This lesson is in the early stages of development (Alpha version)

Feedback in The Carpentries

Overview

Teaching: 15 min
Exercises: 30 min
Questions
  • How does feedback flow in The Carpentries?

Objectives
  • Gain insight into how feedback mechanisms currently work across all initiatives in The Carpentries

  • Understand how to employ Carpentries core values in designing interactions with community members

The Carpentries Feedback Ethos

Feedback is more than information. As stated in our Core Values, “we value a growth mindset in all that we do and strive for continuous improvement, evolving ourselves and our methodologies, being responsive, curious, receptive to feedback, and eager to learn.” Feedback flows around The Carpentries community in a myriad of ways during our in-person events (workshops, instructor training, CarpentryCon/CarpentryConnect), and through various synchronous and asynchronous communication channels. In this section you will understand how feedback mechanisms currently work across all initiatives in The Carpentries, and how Feedback Facilitators will support the community by closing the feedback loop.

Feedback from the Carpentries Core Team & Governance to the Community

The Carpentries Core Team and Governance provides the community with feedback pertaining to the overall strategic direction of the Carpentries organisation. This feedback is often in the form of an announcement on the Carpentries blog, or update in the Carpentries handbook. Here you will learn more about the different types of feedback The Carpentries Core Team and Governance gives and receives.

Between Community and Core Team

The Carpentries Core Team provides feedback to the broader community about:

CHALLENGE

Select one of the posts below from the Carpentries blog. Identify the ways in which the Core Team solicited feedback from the community. Discuss with a partner.

From Governance to Community

The Carpentries Governance provides feedback to the broader community about:

CHALLENGE

Select one of the posts below from the Carpentries blog. Identify the ways in which the Executive Council solicited feedback from the community. Discuss with a partner.

From Community to Governance and Core Team

There are several ways community members formally provide feedback to The Carpentries Governance and Core Team. These include:

CASE STUDY

REQUEST FOR COMMENT ON THE CARPENTRIES BYLAWS:

Read the short blog post linked below. Using what you know about what optimally presented feedback looks like, determine whether the information in this blog post was presented in a format that is easy for community members to take action on (e.g. Specific, Objective, Timely, Actionable).

Help Shape the Governance of Our Community

The distinction between this kind of formal feedback and the feedback you will receive and collate as Feedback Facilitators will be covered in this training.

Feedback from Community to Community

Community members provide social/shared feedback by sharing their ideas and experiences in all of our communications channels and repositories, and during workshops, instructor training, and other community meetings. As Feedback Facilitators, you will be tasked with focusing on the informal communication pathways that exist in the Carpentries, and collating community feedback you find in our communications channels.

Identifying the Feedback Distortions

When is the right time to “act” when we receive feedback as a community? For instance, if a Carpentries Community member provides feedback regarding an issue they are having with one of our tools, what is the process for a) collecting that information, b) sharing that information with the appropriate persons, c) developing a timeline for resolving the issue, and d) communicating the resolution back to the individual and broader community where applicable? As Feedback Facilitators you will close the feedback loop.

How Feedback Facilitators will Close the Feedback Loop

Now that you understand how feedback flows and where the gaps are, we hope you understand why your role as a Feedback Facilitator is so important. To prime you for a later section on closing the feedback loop, please complete the following exercise.

CHALLENGE

As Feedback Facilitators part of your role will be to acknowledge responses we receive when asking for the community to engage with us on a particular topic. In groups of 3, create a flow chart of what this process could potentially look like. In your flow chart, be sure to include the following steps:

  • Acknowledge that feedback has been received
  • Timeline for hearing back about next steps
  • Resolution and rationale

Key Points

  • At The Carpentries, we value a growth mindset in all that we do and strive for continuous improvement, evolving ourselves and our methodologies, being responsive, curious, receptive to feedback, and eager to learn.