Organization of the workshops

Our workshop offerings are designed to satisfy the needs of research computing users who are new to our services--including those new to computational tools and methods--as well as our current or more experienced users. We understand that not all users have the same experiential background.

In our effort to provide experience-appropriate training, we have organized our workshops into levels. These can range from the very cursory "I want to know about X," to far more specialized seminars for our most advanced users. Our workshop design also includes extended-day Bootcamps, during which new users can engage in extended training to become familiar with our campus cyberinfrastructure.

To ensure consistency across all of our training offerings, these categories are organized into levels from zero to four. Each training level description is accompanied by an explanation of the workshop format, a description of the intended audience, a list of prerequisites for the course, and a snapshot of the learning outcomes.

Level 0: Exploring

These workshops are given by guest speakers that will provide insight and examples of a topic (for instance, exploring alternative uses of the HPC).

Intended audience: anyone.
Basic prerequisites: just having an interest in the topic.
Learning Outcomes: have a broader understanding of a topic and being able to find resources (local and web-wide) if the attendee wants to continue learning it.

Level 1: Tinkering

A pre-introductory type of course that is more basic than an introduction to a topic. Since we are not experts on all topics, these courses are a hands-on, lab-like sessions where UTech and attendees work together to learn a topic.

Intended audience: anyone.
Basic prerequisites: a laptop with the corresponding software/tools installed.
Learning outcomes: to be more comfortable working with the set of tools to be explored and to understand both next steps and available resources.

Level 2: Working

These workshops serve as an introduction to a topic. These introductions could range from a simple four-minute YouTube video to a one-hour workshop.

Intended audience: anyone with a basic (or no) knowledge of a topic and wants to have a deeper understanding.
Basic prerequisites: a laptop with the corresponding software/tools installed and, if needed, a general understanding of a topic. (For more advanced introductions, for example, basics would be covered only briefly before moving on).
Learning outcomes: have a deeper understanding of some process, tool, platform, or programming language, that will allow the attendee to develop a working knowledge of that topic.

Level 3: Advancing

Technical workshops: local experts (either [U]Tech instructors or guests) will teach a more advanced use of a tool, or some specific aspects of a topic. These workshops could complement Level 2 workshops as well.

These topics could go from level one to three, where one could be an introduction to a topic, two would correspond to a tutorial, and three a one-hour workshop with an introduction to a topic for a more advanced audience.

Intended audience: students, faculty and anyone who wants to have a better and deeper understanding of a topic.
Basic prerequisites: a laptop with the corresponding software/tools installed, and a working knowledge (gained from past experience or attending Level 2 workshops) of the topic that will be discussed in depth (basics of that topic will scarcely be mentioned before diving into deeper concepts).
Learning outcomes: have a detailed and clear understanding of the topic or software/tool discussed.

Level 4: Mastering

Advanced topics: local experts (either UTech instructors or guests) will teach even deeper concepts or uses of a tool. These workshops are intended for advanced users with a lot of experience. These workshops could complement Level 3 workshops as well.

Intended audience: students, faculty and anyone who wants to learn specific topics that will complement the acquired knowledge in Level 3. Specially recommended to HPC cluster users.
Basic prerequisites: a laptop with the corresponding software/tools installed, and a working knowledge (gained from past experience or attending Level 3 workshops).
Learning outcomes: learn how to effectively use some of the tools that make use of the cluster resources.

Bootcamp(s)

The aim of bootcamps is to train new users and make them familiar with the HPC cluster environment. Current users of the HPC cluster can attend bootcamps to learn about the new updates to the cluster environment.

Bootcamps are designed using other training seminars from levels 1, 2, and 3. While training seminars are intended to be about one hour long, the bootcamps can be four hours long.

Intended audience: (new) users of the HPC cluster who want to learn about our cluster environment or current users that need a refresh.
Basic prerequisites: a laptop with software to create a remote connection to the HPC cluster.
Learning outcomes: build a good and detailed understanding on how the HPC cluster works, and knowledge on how to use the resources effectively.