Grants Application
Project
Rocket Pool University - Website for Rocket Pool related classes/tutorials
What is the work being proposed?
Development of a framework for hosting Rocket Pool oriented classes/tutorials along the lines of the now-defunct Ethereum Studymaster course. Courses can be created by anyone (but as of this application must be uploaded by either myself or potentially a select list of co-developers). A user (i.e., a connected wallet), reads through the lessons for a course and takes a quiz after designated lessons within that course. The user has limited chances to pass each quiz. Passing all quizzes for a course is required to pass the course and obtain the POAP or potentially other digital certification.
This grant application covers:
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Frontend, written in NextJS 13 with TypeScript and TailwindCSS
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Wallet sign-in via rainbowkit and wagmi
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Laravel Database for user course and quiz information storage
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A basic “Introduction to Rocket Pool” course
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POAP Delivery mechanism for course completion (might be manual at first)
Is there any related work this builds off of?
Other than being inspired by Ethereum Studymaster, this is will be built from the ground up.
Will the results of this project be entirely open source (MIT, GPL, Apache, CC BY license or similar)? If not, which parts will not be, why, and under what license will they be published?
Probably/Possibly MIT, but unsure. If it affects funding, then I’ll license it however GMC prefers.
Benefits - enter N/A where appropriate
How does this help people looking to stake ETH for rETH/rETH holders/people looking to run a Rocket Pool node for the first time/people already running a Rocket Pool node/RPL holders?
The included “Basics of Rocket Pool” course and potential for future classes on this topic:
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Adds a new strategy for disseminating introductory Rocket Pool information that appeals to many of the types of people in the crypto community, including future/current stakers and investors, via self-learning, quizzes and POAPs.
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Creates a unique vector for marketing Rocket Pool, potentially increasing interest.
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Offers a location for sharing Rocket Pool tutorials, training (potential support training certification), introductory protocol information, etc., to increase staking and protocol comprehension.
The Ethereum Studymaster course was a proven success as many in this ecosystem enjoy the format of learning via study/quiz taking/certification feedback.
How does this help the Rocket Pool community?
The Rocket Pool community has an impressive amount of out-reach (to those outside the community) and in-reach (to those deeply involved). This project can serve both of those groups well by allowing others to contribute tutorials and courses of their own or learning from existing content.
However, a main strength of this project is aimed at the often neglected reach-around. That is, engaging the large amount of people familiar with Rocket Pool, but not necessarily fully engaged. Rocket Pool University will not only prompt those users to learn more via classes and POAP collection, but also will make distributing and contributing knowledge easier and more fluid.
Furthermore, as one of the community members who has not typically done contract work or written bots etc., I would find a project like this inspiring. It encourages the regular member of Rocket Pool by showing there are various ways to be involved, i.e., shit-posters can contribute, too.
Somewhere down the line, this could even be an approach for such things as RP support training.
What other non-RPL protocols, DAOs, projects, or individuals, would stand to benefit from this grant?
Introduction to Rocket Pool protocol in an easy to digest manor. External entities could add content explaining how to use their apps within a Rocket Pool context.
Will the resulting project be open source?
Likely, yes.
Team
Who is doing the work?
Dr Doofus
What is the background of the person(s) doing the work? What experience do they have with such projects in the past?
I’ve done a lot of website creation work, including databases. I’ve also written a lot of tutorial type and instructional material for physics and math courses over my years in the field.
What is the breakdown of the proposed work, in terms of milestones and/or deadlines?
The breakdown is in two main parts with goal for completion noted. Work has already begun and a proof of concept is available for GMC to view if desired.
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The base website framework (Est time to complete: 250 hr) - Est completed by June 1, 2023
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The “Basics of Rocket Pool” course (Est time to complete: 70 hr ) - Est completed by June 1, 2023
How is the work being tested? Is testing included in the schedule?
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Initial Testing - Dr Doofus
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Beta Testing - Will select a few community/GMC members
How will the work be maintained after delivery?
I will maintain the website after creation. I will enable select other community members to access the site in the event I can not continue in the future.
Payment and Verification
What is the acceptance criteria?
A fully functional website with at least one full course - Basics of Rocket Pool - with at least seven lessons, each of which has an associated quiz. Mechanism to deliver a certificate (likely in the form of a POAP) upon course completion. Profile page for a wallet showing what courses the user has passed.
What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much RPL and over what period of time is the applicant requesting?
Task: Website Framework
Request: $11,250 (250 RPL @$45)
Comment: Although this is a large amount of work, I also understand that it is not a critical feature for the protocol, thus rate is not what I would normally ask.
Task: Basics of Rocket Pool course
Request: $1575 (35 RPL @ $45)
Comment: The course will consist of roughly seven lessons with subsections and seven quizzes of roughly ten questions each.
Total: $12,825 (285 RPL @ $45)
For the first year, maintenance is built into the cost above. I suspect I will continue to maintain for free in subsequent years, but if it ends up being wildly successful, I might request another grant for yearly maintenance.
All payment sent on GMC verification of completed tasks listed above to drdoofus.eth. Estimated to be complete in June, 2023.
How will the GMC verify that the work?
A number of GMC members will need to take the course and verify it works as intended.
What alternatives or options have been considered in order to save costs for the proposed project?
It is purely a work of labor, so reducing the cost is at the discretion of the GMC.
Conflict of Interest
Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).
None
Will the recipient of the grant, or any protocol or project in which the recipient has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?
No