Nontraditional Coding Instruction: Where Are We Now?

In a world that relies heavily upon digital technology, the ability to code is much more than simply a useful skill. It gives us the keys to not just understand how systems work but also create and innovate using them. Which is why there are movements pushing to include coding as an essential part of schooling. 

One of the wonderful aspects of programming is its accessibility, possible with simple and affordable equipment. There is a democratization to coding communities which means that learning is not necessarily restricted to traditional education and career paths we find in other STEM fields.

However, it remains the case that learning to code can benefit from some guidance, which means there is a great deal of potential for those who wish to become instructors. 

So what do these opportunities look like today? What learning environments present fertile ground for both teachers and learners? We’ll take a look at a few of the key ways in which coders can engage in the rewarding experience of teaching outside the familiar school spaces which for many are a barrier to learning. 

Coding in the Community

Our digital landscape has led to a greater number of educational opportunities in general. From universities offering a range of online learning options, to platforms which provide access to independent tutors, instructors are no longer bound to careers within traditional classroom settings.

Those with organizational skills, a passion for the subject, and the ability to create can find more inventive ways to pass on their valuable knowledge to a more diverse population than in many schools. This propensity to reach out to the community is no less a reality for those seeking to be coding instructors.     

Camps have become a popular structured arena in which instructors can make an impact.  Designed to provide the benefits of hands-on instruction without the rigidity of the classroom, camps are often a more affordable and positive experience for coding students.

A short, intensive, yet fun course among like-minded people and knowledgeable instructors. For those tutors who are entrepreneurially minded, there is the option to start their own camp — focusing on a proportion of the community who are underserved, or building a curriculum around a coding niche that is underrepresented. 

For instructors taking non-traditional paths, a useful way to test the waters of their teaching ability can be offering community classes. Engaging with kids and teens in afterschool clubs or school STEM fairs, or connecting with the local library to offer guidance to adults, can be a rewarding and enlightening option.

This can also be a great way to assess the needs and demands for particular coding skills in your community so that you can design your coding camp or academy with insight into earning potential.

E-Learning Courses

One of the most valuable aspects of the internet is the ability to connect people and cultures from around the globe. From an educational perspective, this has made it easier to share knowledge with a greater potential audience than at any other time in history.

As such, instructors from diverse experiences — from the traditional classroom to purely the vocational — have embraced the growing availability of e-learning course platforms. For coders, this approach blends the desire to teach with tools that are ideally suited to the subject. 

While creating a course requires a minimal amount of equipment, this doesn’t mean that constructing an effective curriculum is necessarily a simple task.

However, there are plenty of resources available on approaches to take when designing an e-learning course. For coders, this offers the opportunity to take advantage of a multimedia approach, creating videos to demonstrate tasks, quizzes to test and reaffirm knowledge, and exercises that engage students directly with skills.  

Aside from the technicalities of building the course itself, it’s worth bearing in mind that there is a certain amount of marketing that goes along with e-learning instruction.

It’s a popular sector, and tutors must take time to research their target demographic, identify a need, and design their course in a way that speaks to the audience accordingly.

There’s little doubt that e-learning is disrupting traditional education, and eschewing conservative ideals in favor of the democratic even punk approach, but efforts still need to be made to find students and appeal to them.  

Apps, Software, and Gamification

Many coders make the greatest leaps in their learning journey from just jumping in and starting to build programs. For those who aren’t necessarily interested in direct teaching, but wish to share their expertise and encourage others, creating software and applications that allow students to learn by “doing” is a popular choice. 

There are a lot of platforms that aim to teach children the basics of coding by providing them with the tools to create their own simple games. This provides programming skills alongside the context in which they can be used — not to mention a huge element of fun. But there are other sectors this can be applied to.

There are games that have been developed that invite users to engage in hacking in order to teach valuable cybersecurity skills. Penetration testing platform, Hack the Box provides users challenges to learn and test their abilities but also rewards them with ranks and badges, and even gives career guidance. 

For instructors wishing to develop their own app or software, the key is not just accurately passing on knowledge but spending time creating the ideal user experience (UX).

No matter the market, app developers often find that their failures are due to UX issues, failing to gain an understanding of what encourages customers to engage with their product, and adopting familiar functions that make navigation of it simple and attractive.

Therefore, at the very outset of the development process, it is important to take time to plan how the curriculum and tasks can be enhanced by better UX design.  

Conclusion

Our digital age is one that exemplifies the ideals of open access to knowledge. Most of us not only own technology that can help us gain a wider range of educational experiences but also pass on valuable skills outside of traditional classrooms. From engaging with the community in camps, to developing teaching software, coders can contribute to the trend of unconventional learning platforms, and pass on what is fast becoming an essential life skill.

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