format & ground rules
How the course works
ARENA in 12 Weeks repackages the official ARENA 3.0 exercises for a part-time study group. The target reader can write Python but has not studied ML.
Pair groups
Participants work in standing groups of 2–3, with no TAs. During the week, read the explainer. Once a week, meet for 3–4 hours and work through the official Colab notebook together — one shared screen, rotate who drives.
Ground rules
- The explainer is not optional; it supplies the context ARENA assumes.
- Finish core sections first. Stretch sections are bonus.
- Run everything. Code comprehension comes from executing and changing snippets.
- Use the solutions notebook when stuck, then re-derive the result in your own words.
Colab setup
Open the exercise notebook from the week page, then choose Runtime → Change runtime type → T4 GPU. Free Colab is enough for the planned core path.
FAQ
Do I need local setup?
No. The course assumes Google Colab for exercises. The site is static and has no accounts.
What if ARENA notebooks change?
Links point to ARENA's main branch for freshness. Each cohort should record the ARENA commit hash it starts from.