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More Oxford feedback

This post originally appeared on the Software Carpentry website.

Following on Phil's analysis of the feedback from the first Software Carpentry workshop in Oxford, here are the round-the-room comments from the attendees, helpers and instructors, good and bad...

Good
  • Learned something.
  • Mercurial, very useful yet simple. Can apply straight away.
  • Practical at end seemed useful way of tieing everything together.
  • Doing things in synch with lecturers.
  • Scientific approach to programming.
  • Whole approach.
  • Good overview of the key concepts and foundation to learn more.
  • Focussed.
  • Course as a whole is good.
  • Thorough - basic to advanced - and see new ways to do basics.
  • Good practice, can take forward.
  • Best practice.
  • Really good overview and intro to things not heard of before but would be very useful (version control, MDAnalysis).
  • Make and use for things other than C.
  • Other instructors chipping in on current instructor was good.
  • Loved it, especially version control and make.
Bad
  • Keeping up with the instructors typing on the projectors, so slow the pace.
  • Resources and case-studies from the simple examples to complex examples.
  • Would like more of a chance to apply what was learned with the instructors around, or at least feedback on a plan.
  • Most sessions ran over.
  • Problems with later aspects of Python.
  • Balance between beginner and advanced - always wasting someones time.
  • Knowing simpler Python commands might've helped beforehand.
  • Sometimes a bit too fast.
  • More time for exercises.
  • Target the course a bit more to their area.
  • Helps to start with, but good to have more courses and more on each area.
  • More time to work on problems and work through case-studies.
  • Downloading all the files for every exercise.
  • Days away from work.