Oppia Android's participation in GSoC 2023

[Ben Henning]

Hi,

Oppia Android won't be participating in GSoC 2023 (though Oppia Web will still be).

We know that this might be a disappointment for some, and we haven't arrived at this decision lightly. The Oppia Android product and codebase are maturing, to the point where our current onboarding flows do not provide sufficient grounding for many of the projects that still need to be tackled. Based on past experience, we therefore expect one or both of the following to happen if we participated in GSoC this year: (1) significant additional mentoring support would be needed to help bridge the gap between what applicants know & what's needed for them to finish their project, and (2) participants would struggle significantly during proposal writing & coding to learn everything they need in order to succeed in their project.

This is a poor experience for both our mentors and participants, so this year we want to instead focus on developing a structured onboarding experience that ensures applicants are fully ready to implement their projects once the coding period starts. Unfortunately, we don't think we can complete this before the GSoC application period opens this year, which is why we have decided to pause GSoC participation for Oppia Android in 2023.

That being said, we're planning to return for GSoC 2024 :) In the meantime, we're also still welcoming new community members, and there are many opportunities to contribute (including opportunities for future GSoC participation and mentoring).  

Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions, doubts, or concerns about the above.

Ben