The first thing many people may think
is “I can’t take this class because I have no previous experience with
programming.” This is the perfect situation to be in for these classes. They
are designed for people with little to no experience with the tools that are
being used. Participants who do not have laptops can use the laptops provided
in the workshop room. These Software Carpentry classes are an easy way to learn
baseline knowledge of computer programming.
Software Carpentry classes are taught
by multiple organizations around the world in many different languages. The
topics and resources covered in these classes are all provided by a single foundation for
volunteers to teach. This ensures that all of the classes have regulated and
helpful content. The OSU Library routinely offers these workshops, which are
conducted by Library personnel.
After attending these workshops, you
will have the knowledge essential to move forward educating yourself or making
use of the knowledge you gained in the class for your research or projects.
These workshops are aimed at a more
general audience than the intense programming crowd. With that being said, it
can still be beneficial to experienced programmers. As a senior in computer
science, I attended a workshop and was received valuable information. I can
call this valuable information because it gives me more knowledge in my field
of study, but what about individuals who have no aspirations of developing
applications, software or anything for their career? Despite what most people
would probably believe, these people have the most to gain from this type of
workshop.
The topics addressed in these
carpentries are aimed to help people solve common problems and inconveniences
for researchers or students. For example, a part of the workshop I attended
covered convenient ways to organize data using Python. We learned how to graph
large amounts of data, reorganize it and explore it efficiently.
The participants are also learning
basic programming skills during the class. Currently, the two languages covered
are R and Python. These skills are the basic building blocks that allow you to
continue to gain knowledge in programming if you decide to learn more about it.
In addition to pure programming instruction,
the workshop also introduces participants to topics like version control and
Unix Shell. Version control using Git helps to keep everybody in a project on
the same page by allowing them to update a repository from anywhere. The Unix
Shell is a powerful command-line tool that allows users to automate their tasks
and reduce repetitive actions.
The topics covered in these
carpentries are constantly being updated and improved to keep up with changes
in technology. As the world continues to become more invested in mobile
applications and software, the need to understand basic programming principles
will continue to increase.
How would you use basic programming
skills in your field of study or workplace?
Posted
by Jacob Hinchey, Emerging Technology Intern
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