Lessons from training teams to use React Native
Article Summary
Coinbase trained 27 engineers on React Native in 3 days during COVID lockdowns. Here's what they learned about scaling technical education.
Harry Tormey from Coinbase shares how they built a custom React Native training program from scratch, pivoting to remote delivery when the pandemic hit. The program scored 4.5/5 and is now recurring.
Key Takeaways
- Surveyed engineers first: 27 responded from diverse backgrounds (web, native, etc.)
- Segmented curriculum into beginner/intermediate/advanced based on pre-class surveys
- Interactive breakout sessions with TAs beat passive lectures hands down
- Real-time Slack feedback let them adjust session length mid-training
- Retrospective revealed: stretch to 5 half-days instead of 3 full days
Critical Insight
Custom curriculum with interactive workshops and real-time feedback loops achieved 4.5/5 rating and became a recurring program.
