Spring has sprung at Science Atlantic and with it came a renewed sense of collaboration. On March 21, 2023, nine participants with an interest in open educational resources (OERs) and working collaboratively joined Dr. Erin Mazerolle and Dr. Erin Austen for our second Science Atlantic Sessions for All event, Hack a Hackathon Template.
Drs. Mazerolle and Austen, both from the Department of Psychology at StFX, are uniquely qualified to host an event about hosting hackathons. The pair organized a successful hackathon at the 2022 Science Atlantic Psychology Conference to update an OER textbook, and we were excited that they were willing to share their expertise with us.
The session began with a presentation from Dr. Mazerolle explaining what a hackathon is. Participants learned that hackathons are a fantastic way to get people working together to solve a problem, update existing resources, and generate knowledge. To solidify things, Dr. Mazerolle described a hackathon she is currently developing. Her goal is to have experts judge the accuracy of claims made in a database of YouTube videos she has compiled. To do this, each expert will be assigned a subset of the videos to watch. This spreads the work out and makes it easier to complete, encapsulating the true spirit of a hackathon!
After the presentation, participants were asked to brainstorm ways that a hackathon could help them achieve their goals and what barriers they might face in hosting one. Ideas were shared using a Jamboard (collaborative digital whiteboard). Suggestions included developing a university course, finding errors in resources, and empowering students to contribute to course content. The main concern participants had was how to create a structured event that would foster creativity, innovation, and encourage students to contribute.
Drs. Mazerolle and Austen were quick to allay these fears by assuring attendees that they don’t have to have everything figured out before the event is launched. Instead, they suggested hacking the objectives of the hackathon with participants. Small prizes, like gift cards, can also be given to encourage participation. As for where to host a hackathon, Drs. Mazerolle and Austen suggest using social annotation tools like Hypothes.is, Perusall, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Word, and Google Suite. As long as the platform chosen lets multiple people contribute at the same time, you’re all set.
At Science Atlantic, we were so inspired by the collaborative spirit present during the event, that we will be hosting our own hackathon for the staff. We’re excited to work as a team on a project that will be beneficial to those in the Science Atlantic sphere and beyond.
We would like to thank Dr. Mazerolle and Dr. Austen for hosting such an incredible session and sharing their expertise with our community.
Science Atlantic Sessions for All discussions are hosted by faculty for faculty. They provide a safe space for academics to collaborate with, and learn from, one another. We look forward to continuing Science Atlantic Sessions for All throughout the year.
If you or someone you know has an idea for a future session, please let us know! We welcome faculty to share your ideas to ensure that these valuable and engaging discussions can continue!