miFuture #SkillBursts Bootcamp Hackathon

We’re not all destined for University.? For some, it’s a natural progression from school, others it’s a struggle, a leap, but they succeed in graduating.? But for many, it’s just not a route that they should, or wish to, take.? So, for those who are from backgrounds that are perhaps not naturally inclined to undertake Higher Education, how can you engage with them to develop their skills and ensure that they really do indeed succeed in their journey on a fruitful career?

Well, it’s a question miFuture had, who are working on a fantastic long-term project to develop just such a solution!? And, to do so, Gemma Hallett , Founder of miFuture , committed to “helping GenZ and their grown-ups understand alternatives to uni and the skills needed for the future of work”, has partnered with us in the School of Computer Science and Informatics at Cardiff University/ Prifysgol Caerdydd ( 英国卡地夫大学 ) to now undertake two Bootcamp #Hackathon to develop their strategy for #SkillBursts.

The first of these was last November, “Innovation Day”; a day’s bootcamp to help set out the requirements of the project and start to develop #SkillBursts.? This was followed up a couple of weeks ago with a 3-day bootcamp held in the National Software Academy, where over twenty School of Computer Science and Informatics at Cardiff University/ Prifysgol Caerdydd students, from different disciplines, including #ComputerScience, #SoftwareEngineering, #DataScience and more, had the opportunity to put their knowledge and skills to the test, working in five multidisciplinary teams to create an award-winning solution.? Gemma Hallett was “blown away” by their commitment and high-quality outputs, which will be fed back to miFuture ’s stakeholders for consideration and mapping the next stages of the #SkillBursts project.

You can read more from miFuture about the bootcamp here.

So, what exactly is a Hackathon and why undertake one with our students?

A #Hackathon is essentially an intensive project, designed to be undertaken in one, or over a few consecutive days.? It will have a brief, a visionary, teams of participants, a budget, refreshments and lunch, and a prize at the end.? A hackathon should be fun, intense, lively engaging, informative and productive.? Development should be broken up with presentations and talks which are relevant to brief, giving or drip-feeding the teams with information to help guide their progress.? External partners should be brought in to engage with the project to either deliver the former, and/or mentor participants or judge the outputs. ?Teams should self-manage their skills and workload, and ideally be multidisciplinary, so participants can excel in what they’re good at.? Teams will plan to pitch their solution and outputs to a panel at the end of the Hack, typically consisting of a 5 min presentation and 5 min Q&A (or grilling!).? Teams will be judged on their idea/solution, output(s), presentation and professionalism, with a prize awarded to the winning team, or teams.

What do you need to undertake a Hackathon?

An idea, or concept, helps!? Time to plan and host, engaged partners, stakeholders and facilitator(s), a budget, materials, venue and, obviously, participants.? The concept will address or explore a specific problem, which becomes the basis for the brief and requirements of the #Hackathon project.

This amazing miFuture Bootcamp was supported by Toby Harris ( Stable ), Katherine Broadhurst FCA LLB , Nigel Francis , Catherine Teehan , Annelies Gibson , Lucy Heskins (Oh Blimey) , Kelly Bowden , Darren Phillips , Sarah-Jane Sealy, Cardiff Commitment

Why would our students want to be part of a Hackathon?

Well, often it’s a chance for them to work on something outside of their degree.? Sometimes, they feel restrained by what they are able to do on their programme; think assessments, policies, regulations...you get the jist. A #Hackathon gives them opportunity to stretch their imagination and capabilities.? It’s also a chance to develop their skills and learn new ones.? And, also, well…who wouldn’t pass up a free lunch (there’s not normally many slices left-over from a pizza delivery!), or the chance of winning a prize.

It also goes without saying, there is the students’ opportunity to work with and engage with external stakeholders, getting their name and capabilities directly in front of what could be potential employers; showcasing their knowledge and skills in a real industry-provided, problem-solving situation.? And, then they can shout about their involvement and achievements on a professional network, like, um, LinkedIn…

What do our students think of being part of a Hackathon?

Well, there’s no point in me telling you!? Take a read of some of our students’ reflections on miFuture ’s recent #SkillBursts bootcamp:

Aneesa Ali 's post

Vikram Ponnuswamy 's post

Kacper Kruszewski 's post

Lyla Li 's post

陈诺 's post

Teah Bannister 's post

Natalie Davies 's post

Samer Almasraf 's post

And, hey…let’s not end this without a ??big shout-out?? to “Team Tree” for winning this month’s #SkillBursts Bootcamp #Hackathon – BIG CONGRATS ALL ????!! We're looking forward to working with Gemma Hallett and miFuture to continue their journey on #SkillBursts!

So, how can I design a Hackathon to work with your students on problem solving?

Drop me a line on here, or email me [email protected], and we can start a conversation.