Standards of Practice: ML – Roadmap
Build a Minimum Viable Standard of Practice (SoP v1) by Dec 10 that we can use across multiple ML courses launching in January, then iterate based on what we learn.
Time, capacity, and reality checks
We’re designing a realistic scope that respects people’s time off and focuses on what we can confidently complete before Dec 10.
Capacity & OOO
- Mandy: out first week of December
- KB: out Thanksgiving week
- Teresa: out Thanksgiving week
- Lee: out Dec 15–28
→ We front-load key decisions in mid–late November and finalize in early December.
Existing commitments
- Accessibility pass (Teresa R, Kenn C, Bela C) – target completion by Nov 14
- Course Customizations Checklist (Google Sheet) in progress
- Team meeting next Friday to estimate lift for accessibility-related changes
→ Accessibility & customizations (items 1 & 2) are our first, non-negotiable priorities.
Priority signals from the team
After items 1 & 2, the group’s votes cluster around: 5, 6, 9, 13, then 4, 11.
- 5: Opening the course (emails, access, kick-off)
- 6: Facilitation standards & expectations
- 9: Trackers (engagement, facilitation, external data)
- 13: Evaluation & data-sharing norms
- 4, 11: Course website/sign-up & post-course / COP
→ SoP v1 focuses on: accessibility, participant journey, facilitation norms, trackers & evaluation, and post-course & partner expectations.
Five workstreams for SoP v1
To make this manageable, we bundle the long list into five workstreams that map to the participant and facilitator journey.
- Complete contrast, text size, transcripts, and other accessibility checks.
- Finalize Course Customizations Checklist (Google Sheet).
- Clarify how teams request and track accessibility-related changes.
- One standard initial email template for all courses.
- Decision on course website / sign-up pattern (one ML site vs per-course) — enough for January.
- Pre-survey / readiness embedded into sign-up (logic-model aligned; currently done in LABoR 1).
- Define what it means to “open the course” (opening email, link access, timing vs kick-off).
- Closing patterns: closing email, optional closing meeting, certificates/badges/letters, course reaction questions.
- Example nudging/check-in emails for mid-course support.
- Facilitator norms v1: response times, weekends (M–F vs weekend work), email vs chat usage.
- Guidance on how to provide discussion feedback (comments, emojis, examples of “good” responses).
- Expectations for internal vs external facilitators (what’s the same, what’s different).
- Facilitator training session template: standard agenda + who runs it for January courses.
- Tracker framework: internal engagement tracker, facilitation tracker, external-facing summary.
- Standards for when trackers are updated, who owns them, and how they inform mid-course adjustments.
- Evaluation skeleton: course reaction questions, internal course debrief structure, and a simple external debrief option.
- Clear guidelines for what data can be shared with partners vs. what must stay internal (ties to facilitation norms).
- Partner-facing rollout checklist (Checklist-Manifesto style): what we need from partners and what they can expect from us.
- Lightweight COP / learning community model: who facilitates (us, partners, combo), plus a “default” live event option.
- Baseline follow-up resources / references we can reuse across courses.
Runway to SoP v1 (Now → Jan)
Three phases: finish accessibility & customizations → design & draft standards → lock SoP v1 and pilot it in January courses.
- Complete accessibility work (contrast, text size, transcripts, etc.).
- Finalize Course Customizations Checklist v1.
- Clarify process for requesting and implementing accessibility changes.
Output: accessibility baseline + customization checklist ready for January courses.
- Draft standard initial email and decide sign-up pattern (central vs per-course site).
- Draft pre-survey / readiness questions and integrate into sign-up logic.
- Draft Facilitator Norms v1 (response time, weekends, email vs chat, internal vs external).
- Draft tracker framework & ownership (engagement, facilitation, external summary).
- Draft data-sharing guidelines and evaluation/debrief skeleton.
Output: first drafts of participant journey, facilitation norms, and tracker/evaluation framework.
- Asynchronous review and comments on drafts from Phase 2a.
- Refine opening & closing comms, nudges, and link-access checklist (Workstream B).
- Finalize Facilitator training agenda and who leads for January courses (Workstream C).
- Finalize tracker templates, update cadence, and link to debrief structure (Workstream D).
- Draft & refine partner-facing checklist and COP/post-course options (Workstream E).
Output: “near-final” templates and checklists queued up for SoP v1 lock.
- Host an integrated review session walking the team through end-to-end journey: accessibility → participant journey → facilitation → trackers → post-course/partners.
- Resolve final decisions and close open questions.
- Package and label everything as “Standards of Prac