Classroom: highlight setup time savings in docs #30
Description
Parent issue: #24
Problem
One instructor reported spending five class periods on Python environment setup before adopting devcontainers. With devcontainers, students were productive in 5 minutes. This dramatic contrast is the core value proposition but isn't communicated in the project docs.
Status: Addressed by project design, not yet documented
The image delivers on this promise — everything is pre-built and ready. But the README and docs don't quantify the benefit or contrast it with manual setup.
Supporting evidence from UCSD study (Valstar et al., ITiCSE 2020)
In a 416-student study, 71% of students preferred the DevContainer over pre-configured Linux servers. 70% recommended it to future students, only 8% recommended against.
Key reasons students preferred DevContainers:
- GUI editor preference: The Neovim binary missing from Base Image specification #1 reason was "I like the VSCode editor" — even students who'd used Vim for years preferred VS Code. This validates supporting VS Code as the primary workflow.
- Offline work: Students valued working without internet, unlike SSH servers. The local Docker workflow (
.devcontainer-from-scratch/) supports this and should be highlighted. - Assignment portability: "The DevContainer allows for easy sharing of programming assignments between instructors as the tooling infrastructure is shipped with the assignment." The third-layer architecture already enables this.
Proposed changes
- Add a "Why devcontainers?" section to README highlighting the 5-minute onboarding claim
- Include a comparison: manual OCaml setup (opam init, switch creation, tool installation = 30-60 min) vs
devcontainer up(image pull = 2-3 min) - Highlight offline work capability of the local Docker workflow
- Mention assignment portability as a benefit for instructors