Please describe your proposed solution.
Many years after the creation of Cardano, we still need more educational resources for non-English speaking communities.
Background
The team driving the Gimbalabs' Plutus PBL translation and localization effort was born organically from the realization that non-English speaking developers face the impossible task of taking on Cardano's steep learning curve with very few educational resources or programs available in their native language.
Our team's efforts are engaging communities from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Cardano communities in these regions eagerly await the release of the program's respective translation in their local language to make it accessible to their members.
Gimbalabs’ Plutus Project-based learning (PBL)
Gimbalabs uses the PBL method for its Plutus program. The PBL methodology is student-centered, and the facilitator allows space for participation and discussion, incentivizing deep learning, creativity, and collaboration.
Live coding
Through live coding sessions, students can get to know each other and collaborate to resolve problems, answer questions and even find partners for projects outside the program. Gimbalabs’ Plutus PBL is currently on its 4th iteration and has empowered more than 500 students to start learning Cardano development and gain invaluable real-world experience.
Fig 1. The PBL Framework. A high overview description of a PBL module.
We will use the Andamio platform, a learning management system (LMS) built on Cardano with skill tracking, treasury management, and smart contract capabilities which hosts the current version of the Plutus PBL; you can see it here. The Andamio Platform provides a ready-to-use LMS that supports the outcomes of this proposal. A project-based onboarding course is one of the key deliverables in this proposal.
Fig 2. The Andamio platform: A) Landing page, B) Student skills and contributions record; C) Skills and contributions record dashboard; D) Student record aggregate
The Andamio platform records participant progress through the course, providing a certified record of skills acquired and contributions. It is an invaluable resource for new developers needing real-world experience.
This platform, used with Gimbalabs' Plutus PBL, lowers barriers to entry for Cardano's developers in Asian, Latin American, and African communities and is the shortest path to adopting Cardano blockchain technology worldwide.
This proposal aims to provide funding to:
- Finish the translation and localization of the Plutus PBL program in Spanish, French, Indonesian, Japanese, and Vietnamese.
- All written content and documentation.
- Videos
- Promote the release of the Plutus PBL in each language.
- Social media marketing
- Provide live coding sessions in each language to create thriving communities of developers.
- Provide learner support via Discord.
How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?
The Developer Ecosystem challenge seeks to "… equip and support developers with tools” and make Cardano the first choice to develop dApps.
Most problems of developing economies in Asia, Africa, and Latin America are perfect use cases for blockchain technology. Cardano is especially suited for this as it is an efficient, low-cost, highly secure protocol. However, implementing solutions in these localities as an outsider carries significant risks and challenges.
It is much more efficient and less risky to invest in the educational resources for individuals in these economies to understand and use this technology so they can implement solutions that adapt to their context, culture, and economic reality. We need to extend Cardano education beyond its current language barrier limitation.
The proposal's timing is highly relevant considering the potential for widespread adoption of blockchain projects during the anticipated fourth bull run. With the world's attention towards blockchain technology, there is a unique opportunity for adopting and implementing projects like the Gimbalabs' Plutus PBL program.
The proposal aims to seize this unprecedented opportunity to engage non-English speaking communities. The availability of educational resources in multiple languages will facilitate their participation and enable them to take advantage of the growing blockchain ecosystem during this increased attention and adoption period.
The fourth bull run presents a favorable environment for this proposal, as it can effectively equip individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to capitalize on the opportunities arising in the blockchain industry.
Providing the Plutus PBL program in different languages will allow individuals to use Cardano blockchain technology to develop high-impact solutions for their communities. Additionally, because the Andamio platform is open-source, these same communities can use it to host educational content and onboard project contributors. This approach allows and incentivizes exponential growth.
How do you intend to measure the success of your project?
Once the program is live, over a period of 6 months, for each different language of the Plutus PBL, we will track:
- No. of students participating in the Plutus PBL in each different language.
- No. of students contributing to real-world projects by the end of the program.
- No. of initiatives created as a direct result of participating in the Plutus PBL.
- No. of organizations/projects created as a direct result of participating in the Plutus PBL.
- No. of students participating in the Plutus PBL onboarded to Cardano organizations.
Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?
- Our Gitlab repo (please see <u>relevant links</u> section)
- The Andamio platform generates contributor tokens that record student progress through the program on-chain (You can see an example here: <https://plutuspbl.io/contributors>).
- Live coding sessions
- Recordings shared via YouTube (find links to past and current live coding sessions in english here: <https://plutuspbl.io/live-coding>)
- Progress reports shared via Project Catalyst Town Halls and website.