[workshop-sim] Repair: Add a concept-recovery callout to Step 4 (GitHub Actions in 5 Minutes)

[github-actions]

Problem statement

04-github-actions-intro.md (Step 4) is the highest-dropout step in the workshop: 18.0% conditional dropout among 44,166 at-risk simulated runs (95% CI 17.6%–18.3%), all attributed to the concept-overload failure category. The page has zero callouts and zero troubleshooting cues, and the labeling exercise and classic-vs-agentic comparison table offer no second explanation or recovery path if a learner doesn't internalize them on the first pass.

Proposed change

Add one troubleshooting/scaffolding callout after the "Label a sample workflow" exercise that offers a second, shorter worked example (a different sample workflow) for learners who got any label wrong, plus a one-line "if you're still unsure" pointer into the existing reveal-answer pattern. Do not remove or shorten the existing exercises — add a recovery path alongside them.

Failure mode classification

Learning barrier — conceptual density with no built-in recovery path, not an access/tooling issue.

Quantitative guardrail

• Current overall_score: 5.39/10 (lowest in the corpus)
• Weakest rubric dimension: active_learning (3.9/10) and checkpoint_quality (0.0/10, see note below)
• Current learning KPI index: active_learning 3.9, checkpoint_quality 0.0, scaffolding 5.0 → index = 2.78/10
• Note: checkpoint_quality reads 0.0 for every main step due to a rubric regex bug (CHECKPOINT_RE only matches a literal ✅, not the :white_check_mark: shortcode used throughout the corpus) — this repair should not attempt to "fix" checkpoint_quality directly; that is tracked as a separate repair. Adding a genuine recovery callout raises active_learning (more worked practice) without touching scaffolding or cognitive_load negatively, so overall_score should rise, not fall.

Acceptance criteria

• The shared curriculum quantitative assessment overall_score for 04-github-actions-intro.md stays flat or improves after the change
• The step's learning KPI index (2.0 × active_learning + 2.0 × checkpoint_quality + 1.5 × scaffolding) / 5.5 stays flat or improves
• The existing labeling exercise, reveal-answer pattern, and full checkpoint checklist are preserved unchanged; only a new recovery callout is added
• npx --yes markdownlint-cli2 "**/*.md" passes with no new violations

Suggested owner

copilot coding agent
Related to #3139

Generated by 🔬 Workshop Student Simulator · copilot · auto · 231.3 AIC · ⌖ 7.23 AIC · ⊞ 15.2K · ◷

• expires on Sep 10, 2026, 10:50 PM UTC

[github-actions]

This issue is being closed as outdated. A newer issue has been created: #3148

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