Launch Data Academy Cohort April 2026

[ateucher]

The plan for the late April Cohort will be to offer a supported Data Academy through dataquest.io, offering the same 15 week curriculum as last April, with weekly emails, weekly helpdesk sessions with code-alongs and coworking, async help via GChat

Current licenses expire April 22 2026.

Documented process: https://openscapes.github.io/approach-guide/data-academy/

Checklist:

• Email dataquest to see if we can get monthly licenses
• Create interest sheet (update skill level self-assessment scale) Spring 2026 interest sheet
• Create curriculum (here)
• Update data academy webpage (PR)
• Send out emails and advertise the Data Academy (various channels; update expected time commitment)
• Decide on cohort size base on demand. We can bill monthly, we will scale up to 80 concurrently
• Select participants (Brining in 123 participants with monthly licenses)
• Notify participants
• Pay for dataquest licenses
• Create google group for emails and calendar invites (
• Create new Data Academy Google Chat (thanks @jonpeake!)
• Create Zoom meetings
• Create meeting notes
• Create and send help desk calendar invite (two help desks - Wed and Fri 12-1pm PT)
• Remove old accounts from dataquest
• Add participants to dataquest
• Send first email Monday April 20
• Update approach guide

cc @jules32 @stefaniebutland @eeholmes