"Together Learning Haskell/Plutus in native language" Club

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Hoang Van Tam

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Not Incorporated)

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

8

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

Yes

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We're forming a club to learn Haskell/Plutus together, where members take turns preparing and sharing weekly lectures based on IOG Academy courses. Active participants will receive ADA rewards.

[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] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

Project will be fully open source.

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution.

Cardano offers immense opportunities and potential for developers with its strong and sustainable development. However, programming smart contracts on the Cardano platform requires significant knowledge and skills, posing a challenge for developers looking to explore and engage in this field.

Currently, there are English-language courses available for Cardano developers, such as the Haskell Course (IOG Academy) and the Plutus Pioneer Program #4 (IOG Academy). However, we have identified the following barriers for Vietnamese developers in accessing these courses:

• Language barrier: English-language courses are a hindrance for Vietnamese programmers.
• Web-based Training: These courses lack interactivity and constraints, making them better suited for individuals with high discipline.
• Course duration: The extended duration of these courses leads to many participants not completing them. For instance, based on the actual discussion activity of the Haskell Course participants, we observed a decreasing trend in the level of interaction over time. Details can be seen in the images below:

To address these challenges, we have established the "Together Learning Haskell/Plutus in native language" club, which operates as follows:

• The club is self-operated, with support from experienced members. Members will be divided into groups, the groups will take turns preparing the lecture (based on the Haskell Course - IOG Academy) and sharing it with all members weekly. This motivates members to take responsibility for everyone's learning, and we believe that "The best way to Learn is to Teach".
• Knowledge-sharing sessions are conducted online once a week, recorded, and made available on our YouTube channel. Each session includes homework exercises to reinforce the learned concepts.
• Members will cross-check each other's homework exercises to ensure everyone takes responsibility for reviewing previous lessons and completing the exercises, fostering progress together.
• A Telegram group is created for members to exchange ideas, ask questions, share resources, and collaborate in their development journey. We aim to foster a supportive and collaborative learning environment.
• We collect relevant questions for small Q&A sessions at the end of each learning session.
• Project team act as mentors of the club, providing guidance and addressing the queries of club members. We has already operated a self-learning Haskell and Plutus group using this approach. We have been running for nearly a year, with 16 original members.
• Monthly knowledge assessments are conducted to measure members' progress.
• Contributions to the club, such as lecture preparation, sharing materials, completing assignments, and reviewing others' assignments, are rewarded to encourage and motivate active participation and engagement.
• We encourage members to actively seek additional knowledge beyond the lectures, share their learning and study experiences with fellow members.
• We invite experienced developers from the Cardano Vietnam community to join the club and participate in discussions to share their development experiences on Cardano.
• We aim to connect and engage with the Cardano community, learn from their experiences, and explore new employment opportunities.

The "Together Learning Haskell/Plutus in native language" club will operate in the long term. This project is the initial phase (8 months), our focus will be on building a foundational knowledge of Haskell for members. The lectures will be based on the Haskell Course offered by IOG Academy.

With these solutions in place, the project will attract a number of new developers to Cardano and contribute to increasing the number of proposals submitted to Catalyst. 

The experience gained in the first learning group will set the stage for the success of this project. We believe that this model can be replicated in many different countries, helping to attract developers from various communities into the Cardano ecosystem.

(the screenshot from previous online learning group)

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community.

• The project aims to alleviate language barriers for new Vietnamese programmers joining Cardano. 
• Organizing as a club enhances interaction and reduces monotony compared to individual learning. 
• Forming a cohesive developer community that motivates long-term collaboration with the motto "Together we go further."
• Creating high-quality learning resources for the Cardano developer community in Vietnam.
• Once equipped with a certain level of knowledge, members are encouraged to generate ideas, propose projects for Catalyst, and contribute to the ecosystem. 05 special rewards will be given to 05 projects submitted to Catalyst to motivate the proposers.

With these advantages, the project will attract a significant number of external developers to join the Cardano ecosystem, bringing their innovative ideas, products, and services to the Cardano platform.

Key metrics to measure the success of the project:

• Number of club members: The total number of participants in the club.
• Course completion rate: The percentage of members who successfully complete the courses.
• Number of workshops: The total number of workshops conducted.
• Workshop participation: The number of members actively participating in workshops.
• Number of shared videos and slides: The quantity of educational materials shared within the club.
• Engagement on YouTube channel: The number of views and interactions (likes, comments, shares) on the workshop videos shared on the club's YouTube channel.
• Assessment results: The performance of each member in the assessments conducted during each session and at the end of each month, reflecting their progress.
• Number of proposals submitted to Catalyst funds: The count of ideas and proposals submitted by club members to Catalyst funds.

These quantitative metrics will provide a measurable assessment of the project's success and its impact on the club members' learning journey and contribution to the Cardano ecosystem.

All lecture videos will be shared on YouTube and Cardano community groups in Vietnam. The content of comments and the level of engagement on these videos will also serve as a measure for us to evaluate and improve the quality of our workshops.

Output documents like lecture slides, assignments prepared by us, and the solutions provided by the members will be publicly available on GitHub.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

We are currently maintaining a group learning Haskell and Plutus, operating in a similar format, which has been active for nearly a year. We have completed the foundational Haskell knowledge and transitioned into the phase of learning Plutus. 

Here is our weekly schedule of activities and video recordings of our study sessions. Learning materials contributed by our members are provided here. 

With the experiences gained during this learning period, our proposal aims to expand this learning model to accompany and support more developers in their growth within the Cardano ecosystem.

We have established strong relationships with universities in Vietnam, with a team member serving as a lecturer in the Department of Information Technology at the University of Transport and Communications. This presents an opportunity to introduce the project to a broad audience of students, a primary target audience for our project.

With the aforementioned experiences, we are confident in our ability to carry out this project responsibly and reliably.

[Project Milestones] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1 (4 weeks): Member Gathering

• Announce the establishment of the club on Cardano community groups and university student networks.
• Accept member registrations.
• Organize and disseminate the club's rules and regulations.
• Conduct the first workshop - Kick off meeting:
• Introduction to the club and its activities
• Overview of Cardano and Catalyst: Potential and opportunities
• Introduction to the Haskell Course by IOG Academy

Milestone 2 (5 weeks): Learning Haskell together - Lessons 1-4

• Lesson 1. Intro to Haskell
• Lesson 2. Data types, Signatures, and Polymorphism
• Lesson 3. Conditions and helper constructions
• Lesson 4. Pattern matching and Case
• Review Lessons 1-4 and Take the Monthly Test

Milestone 2 (5 weeks): Learning Haskell together - Lessons 5-6

• Lesson 5. Improving and combining functions (1)
• Lesson 5. Improving and combining functions (2)
• Lesson 6. Recursion (1)
• Lesson 6. Recursion (2)
• Review Lessons 5-6 and Take the Monthly Test

Milestone 2 (5 weeks): Learning Haskell together - Lessons 7-9

• Lesson 7. Intro to Type Classes
• Lesson 8. Creating Non-Parameterized Types
• Lesson 9. Creating Parameterized and Recursive Types (1)
• Lesson 9. Creating Parameterized and Recursive Types (2)
• Review Lessons 7-9 and Take the Monthly Test.
• Mid-Term Review

Milestone 5 (5 weeks): Learning Haskell together - Lessons 10-11

• Lesson 10. Creating Type Classes and Instances (1)
• Lesson 10. Creating Type Classes and Instances (2)
• Lesson 11. Basic IO (1)
• Lesson 11. Basic IO (2)
• Review Lessons 10-11 and Take the Monthly Test

Milestone 6 (5 weeks): Learning Haskell together - Lessons 12-15

• Lesson 12. Modules
• Lesson 13. Cabal and language extensions
• Lesson 14. Handling Errors
• Lesson 15. How to learn on your own and Map
• Review and Take the Final Test.
• Final-Term Review

For a detailed lesson plan outline and the schedule, please refer to Master Plan file.

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Nguyen Kim Sao, PhD., lecturer at the University of Transport and Communications

Cardano Foundation's CBCA completion certificate

Participated in several training programs including the Haskell Course, Plutus Pioneer Program #4 (IOG Academy).

Role in this project: Project Manager

  Email: saonkoliver@gmail.com

  Telegram: t.me/saonkoliver

  Github: https://github.com/saonkoliver

Cao Xuan Truong, Stake Pool Owner

Cardano Foundation's CBCA completion certificate

Participated in several training programs including the Haskell Course, Plutus Pioneer Program #4 (IOG Academy), Emergo Academy Cardano Haskell MOOC.

Role in this project: Community Administrator, Mentor/Supporter

  Email: truongxuanc@gmail.com

  Telegram: t.me/truongcx

  Github: https://github.com/truongcaoxuan

Hoang Van Tam, passionate about programming on the Cardano platform.

Participated in several training programs including the Haskell Course, Plutus Pioneer Program #4 (IOG Academy), Emergo Academy Cardano Haskell MOOC, Plutus Project-Based Learning 2023 (Gimbalabs).

Cardano Foundation's CBCA completion certificate

Role in this project: Community Administrator, Mentor/Supporter

  Email: tam.hvan@gmail.com

  Telegram: t.me/tam_hv

  Github: https://github.com/tamhoang89

  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tam-hoang-67396b195/

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Budget breakdown:

• Rewards for preparing and sharing lectures (20 lectures): 4000 ADA
• Rewards for completing and reviewing homework (20 members x 20 assignments): 4000 ADA
• Rewards for compiling monthly test questions (5 tests): 500 ADA
• Rewards for completing and reviewing monthly tests (20 members x 5 tests): 2000 ADA
• Rewards for new ideas submitted to Catalyst (5 ideas): 4000 ADA
• Mid-term/Final-term Review (2 x 3 mentors x 4 hours): 2400 ADA
• General management (3 hours x 32 weeks): 5760 ADA
• Community management (7 hours x 32 weeks): 7840 ADA
• Zoom service package (1 year): 500 ADA
• Marketing: 2000 ADA

Total: 33000 ADA.

The detailed budget breakdown table is provided here.

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

As a community-driven project, the budget of the project is allocated in a fair and transparent manner. A significant portion of the budget is dedicated to rewarding and incentivizing the active participation and maintenance of the club. We are committed to publicly disclosing all expenditures to the community at each milestone of the project, ensuring efficient and transparent use of funds.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agrees to Fund 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