Resources for Students

Class Levels

Depending on how many students are signed up for the workshop, we will be offering varied course levels for students to participate in. Here is a preview of what the break up may be:

Beginner (New to Programming)

This class will spend more time on Ruby and programming fundamentals, as well as Rails basics:

  • You have little to no experience with the terminal.
  • You might have done a little bit with HTML or CSS, but not necessarily.
  • You're unfamiliar with terms like methods, arrays, lists, hashes, or dictionaries.
    • OR
  • You might have done an online programming tutorial or two.
  • You know some Ruby basics but don't have a lot of experience with Rails.

Intermediate (Some Rails Experience or Other Programming Experience)

This class will move faster through Ruby and programming fundamentals, and expand on Rails concepts:

  • You're comfortable with the basics of using the terminal.
  • You have a general understanding of a Rails app's structure, perhaps from a prior workshop or tutorial.
  • You know how to define a method in Ruby.
  • You have a decent handle on Ruby arrays and hashes.
  • You are proficient in another language but new to Ruby on Rails.

Advanced (Ready for the Next Challenge)

This class assumes that you've previously built a basic Rails application and want to learn more:

  • You've exhausted the fun of the Suggestotron/Intro Rails curriculum
  • You're comfortable with the terminal
  • You want to problem-solve instead of copying other's code
  • You want to build an app without using scaffolds
  • You want to explore integrating tools such as Devise and Bootstrap into your app.

**Students may move between class levels at any time on the day of the workshop.**

Before the Workshop

Installation Instructions

These slides walk you through the installation: http://installfest.railsbridge.org

Curriculum Preview

These slides are a preview of some of the material you’ll be going through: http://curriculum.railsbridge.org

FAQ

Q: Do I have to attend the Installfest?
A: Yes! The Installfest is a crucial part of the weekend, even if you’ve already gone through the instructions independently. There are a ton of moving parts when setting up a development environment, and the reason that we’re able to get through the curriculum on Saturday is that every single student has had their dev environment checked and has been awarded a sticker for their successes. There are also enough changing parts that even if you’ve been to a workshop in the past, you should attend the Installfest to get re-verified, because this stuff changes almost constantly.
Q: Do I really have to attend the Installfest?
A: Yes, really. There will be pizza, we promise. And fun people to talk to. And you don’t have to be there very long if you’ve already gotten through all the steps. (But if you haven’t gotten through all the steps ahead of time, please come early in the evening, because an install can take a few hours depending on what hiccups we get to work through.)