Comparison of GitLab and (e.g.) OLAT
FYI, I've never used OLAT before, since I was never a student at UZH. However, I've used various similar platforms, like LMS, Blackboard, etc. I'll consider these systems one and the same, even though I'm sure they do differ and do evolve over time.
Throughout this course, I'd love to hear your experiences using GitLab (in particular, this UZH instance of GitLab), and how it compares to OLAT, and/or any other systems you've used. What are the pros and cons? I'd like to start the discussion now, because thoughts may evolve over time.
One obvious pro I can see is that Git and GitLab exist outside the university, and knowing them has real value not just for your own work right now, but in the labour market more generally. Related, in getting training in Git and GitLab, you're able to interface with hundreds of thousands of open-source projects, not just using the code, but making fixes, submitting bug reports and so on. Another pro is that the openness of Git gets your work out there, mixing with other relevant stuff, rather than being stuck inside these proprietary platforms over which nobody but the developers has any real long-term control. You could quite easily use the Pages feature of GitLab to build a simple website that links to your best work, and hosts a CV, which itself can be kept under version control here on GitLab. As someone who has interviewed a lot of people for tech roles, this would certainly grab my attention, even though it's probably one of the easiest possible ways to make a CV/resume.
One con I can see is that it takes some time to learn. I don't think anyone ever needed classes in how to use OLAT, or set up SSH keys for it and so on. However, it's always struck me that new students at a university could take part in a short course, which provides an introduction to the various tools and technologies you'll need throughout your time at uni. For example, many students have no idea how to use the library effectively. At any job, the first thing that happens is you'll be trained in how to use the needed tech, so I find it surprising that this typically doesn't happen at universities in any kind of systematic/mandatory way.
Another con is that some edutech specific features are missing in GitLab right now, like turnitin, and the ability to mark assignments and have those marks go straight into the Uni's central database. However, because GitLab is open-source, one could, and perhaps someone has, added such features to their forks of GitLab. I can imagine a GitLab Academic
with such integrations built in would be a money-maker for GitLab!
So I guess in my dream world, all new students would take a few skills-oriented workshops, e.g. learning how to use the library and git. Without any modification at all, even though GitLab isn't designed for university students, I think how nice it would be if all your assignments, past and present, were kept in various repositories (which could of course be private or semi-private). I'd love to be able to return to papers I wrote in my undergraduate years ago, which are now simply lost to time. Last time I tried to login to my old Melbourne Uni LMS system, all my old course materials and work had simply vanished.
I'd be especially interested in hearing the negative feedback at this point, because some of these negative points are addressable through further fun training, and because part of the aim of this course is to get you more comfortable using Git and GitLab, so negative feedback early can help us understand if the course has a real effect on your preferences as students.
This isn't homework, just an ongoing discussion I'd love to have with you all.