In computational physics, chemistry, and biology, the implementation of new techniques in a shared and open source software lowers barriers to entry and promotes rapid scientific progress. However, effectively training new software users presents several challenges. Common methods like direct knowledge transfer and in-person workshops are limited in reach and comprehensiveness. Furthermore, while the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the benefits of online training, traditional online tutorials can quickly become outdated and may not cover all the software's functionalities. To address these issues, here we introduce ``PLUMED Tutorials'', a collaborative model for developing, sharing, and updating online tutorials. This initiative utilizes repository management and continuous integration to ensure compatibility with software updates. Moreover, the tutorials are interconnected to form a structured learning path and are enriched with automatic annotations to provide broader context. This paper illustrates the development, features, and advantages of PLUMED Tutorials, aiming to foster an open community for creating and sharing educational resources.
PLUMED Tutorials: a collaborative, community-driven learning ecosystem
Gareth A Tribello, Massimiliano Bonomi, Giovanni Bussi, Carlo Camilloni, Blake I Armstrong, Andrea Arsiccio, Simone Aureli, Federico Ballabio, Mattia Bernetti, Luigi Bonati, Samuel GH Brookes, Z Faidon Brotzakis, Riccardo Capelli, Michele Ceriotti, Kam-Tung Chan, Pilar Cossio, Siva Dasetty, Davide Donadio, Bernd Ensing, Andrew L Ferguson, Guillaume Fraux, Julian D Gale, Francesco Luigi Gervasio, Toni Giorgino, Nicholas SM Herringer, Glen M Hocky, Samuel E Hoff, Michele Invernizzi, Olivier Languin-Cattöen, Vanessa Leone, Vittorio Limongelli, Olga Lopez-Acevedo, Fabrizio Marinelli, Pedro Febrer Martinez, Matteo Masetti, Shams Mehdi, Angelos Michaelides, Mhd Hussein Murtada, Michele Parrinello, Pablo M Piaggi, Adriana Pietropaolo, Fabio Pietrucci, Silvio Pipolo, Claire Pritchard, Paolo Raiteri, Stefano Raniolo, Daniele Rapetti, Valerio Rizzi, Jakub Rydzewski, Matteo Salvalaglio, Christoph Schran, Aniruddha Seal, Armin Shayesteh Zadeh, Tomás FD Silva, Vojtech Spiwok, Guillaume Stirnemann, Daniel Sucerquia, Pratyush Tiwary, Omar Valsson, Michele Vendruscolo, Gregory A Voth, Andrew D White, and Jiangbo Wu
Submitted, arXiv:2412.03595 (2024)
Posted