When I joined the AWS Community Builder program, I had a quick walkthrough of Jason Dunn's movie collection. When it came time to pick a name for the Hackathon, the choice was obvious – AWS Rush Hour, inspired by the movie "Rush Hour," which had a runtime of 98 minutes, hence the 98-minute challenge. The idea was to have a fast-paced hackathon, and it aligned perfectly.

This blog post details how I conceptualized the Hackathon idea, how we structured and phased it, and the implementation on the ground. It's not perfect, but I hope it serves as inspiration for someone looking to undertake a similar endeavor – something fun that helps participants pick up new skills quickly.

As part of the Cloud to Code: DevOps with AWS program, we conducted a series of sessions for undergraduate students at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. The program was remote, but we decided to visit the university to connect with the individuals we had worked with. Hence, the idea of organizing a Hackathon emerged. Given that most of us were based in Colombo, and the university was a four-hour drive away in Peradeniya, we decided to time-box the hackathon. The objective was to make it fast-paced and challenging, providing relatively non complex tasks to the students and observing how they would tackle them.

We need to come up with few guidelines first and bellow are the what we rollout to undergrads,

• Individual AWS Accounts: Each participant team or member is required to use their own AWS account.
• Time Frame: All teams are provided with a specific task to be completed within a 98-minute time frame.
• Presentation Requirement: At the conclusion of the hackathon, every team is expected to deliver a concise 5-minute presentation as a crucial part of the final evaluation.
• Evaluation Criteria: The final evaluation will be based on two key factors: the successful completion of the assigned tasks and the overall quality of the delivered solution.

Then we have been brainstorming few ideas and bellow came from one of my friends who is leading one of largest environment protection movement in Sri Lanka.

The topic for Hackthon was Non-Profit Volunteer Training with Moodle LMS on AWS.

Details of topic is as follows :

• Non-profit groups face training challenges for volunteers. They need an efficient Learning Management System (LMS), with Moodle being a preferred choice. In the AWS Rush Hour - 98 Minutes Challenge Hackathon, teams set up Moodle on AWS to aid non-profits.
• Objectives:
• Rapidly deploy Moodle on AWS within 98 minutes.
• Configure Moodle for volunteer training.
• Utilize AWS features to optimize resource usage.
• Create an intuitive interface.
• Plan for future customizations.
• This hackathon empowers non-profits with a cloud-based Moodle LMS, enhancing volunteer training, fostering efficiency, and supporting social change.

We followed up with our contact at the University, specifically with the Computer Society of the University of Peradeniya, who had done the majority of the groundwork for the event, including participant registration.

What happened on the day of the Hackathon?

We arrived at the university around 9 AM. After some initial informal discussions, we were encouraged by the high level of participant engagement, prompting us to dive straight into the activities. We conducted an initial walkthrough of the Hackathon and officially commenced the event. The chosen topic appeared to be novel for the participants, catching many by surprise (credit to the organizers for selecting such an unexpected topic).

This was a team event, and our team immediately began interacting with the participating teams. We answered their questions and gauged the overall progress.

How did the actual implementation unfold?

As anticipated, nearly all teams started their work by using Google and ChatGPT. Some teams discovered valuable links, while others found themselves exploring rabbit holes. Teams quickly identified various deployment options for Moodle, ranging from simpler to more complex solutions.

The table below outlines the deployment options teams considered, along with our rough estimate of the time required:

Did the teams finish on time?

Almost all teams managed to finish on time, although some encountered version issues initially. Despite these challenges, they successfully completed their tasks shortly after the clock ran out. We were flexible with timings, prioritizing the completion and enjoyment of the event for as many groups as possible.

In the end, each team had a brief session to review their implementation and provide a short presentation. We offered constructive feedback to open their eyes to areas of improvement, ensuring they are well-prepared for future challenges.

The event was a resounding success, and we thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with the participants. It was a pleasure to meet and inspire them during this memorable experience.

We proudly awarded the inaugural trophy for the AWS Rush Hour: The 98-Minute Challenge (Hackathon) to the deserving winners.