Glossary

Resource types

Each lesson is labeled with a resource type that describes its format and how much time it takes.

Workshop

A structured, instructor-led session up to four hours long. Workshops have clear learning objectives, hands-on exercises, and a defined start and end. Most lessons in this catalog are workshops. You can work through them independently, but they are designed to be taught in a classroom or live online setting.

Course

A multi-session or multi-module sequence that takes more than four hours in total. Courses may span a full day, multiple days, or several self-paced modules. They typically include a syllabus and are meant to build skills progressively over time.

Guide

A reference resource or curated handbook. Guides are meant for reading and reference, not for delivery in a single session. They are organized around topics rather than a linear lesson plan, so you can read the sections most relevant to you. Examples include handbook chapters from The Turing Way and topical guides from the Open Source Guides collection.

Skill levels

Each lesson carries a skill level based on the prior knowledge it assumes — not on how difficult the topic is in general.

Beginner

No prior experience with the topic required. You may need basic comfort with a computer and a web browser, but you do not need to know the subject area before starting. Check the prerequisites for any specific tools or skills the lesson expects.

Intermediate

Some familiarity with the topic is assumed. For example, an intermediate version control lesson expects that you have already used Git and understand the concept of commits. You have encountered the subject before and are ready to go deeper.

Advanced

Substantial prior knowledge or hands-on experience is required. Advanced lessons are for practitioners who are already working in the domain and want to extend their skills.

Pathways

Pathways are curated sequences of lessons organized around a goal or role. Each pathway brings together workshops, courses, and guides in a suggested order so you can build skills progressively rather than searching through the full catalog on your own.

A lesson can appear in more than one pathway when its content is relevant to multiple goals. You do not have to follow a pathway from beginning to end — dip in wherever your current knowledge and goals suggest.

Current pathways:

• Getting Started with Open Source — for learners new to open source and open collaboration
• Contributing to a Project — for those ready to write code, open issues, or create documentation
• Maintaining & Sustaining Software — for maintainers, project leads, and tech stewards
• Building Inclusive Communities — for those organizing people, not just code
• Understanding Licensing & Compliance — for anyone navigating open source legalities, especially in a UC context
• Strategic Practices & Career Development — for project leaders, RSEs, and open science strategists

Time estimates

Time estimates represent active learning time — exercises, readings, and hands-on work. They do not include breaks or time spent setting up your environment.

How we calculate estimates varies by resource type:

• Workshops and courses — drawn from the instructor schedule on the lesson site when one is published. These reflect how long an experienced instructor takes to deliver the material, including exercises.
• Guides — estimated from word count at roughly 200 words per minute for technical content. A guide listing multiple chapters may show the time for a representative chapter rather than the full handbook.

Your actual time may vary. Working through exercises carefully often takes longer than the published estimate.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are skills or lessons you should have completed before starting. They come in two forms:

• Lesson links — a specific lesson in this catalog that covers the assumed background. If you haven't completed it, follow the link and work through it first.
• Skill descriptions — general competencies like "basic command line" or "familiarity with Python". You may have picked these up anywhere, not necessarily from a lesson in this catalog.

Prerequisites are the minimum needed to follow along — not a guarantee you'll find the lesson easy. If you are comfortable with the prerequisites but find the lesson difficult, the skill level label (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced) may help you find a better entry point.