Innovative educational initiatives are transforming the way students engage with open-source software. One such initiative is a platform developed by Northern Arizona University, designed to make learning about open-source contributions both fun and effective.
Introducing the OSS-Doorway
OSS-Doorway is a pioneering platform crafted to teach students how to contribute to open-source projects through GitHub workflows. This initiative includes quests, tutorials, and structured tasks that students can complete at their own pace. Developed by professors and students at Northern Arizona University, and partially funded by a National Science Foundation grant, the platform aims to break down barriers for beginners and underrepresented groups in tech fields.
According to Igor Steinmacher, an associate professor in the School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems and co-principal investigator on the project, “We aim to help newcomers understand the OSS contribution model step by step, starting with non-code contributions and progressing toward more technical ones.” He added that the goal is to “increase students’ confidence, sense of belonging and self-efficacy in collaborative software environments.”
How OSS-Doorway Works
The platform immerses students in a GitHub-native environment where they can undertake various “quests.” These quests cover essential tasks like navigating repositories, posting issues, setting up environments, and submitting contributions. The interactive and feedback-ready system allows students to learn real skills in an engaging manner.
An AI-based feedback system is integrated into the platform, providing real-time hints and guidance to help students iterate on their work without leaving GitHub. This approach ensures that students learn to navigate complex workflows through manageable tasks while receiving immediate feedback.
Steinmacher noted that many individuals struggle with starting or finding appropriate resources for learning coding or GitHub. OSS-Doorway addresses this by keeping all activities within GitHub and breaking down complex tasks into simple steps.
Feedback from classrooms where the platform was demonstrated indicates increased student engagement, familiarity with GitHub, and confidence in contributing to OSS. “Gamification in OSS-Doorway supports pacing, orientation and motivation through unlocking levels, cooperative tasks, and timely clues,” explained Steinmacher. “The goal is engagement and persistence, not competition.”
The Team Behind the Platform
Besides Igor Steinmacher and Marco Gerosa, co-principal investigator and SICCS professor, the team includes several current and former students:
- Jadyn Calhoun (former undergrad)
- Karissa Smallwood (master’s student)
- Tomas Jauregui (alumnus)
- Connor Aiton (alumnus)
- Aaron J Santiago (alumnus)
- Kristiana Kirk (alumna)
- Italo Santos (Ph.D. alumnus)
- Pedro Oliveira (Ph.D. student)
- Misan Etchie (master’s student)
Open-Source Future
OSS-Doorway is built on GitHub, but as open-source software itself, it can be adapted to other coding platforms. The project’s design principles, tasks, and inclusivity mechanisms could be reconfigured for other collaborative environments.
“A defining aspect of OSS-Doorway is its explicit focus on supporting people with different backgrounds and needs,” said Steinmacher. “The project is not only about teaching GitHub—it’s about redesigning onboarding to be accessible and learnable from the start.”
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