As part of the RIT FOSS Projects course this year, we are having students write a substantial mid-term reflection on praxis. Here's the current version of the assignment - feedback welcome, of course! (For Spring 2018 students: both this version of the assignment and any edited/updated versions are acceptable for submission - you can choose which you'd prefer to do.)

Your praxis reflection consists of answers to the following questions, submitted to MyCourses in English and/or ASL in any format readable by your instructors (.txt, .odt, .pdf, .doc, and links to signed videos are all safe; ask about other options and we’re likely to say yes).

This reflection should be several pages long and reflect substantial amounts of thinking; it has the same point value as a two-week project sprint. Only you and your instructors will see your answers to these questions. Grading is 5% for each of the 18 mandatory questions, plus 10% for spelling, grammar, clarity of writing, etc.

You will be scored on the quality of your reflection, not the behavior you are reflecting on (i.e. a thoughtful analysis of “in hindsight, I really messed up” will get a high grade, whereas simply saying “I did well” without explaining what you did well and why will get a low grade).

  1. In 1-3 sentences, summarize your overall project, as you currently understand it. This summary should reflect your evolving understanding of your project, FOSS contributions, and feedback from classmates/instructors so far.

  2. How has the summary above changed from the summary in your initial/simple project proposal (or, if you switched projects, the first time you summarized/presented it to the class)? Why/why not? What feedback and/or learning experiences have informed your writing of the current version? (minimum 3 sentences)

  3. What have you learned about your FOSS community and its culture and health, and/or individual contributors you’ve been interacting with so far this semester, and how does that affect your project plans for the rest of the semester? (minimum 3 sentences)

  4. What have you learned about your intended end-users so far this semester, and how does that affect your project plans for the rest of the semester? (minimum 3 sentences)

  5. Are your goals clearly defined (is it unambiguous whether you've achieved them or not), do you regularly measure your progress against them, and do you recalibrate them as new situations come up? Why or why not? (minimum 3 sentences)

  6. Are you using existing tools, libraries, and knowledge from others whenever possible, instead of reinventing the wheel? Why or why not? (minimum 3 sentences)

  7. How are you choosing tools? If some of them are new to you, are you giving yourself adequate time to learn them? Are you investing in tools and practices up-front that will make your life easier later on (i.e. automation of test/build infra, documenting as you go, etc.) Why or why not? (minimum 3 sentences)

  8. How are you getting feedback on your community contributions and/or development products, and from whom? Are these the right people? Why or why not? (minimum 3 sentences)

  9. How are you planning for the future in terms of making it possible for you and/or others to continue using or building on your work? Why or why not? (minimum 3 sentences)

  10. Rate yourself 0-5 on the following (0 = whoops, 5 = amazing), and give a 1-3 sentence explanation for each rating. Ratings are about you individually, not your team as a whole.

    1. Clarity of goals

    2. Technical progress towards goals

    3. Leaving a trail (code commenting, documentation, blogging, issue tracker usage, etc.)

    4. Engaging your users

    5. Engaging your FOSS community

    6. Adapting as things change

    7. Other (optional, please specify)

  11. What qualities does a good FOSS contributor and/or teammate have? List at least 3, with rationale for each. (Ex: “A good FOSS contributor/teammate is X, because Y.”) there is not a canonical right/wrong list; we are interested in seeing how you are thinking, not whether you guess the “correct” list of qualities.

  12. If you have teammates: how do you feel about the way your current team is working together? If you are working alone: who have you engaged with regarding your project so far, both within class and outside of it, and how do you think these engagements have been going? Be specific and give examples (ex: “we can resolve disagreements quickly; for example, last Tuesday we were debating whether to do X or Y…”) (minimum 5 sentences regardless of which option you choose.)

  13. What qualities do good development and/or learning goals have? List at least 3, with rationale for each. (Ex: “A good development/learning goal is X, because Y.”) Again, there is not a canonical right/wrong list.

  14. We acknowledge your goals can and should keep changing as your project progresses, but what are your current development and learning goals for:

    1. Sprint 3? (minimum 5 sentences or bullet points)

    2. Sprint 4? (minimum 2 sentences or bullet points)

    3. Sprint 5? (minimum 2 sentences or bullet points)

  15. What is the most unexpected or surprising thing you’ve learned about contributing to FOSS projects so far this semester? (minimum 3 sentences)

  16. What is the most unexpected or surprising thing you’ve learned about yourself so far this semester? (minimum 3 sentences)

  17. What is the one thing you could do this semester that would have the biggest impact on your approach to this course / your ability to contribute to a FOSS community / your development as a professional? (minimum 3 sentences)

  18. How will you approach the remaining sprints this semester differently than the sprints you have done so far, and why? (minimum 3 sentences)

  19. (Optional.) Any notes for us on how to run this class next year? We’re interested both in things we should keep/do again, and things we should do differently.

  20. (Optional.) Anything else we should know?