January 2018 fCC Cohort

Anyone want to work through the beta curriculum with me? What do you think? Does this sound like something that’ll be helpful to people here? Do you think we should do this differently?

One of the characteristics of a successful Internet-based coding curriculum is having access to others who are available to review project code and help improve that code. This forum is a great example! However, since everyone volunteers to participate in and so many people post to the forum, it’s possible for one’s projects to fall through the cracks and not get fully reviewed. I’m hoping that this cohort will bring a subset of people together long enough to review and learn from one another’s projects. I’m also hoping that others can use this post and other cohort posts to run their own cohorts as needed.

The idea is that we’ll go through the freeCodeCamp beta curriculum Responsive Web Design path. We’ll learn from one another, review one another’s code, share links and helpful information that goes deeper into the challenge material, and generally support one another.

The main difference between being a part of this cohort and doing freeCodeCamp on one’s own is that we’ll try to finish projects and sections by the deadlines in the schedule below.

Cohort Process

I will create a new public topic for each deadline in the schedule below as we reach the previous deadline. So, for example, for the January 9, 2018 deadline, a public topic titled HTML/CSS Questions, Resources, and Discussion (January 2018 Cohort) will be created on January 4th, 2018. On January 10, 2018, I’ll create the Visual Design/Accessibility Questions, Resources, and Discussion (January 2018 Cohort) topic and so on.

I will update the schedule below to show which deadline we’re currently working on and add a link to the public topic for that deadline.

The first post of each public topic will be a wiki post that will initially include the following:

  • Link to the Schedule
  • Summary of the purpose of the topic for those who may not know about the Cohort
  • Deadline for the section/project
  • List of helpful resources
  • Finished Projects for Review (for topics about projects)
  • @ mentions for everyone who signs up for the cohort below

Anyone who’s participating in the cohort will want to bookmark those topics for future reference. Cohort members will ask questions and share links and information with one another within these topics. Please add to and edit the first post of each topic as needed to share resources and other helpful information with other cohort members.

Participating in the cohort means one commits to do the following:

  • Work on and finish sections and projects by the deadline.
  • Create a public topic when one has finished a project so cohort members have a place to post project reviews.
  • Give others feedback on and reviews of their projects.
  • Help by answering questions as needed.
  • Share interesting information about section material and projects with the cohort.

Schedule

As you can see, most of the cohort is project-focused, so project feedback and reviews will be very important!

Cohort History

The October 2017 cohort was a previous attempt at running a cohort using the freeCodeCamp curriculum. In that cohort, we used forum private messages for internal communication and public topics for section and project reviews. We used the current curriculum and ended the cohort when it was announced that the beta curriculum could be ready by Christmas 2017.

The Chingu cohorts (#6 | #7) also exist for those who want a more team-based path outside of the freeCodeCamp ecosystem. I mention this here for reference only as the Chingu program is not connected to this cohort in any way.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who can participate?
    Anyone! Whether you’re just starting or you’ve been involved with freeCodeCamp for a long time, you’re welcome to join, follow along, and contribute.

  • What’s the daily/weekly time commitment?
    About an hour a day for the challenges, which includes reading through and completing the challenges and replying to questions from cohort members. For the projects, about 2-3 hours per day which includes reviewing other people’s projects. The expectation is that we’ll be learning 7 days a week. If we work hard, we can each have the Responsive Web Design Certificate by April 1st, 2018! :fireworks:

  • What technologies will we need? Do I have to sign up for an account somewhere?
    The only communication system we use is the freeCodeCamp forum system. If you’re reading this message and have an account on the forum system, then you have everything you need to succeed in this cohort!

  • What if I fall behind or my situation changes and I can’t continue?
    You don’t have to do anything. If you’re absent from our discussions, we’ll assume you’re not participating for important reasons and move on without you. There’s no pressure to participate.

  • What if I work ahead or what if I’m already finished with some of the curriculum?
    That’s great! Keep working hard! It’s one thing to have completed the challenges and projects, but it’s something entirely different (and potentially equally beneficial to one’s own learning) to review other people’s projects and help others when they get stuck. If you find yourself ahead of the cohort schedule because you know the material well or had extra time to get more finished, please check in with other cohort members to see if you can help!

    In this cohort, the schedule is created with the idea that we need to really learn the material in each of the sections, not just finish the sections. So, one suggestion for those who find themselves ahead is to read some extra materials about the section content (see the resources for each public topic) and really dive deep into the content so you can solidify your understanding of the topic.

  • What about the rest of the freeCodeCamp beta curriculum?
    If all goes well, we’ll start working on the other sections when we’re finished in April.

  • When does this cohort start?
    The cohort officially starts on January 4, 2018. You can start early if you want or join in late if you’re reading this after the 4th.

How Can I Join?

Bookmark this topic and edit this first post to add your username to the member list below. That’s it! All usernames in this list will be notified of future cohort topics. If you can’t edit this first post, comment below and I’ll add your username to the list.

Cohort Member List

  • camper
  • mohamedeliwa
  • Fixy250185
  • firuzshoev
  • mberkland
  • Wahe3bru
  • TammyKnox
  • slamoureux
  • zaynaib
  • angelinalblyth
  • facundocorradini
  • debu2code
  • sasikumar07
  • johnhannahdev
  • nasef123
  • ConnectExtend
  • callumshaw
  • PerkyPrince
  • catherinewoodward
  • Gildara
  • dmac0505
  • corneerasmus
  • LawGaming
  • lbeth
  • DGC75
  • Vanic6
  • asmarino
  • HaiCia
  • arhillis
  • pavankrcr
  • stufinn
  • 5Lions
  • Jinxlaw
  • yoizfefisch
  • weindor
  • shivendraDave
  • deedee
  • TiwaunP
  • npalopoli
  • kindaintellectual
  • nicandromts
  • MMahendra001
  • basantos
  • bobbyc
  • bdfoz
  • zeinab88
  • aimeejulia
  • Krate2016
  • Codewife101
  • ahmedosman
  • codenoob
  • fancyaction
  • Alemrv
  • swestphal
  • gilvarry
  • Miyazakid
  • silentgamelan
  • priscilla-littlecat
  • Foo_Dog
  • rafaelgus
  • JimmyZno4
  • KevinReynolds
29 Likes

This is a great idea and I’d definitely be interested in being involved but I’d probably want to wait for the progress saving to be released for the Beta (or for the Beta curriculum to be officially released) before making such a commitment.

If it is out by then then I’ll probably join.

3 Likes

@Voyaging Thanks for mentioning this issue as I think it’s an important one to think about!

I was thinking the same thing about the beta curriculum back in October, which is why, at that time, I pushed to use the current curriculum instead. :slight_smile: After reviewing the Responsive Web Design beta curriculum more closely, I realized that most of it is focused on the projects.

You may notice in the schedule that there’s really only about 10 days devoted to the challenges and the rest of the time is focused on the projects. With the beta curriculum, the projects have automated tests that one needs to (or is encouraged to) pass before submitting the project as complete. It is currently possible to add the automated test suites to our projects right now! I’ve added it to the tribute and portfolio projects I’ve already completed using the current curriculum, in case you’re curious about how it works or what it looks like.

So, even though we can’t use fCC to track our progress with the challenges right now, we will be ready to submit our projects to fCC once we’re finished in April, assuming the beta curriculum is officially released by that time. We’ll also be in a position to transition over to tracking our progress via fCC if the beta curriculum becomes official sooner.

Given that there are lots of people working on finishing the beta curriculum and the word is that it’ll be official soon, along with the idea that the section we’re working on is mostly made up of projects, I think it makes sense to start on the beta curriculum now and fill in our progress when the beta becomes official.

What do you think? Thanks again for the comment! :fireworks:

2 Likes

Hi
I am keen to join.
I hope to keep up but an hour a day is manageable. in fact i just committed to #100daysofcode.
please add me to the group/cohort.

we will probably learn cool tip n tricks looking at others code.
I am open for criticism and welcome advice to improve my code

2 Likes

The January 2018 fCC cohort is starting!

Here’s the first topic. :sunny:

guys need help,
Till now I can not access or finish any challenge on beta FCC.
and I do not know how to get along with the cohort, any suggestions, pls?
besides, anyone knows when beta fcc will be the official website?

Hi there, may I join in? I’d really like to contribute

1 Like

This is great, just what I was looking for. I have already worked my way through the first few sections in the beta and I am currently on the CSS Flexbox but I would still like to be part of this.

Looking forward to working through the material with everyone involved.

1 Like

I just tested the first five challenges, including the one on your screenshot, on Chrome 63 and Firefox 57, and they all work fine. As to the beta, it seems to me that the new curriculum shouldn’t take longer than a month to be released on the main website. But there is no exact date.

1 Like

I am getting the same issue on Chrome, Firefox, IE and Chrome on my android phone. However when I go to the last page I was on last night and continue it works for me and continues onto the next challenge.

Edit: Looks like they have fixed the signing up issues. Once I did that I am now able to start the beta from the begining. If you want to try that and see if it works for you?

2 Likes

Hi @camper. Added myself in too.

2 Likes

@angelinalblyth and @mohamedeliwa I wonder if this is a browser caching issue, since changes are probably coming to the beta relatively frequently now? Can you try clearing your browser caches and trying again? I haven’t contributed to the beta curriculum so I can’t give much more help on that.

At least at the time I’m writing this, I’m able to access the challenges, complete them, and then move on to the next challenge. I can also sign up and sign in with a different email address from the email address connected to the account I signed up with on the current curriculum.

However, keep in mind that one’s progress is not going to be carried over from the beta when it is released. My suggestion to everyone working on the beta curriculum is to go through the challenges and complete them over the next 10 days. Complete the projects as we’re planning to do by April 1, 2018. Then, when the beta curriculum is released, submit the projects and either redo the initial challenges or just ignore them because completing them is not required for the certificate.

1 Like

@firuzshoev
@camper
@angelinalblyth

I still have the same problem after clearing caches on both chrome Version 63 and firefox 57.

Hello I think I want to join, but I wanted to ask first if anyone knows if the old curriculum will go away completely when the beta goes live or will we still be able to access the old site? Thanks.

Wow! thank you for putting this together. Previously, I got a bit past the Tribute Page project. Then I saw the curriculum map for the re-designed version and decided to wait because it looked well thought-out and worth the wait. I was hesitant to try the beta version, but now with the support of the cohort – we can overcome all challenges! Put me on that list! \(^o^)/


I tried to add myself to the member list, but got this error message --> Sorry, you can only mention 15 users in a post.

1 Like

Hi, I can’t figure out how to edit the page but would like to join the cohort… Sign me up, please!

@ConnectExtend @callumshaw if you both watch the thread and bookmark it so you still get notifications seen as you can only tag 15 people at a time.

2 Likes

I’m actually new to this freecodecamp but I will still love to participate. my username is @PerkyPrince

Hey @camper, First of All Thanks for the initiatives.
Secondly I can’t add my username to the list. It says not more than 15 people are allowed to be added.
Thirdly, Like few other fellow friends, I am also facing hard time accessing Beta Version. It just keeps saying “Something went wrong”.
Probably You should take a look into it or pass a message to someone Who may help!
Again, Thank You for Putting this together.

@mohamedeliwa @catherinewoodward have you both tried what I suggested to do? Use the sign up button top right and go through the process. That allowed me to continue in the beta.

1 Like