dojo-ascension

Tiny Pilot Program

Goal

Run one short pilot (2-4 weeks) with a small cohort to validate onboarding, mission clarity, and contributor flow.

Cohort

• 8-20 learners
• 1-3 facilitators
• Mix of coders and non-coders

What to collect

• Completion data: started vs completed missions
• Retention signal: return within 14 days
• Contributor signal: pilot participants opening issues/PRs
• Qualitative feedback: confusion points, motivation, accessibility blockers
• Confidence and belonging signal: short learner self-report after each session
• Facilitator effort: how much support was needed per learner/session

Feedback instrument (minimum)

After each session, ask:

1. What was clear?
2. What was confusing?
3. What made you feel included or excluded?
4. What should we improve before inviting more learners?

Publishable outcome target

Aim for a simple before/after story that a grant reviewer can understand:

• cohort size
• learner completion count
• 14-day return rate
• confidence/belonging summary
• contribution behavior (issues, PRs, or mission drafts)
• 2-3 short learner/facilitator quotations

Use:

• python export_learner_data.py --data-dir <dir>
• python measure_retention.py --data-dir <dir>
• .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/pilot_feedback.md

Closeout

Publish a short pilot summary in CHANGELOG.md and update:

• onboarding docs
• mission author guidance
• roadmap priorities