factors such as sound quality, accents, dialects, and jargon.
Confirm that the fellow host is present (if there is one) and who will be leading/taking notes.
If relevant, the host can copy the template agendas for all session types from the bottom of the Community Discussions Etherpad to the space under the sign up for the session. Template agendas are also available in this handbook.
During the Discussion Session#
Use or adapt the Script for Starting a Community Discussion.
If relevant, follow the sample agendas provided at the bottom of the Community Discussions Etherpad and also available in the resources section of this handbook.
We recommend following the main points of the agenda, but you can let the discussion go where people want. Not all the questions need to be answered by everyone.
The host should not feel like they have to answer all the questions. They should draw on the other discussion participants to answer each other’s questions.
If someone is attending as part of their training checkout, prompt them to ask a question.
Try to leave enough time in the end for Q&A and any announcements that need to be made.
Take notes or identify someone to take notes.
For pre-and post-workshop discussions: If there are more than 5 workshops represented by attendees, we recommend splitting participants into two groups using breakout rooms to make sure everyone has enough time to share. When dividing attendees into two groups, try to balance the number of people who are de-briefing, who are there for pre-workshop help, and who are instructor trainees. Learn more about how to set up and use breakout rooms.
After the Discussion Session#
Archive the Etherpad by selecting “Save Revision” (Note: displays as a star in the top right menu).
Fill out the host form.
Please copy the list of attendees (including all attendees but removing no-shows) and paste it into the form. Be sure that anyone who attended checkout has checkout written next to their name.
When submitted, this form will automatically send an email to instructor.training@carpentries.org so all checkout requirements can be recorded.
Clear the information from the session (date/time, attendees, notes) from the Etherpad.
(Optional) Write a blog post about interesting points that came up in the discussion.
Cancelling a Discussion Session#
We recognise that even after scheduling community discussions, the host may have conflicts that arise that require cancelling a scheduled event. If this happens, please contact community@carpentries.org as soon as possible so a Core Team member can ensure another host can cover the event. You can also post to one or more of the Communication and Collaboration Spaces to learn if another host is available to lead the call.
Resources#
Script for Starting a Community Discussion#
Community Discussion Hosts can use or adapt this script at the start of their community discussion.
Welcome everyone! My name is [insert name], and I am [role and affiliation]. In just a minute, we are going to do a round of introductions, but I want to cover a few logistics before we get started.
We will be using the Etherpad for collaborative note-taking. Everyone is welcome to take notes during the call today, but [name] will also be serving as a designated note-taker.
Host should share the link in chat:Community Discussions Etherpad
I have enabled automated closed captioning that you can display on your screen using the captioning feature.
If you have a question, please use the reaction to “raise hand” in Zoom.
To make clear what is expected, everyone participating in The Carpentries activities are required to abide by our Code of Conduct.
*Host should share the link in the chat: *Code of Conduct
Any form of behaviour to exclude, intimidate, or cause discomfort is a violation of the Code of Conduct. To foster a positive and professional learning environment, we encourage you to:
Use welcoming and inclusive language
Be respectful of different viewpoints, and experiences
Gracefully accept constructive criticism
Focus on what is best for the community
Show courtesy and respect towards other community members
If you believe someone is violating the Code of Conduct, we ask that you report it to The Carpentries Code of Conduct Committee by completing this form.
Host should share the link in chat: https://goo.gl/forms/KoUfO53Za3apOuOK2
If you are attending this discussion as part of Instructor Training Checkout, please make sure you have added the word ‘checkout’ next to your name on the Etherpad. This will ensure that you get credit for attending.
Does anyone have any questions before we get started?
Sample Agendas#
Agenda: Pre- and Post-Workshop Discussion Sessions#
Community Discussion Hosts can use this agenda as a template for pre and post-workshop discussion sessions. All Pre- and Post-Workshop Discussion Sessions are 60 minutes. Hosts are welcome and encouraged to guide the discussion as they wish; below are some prompts that can be used.
Welcome, introductions, and a reminder of the Code of Conduct (5 minutes)
Attendee introductions
Name, affiliation/position, motivation for attending
Participants report from previous workshops they led (10 minutes)
Ask participants to share some significant accomplishments and obstacles
Any changes or additions to lesson material?
Participants discuss preparation for upcoming workshops (10 minutes)
Specific questions about teaching and/or lessons?
How are Instructors sharing roles/responsibilities? Is there a designated “lead Instructor”, or will you act as co-Instructors?
Participants discuss instructor training checkout (5 minutes)
Questions about checkout procedure, lessons, or workshop organisation?
Have you asked a question here yet?
Breakout Rooms (15 minutes)
Hosts can choose 1-3 of these questions, or add their own.
What additional resources would be useful to you in teaching or preparing for a workshop?
Do you find the instructor notes helpful? How do you use them? How could they be more useful?
What are you most excited about for teaching with The Carpentries?
Closing (Main Room) (10 minutes)
Report out from breakout rooms
Q&A
Relevant announcements
Example announcement: If they would like to provide feedback on their experience as a participant, they can complete the attendee feedback form. share link
Example announcement: If they are interested in publishing a blog post about their experiences as a member of the community, they should fill out the form share link or email their blog post idea or draft to community@carpentries.org.
FAQ#
What if I am hosting a discussion and there are no pre/post-workshop debriefs?
You could start by introducing the session and what it should be about. You could also give some feedback on your own experience in previous workshops and/or upcoming workshops that you are a part of.
What if I do not know the answer to someone’s questions and no one in the room does either?
It is fine if you do not know all the answers. This is a great time to demonstrate how someone in the community can get their questions answered by posting the question to Slack or one of The Carpentries mailing list. Questions can always be sent to team@carpentries.org and a member of the Core Team will respond.
What if the host/co-host has a poor internet connection and is unable to communicate? What if Zoom fails to work (e.g. your internet connection fails)?
It is very important to test your internet connection beforehand and to make sure that you as a host can communicate. The host is the session leader and should have a stable connection. If, however, when you test your connection, you find that you do not have a good connection, contact the community via our communication channels to find out if someone could take over as host for the session.
What if no one shows up?
If no one shows up, send out a reminder email to participants who signed up and wait for a few minutes. If no one shows up by 10 minutes after the start of the session, then fill in the (host form)[https://forms.gle/N74pFuGkRLawpCHh7] and indicate that no one showed up for your session.
What if someone talks too much?
Limit the amount of time that you give participants to ask and answer questions. You could ask for feedback from someone who has not shared yet to engage everyone in the conversation.
What if there is no co-host/note taker and the session is fully booked?
As a host, you are more than welcome to take a few notes, however, there is no need to take down every single thing that is shared. Note down important points, making sure to add links to useful information. Encourage participants to contribute to the notes on the Community Discussions Etherpad.
What if someone joins in late?
Depending on how late the person joins, you could welcome them and ask them to introduce themselves to the rest of the participants. If you have time, you can ask the individual to stay on the call for a few minutes after it is finished to summarise what they missed and answer any questions they may have.
What if someone does not have a headset and can’t control their background noise?
As a host, you will have the privilege to mute other participants, or you could ask the person directly to mute their microphone. `Learn more about how to use host features in Zoom.
What if I forget to complete the host questionnaire?
Participants will not have updated profiles that indicate completion of this checkout requirement, and it will take a lot of administration to solve this issue. Please remember to fill in the form directly after hosting your session.
What if someone breaks the Code of Conduct? What if someone had a report of misconduct?
In the case that this happens, The Carpentries has a set of guidelines that can be followed.
What if one person doesn’t contribute to the conversation?
Try to encourage participation. This can be done by asking participants a question or asking a person for their thoughts on a specific topic of conversation. There is also a point in the agenda that allows you as the host to talk to participants and ask them each for a specific question that they need answering.
What if someone asks to join my Community Discussion session to complete their instructor checkout session and it is already full?
Participants can email the host and ask to join the session even though it is fully booked. It is up to your personal discretion as to whether or not you accept additional participants.
What if someone is loud/obnoxious and/or talks down to other people?
It is very important to remind everyone of the Code of Conduct at the beginning of each session as The Carpentries adheres to it during all community events, including community discussions. Such behavior would be a clear violation and you could ask the person to leave.
What if I am having trouble understanding one of the attendees?
You could ask the participant to type their questions in the Community Discussions Etherpad for you to read and respond to them, which will also make note-taking much easier. Consider asking them to speak up as well if the microphone is too soft.
What if I need to create a separate Etherpad for note-taking?
Notes from all sessions can be taken on the Community Discussions Etherpad and will be archived following each discussion. However, if you think another Etherpad is needed for notetaking during your session, a new Etherpad can be created by appending a descriptive name to the URL https://pad.carpentries.org/, such as https://pad.carpentries.org/themed-discussion-15-09-2022.
How can I become a Community Coordinator?
A Subcommunity Coordinator is a member of the community who serves as the leader of a subcommunity within The Carpentries. This role is being formalized through the Community Development Program. If you are interested in learning more, please email community@carpentries.org.