Project Catalyst Learning management system for skill-acquisition and contribution tracking.

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Roberto Mayen-Hess

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

robertomh@gimbalabs.io

Additional applicants

• James Dunseith
• M. Ali Modiri
• Sebastian Pabon
• Nori Nishigaya
• Yoram Ben Zvi
• Adrian Hüetter
• Nelson Kshetrimayum
• Juan Salvador Magán Valero
• HongJing (Jingles) K

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

Education

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Project Catalyst faces the challenge of effectively onboarding Cardano community members into the Catalyst process, encompassing Community reviewers, dReps, and Proposers. We propose a comprehensive solution to streamline the onboarding experience, engage Cardano community members, and demonstrate a tangible impact on the Cardano ecosystem.

Our solution entails the implementation of a project-based learning platform tailored to onboard Cardano community members into the Catalyst process and to participate as a contributor to the community. This platform will serve as a comprehensive educational resource, guiding community members to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge relevant to their desired roles, such as becoming a Project Catalyst Community Reviewer and adjusting as some required skills evolve.

Fig 1. The PBL Framework. A high overview description of a PBL module.

Upon acquiring the requisite skills, community members can contribute as Community Reviewers, leveraging their expertise to review proposals. To ensure transparency of skills acquired and recognition for their contributions, we will establish an on-chain tracking system that registers and records their accomplishments, such as successfully checking a certain number of proposals and incentivizing continued engagement with the Catalyst process.

We will introduce a treasury system that automatically compensates Catalyst contributors for their work to ensure prompt and fair compensation.

By providing an accessible, user-friendly platform with automated compensation systems, we aim to attract a broader range of community members to participate in Project Catalyst and be able to recognize the more active ones. This approach will enhance the diversity of perspectives, improve the quality of proposals, and contribute to the growth and sustainability of the Cardano ecosystem.

Our proposed solution addresses the need for efficient onboarding to Project Catalyst. Empowering community members through skill acquisition, rewarding their contributions, and facilitating transparent governance will benefit both the individuals involved and the broader Cardano community.

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

One of the areas the challenge seeks to improve is "Systemic improvements (Technical or Procedural) that streamline or otherwise enhance Project Catalyst processes."

Our solution directly tackles this objective by improving the onboarding process for Project Catalyst participants. By providing comprehensive educational material, we enable contributors to acquire the necessary skills to participate in Project Catalyst and the various contribution opportunities around the project. This approach will enhance the quality and diversity of contributions. Our solution also incorporates skill and contribution tracking, creating a positive feedback loop that promotes skill-building, increased contributions, and community growth. This feedback loop ensures a continuous cycle of learning and engagement, strengthening the Cardano ecosystem.

Our solution will attract new participants, increase overall engagement within Project Catalyst, and create more transparency about the skills and contributions of community members. This approach will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Catalyst processes and contribute to the Cardano ecosystem's growth, sustainability, and long-term success.

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

In the short term

• We will measure the number of users accessing the platform.
• We will gather community feedback to evaluate the recognition of the value of emergent reputation gained by having an on-chain record of acquired skills and contributions made within Project Catalyst.

Quantifying the impact of our solution, we will measure the following areas of improvement:

1. Number of community reviewers onboarded to Project Catalyst through the successful completion of the Project-Based Learning (PBL) module.
2. The number of proposers onboarded to Project Catalyst through completing the PBL module.
3. Number of skills acquired by participants of Project Catalyst PBLs.
4. Number of contributions made by participants of Project Catalyst PBLs.
5. Number of Milestone reviewers and their contribution 
6. Amount of Ada distributed as a reward for contributions made by participants of Project Catalyst PBLs.

In the mid-term

• We expect the adoption of this approach into other areas of Project Catalyst technology, such as onboarding new users to the Jormungandr Node.
• We will track the amount of new users onboarded to Project Catalyst as a result of the availability of this platform.

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

The Andamio platform provides an on-chain record of usability, skills acquired and contributions made by users of the platform, you can see an example here: https://plutuspbl.io/contributors.

This record is publicly available and can be audited by anyone.

This is an open-source project which will be made available through a Gitlab repository and all materials created will be available to the public via the Project Catalyst’s instance of the Andamio LMS.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

Background

Gimbalabs is the product of a successful proposal from Fund 1 of Project Catalyst. Since then, this organization has successfully onboarded Plutus developers to the ecosystem through its PBL program, providing value to the community far surpassing what it has received in funding. 

Andamio

Years of onboarding developers to the ecosystem and being an active part of the Cardano community through programs like the Gimbalabs PPBL, Gimbalabs Playground, and Gimbalabs Live Coding have provided unrivaled insight into the challenges and pains of the different members of this ecosystem, not least of which is the participation in funding processes.

Rooted in the work and values of the Gimbalabs organization, a team of developers, business experts, and community leaders are using Cardano blockchain technology to address these challenges. Andamio is the Spanish term for "scaffolding" because this platform seeks to frame and support the growth of the Cardano ecosystem. Andamio is an open-source solution in its MVP stage that uses Cardano technology to track skills and contributions, a recurrent problem within and outside the blockchain industry. 

Trust and accountability

The work done to create Andamio is not only grounded on the continuous, diligent work of the Gimbalabs organization; it is the product of months of non-remunerated work by professionals who recognize the value of this solution. After six months of rigorous testing, we can offer an open-source software development kit (SDK), ready to be developed into a platform that any Cardano organization can leverage.

The commitment of Gimbalabs to this community speaks for itself. The creation of an open-source solution is, in large part, a product of this commitment. Andamio uses Cardano blockchain technology precisely to address the issue of transparency and accountability. Following the principle of "Don't trust, verify," Andamio provides an on-chain record of progress that is easily auditable by anyone interested in doing so.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

The main goals of this project are: 

1. Provide an open-source platform with the necessary educational resources to provide a seamless onboarding process to the different users of Project Catalyst.
2. Generate an on-chain record of skills acquired and contributions made by Project Catalyst participants.
3. Provide treasury management capabilities to automatically reward contributions by Project Catalyst members. 

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1: (week 0-4) Gather feedback from community

• Gather feedback from participants of Project Catalyst on key pain points regarding the onboarding process of Project Catalyst. 
• Analyze the various tasks for contribution in project catalyst
• Analyze the onboarding process 

Milestone 2: (week 5 - 10) Curriculum development

• Based on user feedback and Project Catalyst needs, develop a curriculum that covers the key topics necessary to onboard users to Project Catalyst.
• Design projects to deliver the educational material to participants.
• Develop smart contract for skill and contribution tracking for each educational process as well as a treasury mechanism   

Milestone 3: (week 11 - 15) Promote Project Catalyst onboarding PBL

• Promote Project Catalyst onboarding PBL through social media channels.
• Create AMA style events to generate interest and register participants to the program.
• Get feedback and improvements 

Milestone 4: Deploy Project Catalyst PBL (week 16 - 24)

• Deploy Andamio instance of Project Catalyst PBL
• Make publicly available Gitlab repository of instance.
• Office hours to provide participant support.
• Gather user feedback and define future improvements.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

You can find the online version of this document here

You can find the online version of this document here

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

You can find the online version of this document here

You can find the online version of this document here

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The investment this project represents is of great value to the Cardano ecosystem. Gimbalabs has a proven track record of successfully onboarding individuals to Cardano. Through years of experience, Gimbalabs has gained unrivaled insights into the community's needs and challenges when engaging with Cardano's tech or processes, such as participating in or receiving funding from Project Catalyst. Our team possesses unique expertise in delivering educational content while fostering community growth; these capabilities go a long way in ensuring the long-term success of our initiatives. 

Our PBL approach is a proven methodology for actively engaging and motivating learning and creating profound, meaningful experiences where collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity are always incentivized. Creating interactive onboarding experiences will increase the adoption of the Project Catalyst process, ensuring a more diverse range of ideas and expertise and improving the review and proposal output.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept