Assessing Progress in Learning to Code

Assessing Progress in Learning to Code is critical. But it is rarely done correctly.

An important part of teaching people to learn how to code is to regularly give feedback and identify areas of difficulty. Students’ progress can be quantified through regular assessment and examination. There are several online tools that can help in this process, most notably Tynker or one of the many available online tutorial platforms such as Code.org or Khan Academy. Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) is a form of academic assessment which enables teachers to measure students’ progress in academic areas and is a feature of the platforms mentioned above.

Code.org is a browser-based learning platform that offers structured tutorials across many different languages and topics. It provides the Teacher Dashboard feature, which offers a variety of tools used to evaluate student’s progress over time. Similarly, khanacademy.org provides resources for teachers to track a student’s abilities and identify areas of difficulty on an individual basis.

Tynker is a creative platform designed to teach coding and incorporate programming into subject areas such as Science, Linguistics, Arts, Math, and Social Studies. It is highly regarded as a medium to assess students learning on a long-term basis. Students often find the platform engaging because they can immediately use the skills they have learned in a productive way. Students can tell interactive stories, code games, control drones and robots, and more.

Lessons introduce two or three computing concepts at a time, and students can master each via interactive tutorials and DIY projects. Quizzes and puzzles then reinforce the learned material and progress can be tracked by teachers using Tynker’s automatic assessment tool.

Between the classroom management tool and available educator, resources mean teachers don’t need any previous CS experience to effectively teach programming to very young students. But beyond grade 3, learning does require a curriculum and effective assessment tools.

Assessing Progress in Learning to Code is critical to the process.

https://www.ucode.com/courses/coding-classes-for-high-school-students

https://www.ucode.com/courses/coding-classes-for-middle-school-students

https://www.ucode.com/courses/coding-classes-for-kids-ages-6-to-11

Sources:

1. https://www.khanacademy.org/resources/teacher-essentials/teaching-computing/a/tracking-progress-of-programming-students
2. https://www.tynker.com/support/QuickStartTeacherGuide.pdf