Introduction
The Carpentries is a mission-driven nonprofit project that teaches foundational coding and data science skills to researchers worldwide. We exist because the skills needed to do computational, data-intensive research are often not included as a part of basic research training in many disciplines. Our global community works together to provide:
- A suite of open source, collaboratively-built, community-developed lessons
- Evidence-based, proven pedagogical training
- Workshops based on a learn-by-doing, ‘code with me’ approach
- A supportive learning culture
- A global community which subscribes to an inclusive code of conduct
Our vision
Our vision is to be the leading inclusive community teaching data and coding skills.
Our mission
The Carpentries builds global capacity in essential data and computational skills for conducting efficient, open, and reproducible research. We train and foster an active, inclusive, diverse community of learners and instructors that promotes and models the importance of software and data in research. We collaboratively develop openly-available lessons and deliver these lessons using evidence-based teaching practices. We focus on people conducting and supporting research.
Our values
Shared values and goals have long been the starting point of communities of practice as they identify changes they want to see and start working together towards these changes. The Carpentries community share nine core values.
At The Carpentries we…
Act Openly
We believe that transparency, honesty, and fairness are keys to fostering trust within an open community.
Empower One Another
We help people build knowledge by creating a conducive environment for the exchange of skills, perspectives and experiences that empower people and enable them to reach their potential.
Value all contributions
All contributions that follow our Code of Conduct are valuable.
Always learning
We are responsive, curious, receptive to feedback, and eager to learn.
Inclusive of all
We welcome and respect all community members, regardless of their identity or expression.
People first
Individuals who make up our community are the most important part of our organisation and our strongest resource.
Access for all
Accessibility is at our core. We create multiple avenues for participation where all people can learn and contribute.
Community collaboration
Collaboration across borders, domains and initiatives is a pathway to empower people and reach shared goals.
Strength through diversity
We empower a diverse group of people to work with data and code to answer the questions important to them and address challenges in science and society.Our values were formalized in 2019 by the Values Task Force. For more details, see the complete report here.
| Empowerment $150,000 Limit: 2 | Champion $50,000 Limit: 4 | Supporter $25,000 | Contributer $10,000 | Advocate $5,000 | |
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Our Work
The Carpentries administration and other essential operations are held together by a small Core Team, but the majority of our impact is achieved through the efforts of volunteer participants in our global and local communities. The global Carpentries community consists of Instructors, Trainers, Maintainers, Lesson Developers, Member Organisations, committee or task force members, and other supporters who participate, synchronously or asynchronously, in building our programs for all to share.
Curriculum - Lessons
Instructor Training
Trainer Training
Workshops
Lesson Programs
The Carpentries has three official lesson programs, each providing lessons catered to a specific audience or purpose. Our workshops may focus on lessons from one set of curricula or mix and match lesson’s to provide the audience with an experience catered to their needs.
Our History
We have a rich history that dates back to 1998 when Software Carpentry was founded with the mission of teaching lab skills for research computing. At that time, Greg Wilson and Brent Gorda taught workshops to teach researchers software development skills. Greg continued this work, building a collection of collaboratively-developed and openly-available lessons, as well as community of instructors who used those lessons to teach workshops.
In 2014, Data Carpentry was founded with the mission of building communities teaching universal data literacy. Also in 2014, Library Carpentry was founded with the mission of teaching data skills to people working in library- and information-related roles. Each organisation working in tandem and in partnership to develop lessons and build global communities of practice.
In 2018, Software Carpentry and Data Carpentry merged their projects to form a new project called The Carpentries, under the fiscal sponsorship of Community Initiatives, and shortly thereafter welcomed Library Carpentry as a Lesson Program.