FAQs about the Birdaro training Program
General program questions
What are the goals of the program? What can I expect to learn?
Our research has shown that open-source projects typically face challenges in five thematic areas as they consider scaling and growth:
- Governance – including how decisions are made, how to engage community members in decision-making and how to move from a “benevolent dictator for life” (BDFL) model to a more collaborative model with clearly defined roles
- Community engagement – how to grow and engage a thriving community of users and contributors, including developing leadership pathways for the more engaged members to support sustainable and varied types of participation
- Organizational home – where the project should live, including whether to form a non-profit, for-profit. or work with a fiscal sponsor
- Systems health – including how to support a broad range of contributions in a safe way
- Strategic business skills – including decisions about business models and other paths to sustainability.
These areas are distinct from the technical skills that project members may be more familiar with and Birdaro seeks to bridge that gap and equip projects with frameworks, access to resources, and a peer network which they can lean on to navigate through their project’s lifecycle. You can expect to graduate the training program feeling more connected and better prepared to navigate the next steps in your open-source software project’s lifecycle.
I’m not sure if this program is for me….who is your target audience?
This program is for individuals and teams who are involved in making decisions about an open-source project. Project PIs, Co-PIs, lead developers / maintainers, project managers, and community managers are especially well-positioned to participate. If you’re still unsure if the program is for you, feel free to get in touch: info@birdaro.org.
When will the full training schedule be published?
In this pilot version of the training program, we’re being very responsive to participant needs. You can expect a draft version of the program to be released soon, once we’ve reviewed all the applications and made some choices about the topics to prioritize in the pilot. We expect the training sessions will occur from late summer onwards.
I can’t make this pilot version of the program – will it run again?
We hope that the pilot is just the first iteration of the program and that we’ll run the program again in 2026. To stay updated about Birdaro, please sign up for our mailing list.
Questions about participation
How many members of my project team can participate in the program? Can I participate by myself?
Individuals are welcome to apply. However, since the success of open-source projects often involves alignment across different roles, we strongly encourage up to three members of a single project team to participate in the program. Please submit only one application per project team.
Do all three members of my project team need to attend every training session?
No, we understand it may not be feasible for all team members to attend every training session. However, at least one member of your project team must be present at every training session. We also strongly recommend that the same project team members attend all sessions of any multi-session components of the program e.g., our three-part Introduction to Community Engagement, as we will build on concepts and activities from prior sessions and it will be difficult to keep up.
I haven’t taken a training with CSCCE before – what can I expect?
CSCCE online trainings are tailor-made for professionals working in STEM and academic communities, contextualizing and synthesizing decades of research spanning organizational theory to marketing – all while honoring the wisdom that comes from practice and the value of peer support. Some things you can expect from a CSCCE training include:
- Synthesis of theory and easy-to-use frameworks to empower you to discuss your work and make strategic decisions with confidence.
- Contextualized examples to help you to apply key concepts to common scenarios.
- Worksheets, activities and discussions to support you in leaving with a plan to implement what you’ve learned in your own project.
- Connection to others in similar roles – and multiple opportunities to learn from their experiences and share your own.
Questions about eligibility
I have taken trainings with CSCCE before on similar topics. Do I need to take these again, or will prior participation count?
While some of the materials used in the Birdaro training program may overlap and be complementary to materials used in CSCCE’s general registration trainings, they are intended to be distinct experiences, including using case studies contextualized for the Birdaro community. We will not be counting prior participation in CSCCE trainings towards completion of the pilot version of the Birdaro training program.
Questions about program completion and outputs
Will there be a final project?
CSCCE’s trainings are designed to be directly applicable to your work and all of our courses result in a final output that you can use immediately. We expect the same will be true of the Birdaro training program.
How will completion of the program be recognized?
Completion of the program will result in the award of a digital badge for all team members who meet the program requirements. CSCCE uses Canvas Badges (formerly Badgr) which is an Open Badges technology enabling badges to be displayed on websites, GitHub profiles, LinkedIn and more.
You can check out badges from other CSCCE trainings here: https://www.cscce.org/trainings/badges/
