Mentorship models in open source

2Open Source with SLU Mentorship Models in Open Source “ “We support open science and sustainable innovation by delivering value for researchers with software and tools and providing students with realistic software development experience.” [email protected] https://oss-slu.github.io/ Daniel Shown Program Director Santosh Iragavarapu Staff Developer Devayani Konakalla Tech Lead Mentorship Models in Open Source Mentorship Models in Open Source It’s a key part of our experiential learning program; this is personal for us. Why mentorship matters: 3x contribution rates, 49-64% retention improvement The challenge: distributed teams, async work, public collaboration 3Open Source with SLU Mentorship Models in Open Source Current Program Architecture MENTORING Current Program Architecture 4Open Source with SLU Mentorship Models in Open Source Models for Driving Engagement Structured seasonal: CodeDay Labs, Outreachy, GSoC, LFX (12-22 weeks, 2+ mentors per contributor, stipend-funded) Academic partnerships: Contributor Catalyst, Open Source with SLU, cohortbased learning integrated with coursework, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and others have student employment based mentorship 5Open Source with SLU Mentorship Models in Open Source Formal Program Models Structured seasonal programs Academic OSPO partnerships Embedded mentorship: PR-based teaching, issue triage as onboarding Peer mentoring flywheel: Mentee → contributor → mentor → maintainer (CNCF: 24 mentees became maintainers in 5 years) Event-based: CodeDay, Sprint models (PyCon Mentored Sprints: 4-hour intensive with prepared issues) Hacktoberfest, Maintainathon Key Success Pattern: Hybrid model combining 1:1 with community-wide support 6Open Source with SLU Mentorship Models in Open Source Informal & Community Models Embedded mentorship Peer mentoring flywheel Event-based mentorship 7Open Source with SLU Mentorship Models in Open Source Models for Delivering Mentorship Positioning to enable relational authority 8Open Source with SLU Mentorship Models in Open Source Understanding Authority Governance, Maintainership & Positional Authority Credentials, Rock Stars & Reputational Authority Mentorship & Relational Authority Other kinds of authority Power is the ability to control or direct, and can be used to achieve outcomes through force or persuasion. “Authority” is related to power, and implies the legitimate use of power. Legitimacy can be conferred and recognized based on a variety of factors. 9Open Source with SLU Mentorship Models in Open Source Core Technique Models Beginners: High scaffolding, first-timers-only issues (10-15 min max), 24-hour response time critical Experienced newcomers: Architecture overview, skip Git tutorials, good-forexperienced-newcomers issues Advancing to maintainer: Progressive responsibility with explicit invitation, 3stage progression 10Open Source with SLU Mentorship Models in Open Source Match support to skill level •High scaffolding for beginners •Detailed documentation for experienced newcomers •Progressive responsibilities & inviting advanced invovlement