A: Yes. The safety of our staff and students is our top priority, and with this in mind almost all of our coding classes have now moved online, while those which couldn’t be moved online have been deferred.
Our summer coding courses have now been re-launched as online-only, and we look forward to welcoming hundreds of new and returning students to our live, instructor-led online coding classes over the coming weeks and months.
A: Students log in to a group video chat through Zoom by clicking on a link distributed by email. Students then divide into smaller groups (approx 6:1 student:teacher ratios in each group) and share their screens while working. Tutors provide help by voice or text chat as appropriate, and all learning materials are shared online.
Students get the same access as always to the Academy of Code curriculum and resources, and the same guidance from our team of expert tutors.
A: In a survey of parents shortly following the move to online classes, over 70% who had students in our classes either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “My child learned at the same level as the in-person classes”.
Over 95% of respondents to the same survey either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “My child found it easy to connect with a tutor if there were any queries”.
We’ve been really pleased with how well we’ve been able to adapt our classes to the online format, and in some ways the online format is actually better than our in-person classes!
A: We miss seeing our students in-person, but we won’t be rushing back until we’re absolutely certain we aren’t at risk of helping the spread of COVID-19.
As things slowly begin to reopen, we will be monitoring the situation and re-commencing our in-person coding classes under the current government guidelines.
A: Yes!
We’ve been delighted with the response to our online coding classes, both from existing students and from students who have joined our coding classes from all over the country and abroad.
We see every new student who joins as someone we want to work with for 5+ years, and our new students from Cork, Galway, Waterford, Belfast and beyond will be treated the very same!
A: All our coding courses and coding summer camps are suitable for almost all students.
Those who have never done any coding before will start with the absolute basics. Students who have been with us before (or who have learned coding elsewhere) will work on more advanced material suitable to their own level of experience.
We don't offer specific facilities for students with special educational needs, but in many cases those used to mainstream classes will progress just fine in our coding classes. The 6:1 student to teacher ratio is extremely helpful for those students. If in doubt please contact us and we’d be happy to discuss further.
A: We expect that all students will have at least used a computer before (or seen one from across a room), but beyond that no experience is assumed or required!
Our coding courses are also broadly suitable for students of all abilities, but we would caution that students with special needs who are not in mainstream classes, or who have significant extra resources to enable them to participate in mainstream classes may struggle in certain scenarios. While groups are kept small, students who are used to having assistance beside them at all times may find the change difficult. We strongly advise you to Contact Us before registration to ensure that the course is suitable in these situations.
Please note that we are very happy to accommodate, where possible and appropriate, special needs assistance. We do ask that you contact us ahead of time to arrange this, as we are obliged by law to ensure the vetting of all adults present while our courses are running.
A: For our youngest age group, which we call Junior Primary (2nd-4th class), we focus on Scratch, a drag and drop programming language suitable for students who aren't quite ready for more advanced coding languages.
For the 5th-6th class age group, which we call Senior Primary, and Secondary school students, our main teaching language is Processing, a Java-based programming language built for 2D and 3D graphics work. Secondary school classes run for 90 minutes, while primary school classes run for 60 minutes.
There will be other modules offered over the course of the module tailored to each age group. These may include other programming languages, electronics, music technology, 3D modelling/printing and more.
A: For our youngest group of students (2nd-4th class) we run classes in computational thinking, primarily using Scratch. These allow younger students to learn about problem solving and logic without tripping up on syntax rules which they might have some trouble with.
For older students our main teaching language is "Processing", a graphical framework built on Java. We believe in exposing students to "real" code as young as practical (which we think is around 5th class). Processing has the advantage of scaling extremely well, in that underneath the friendly exterior it's full-featured Java (one of the most popular languages on the planet). This means that we can keep building on what they've learned term after term, without ever having to switch to a more "grown up" language. Long before they've run out of things to learn in Java, they're ready to get a job!
A: Our experience is that most children simply aren’t ready for our coding courses in 1st class. The youngest group spans 2nd-4th class, so it’s a really big ask for a 1st class student to join that group and keep up! For now, the youngest student we can accept is 8 years old.
For older students looking to join a class above their age grade (e.g 6th class students looking to join a secondary school group) we highly recommend students at least start with their own age group. If they want to move up an age group having experienced their own class we are happy to discuss that on a case by case basis.
A: Ideally we take new students only in September and in January, and no later than the second week of term in those months. We are quite strict with that for primary school classes. For secondary school groups, where the classes are sometimes a little looser and students can be a little more self-directed, we can sometimes bend this rule a little. Please contact us directly to discuss further.
A: Students can absolutely attend more than one week of summer camp. They will move ahead at their own pace, and we have plenty of material to keep them busy. For term time coding courses we do welcome students attending more than one coding class per week, and will work to ensure that they are kept busy and engaged at all times.
Students can and do work ahead on their own at home too, which is certainly to be encouraged. We will always provide as much support as possible to students progressing ahead of the main group.
A: In order to simplify the registration process we no longer timetable based on gradings. All students register based on their age group, and we will run a variety of coding classes within that time slot for students of various levels of coding experience.
We will still communicate details about students' progress (and hopefully will be able do so even more now than in the past), but you no longer need to worry about which class to sign them up for. Send them with the rest of their class/age group and we'll ensure they're working on appropriately challenging material.
A: We cater for all levels of coding ability, and are always delighted to meet students who have already attended other coding courses or taught themselves some programming. Rest assured, students of any coding level will find plenty of challenges to keep them busy!
We do recommend that all students start in our beginner coding classes unless they have specifically studied Java or Processing in depth before. Please contact us if you have any queries in relation to this.
A: Our online payment system accepts all of the most common forms of payment (Mastercard, VISA, American Express). If none of the online options suit feel free to contact us via our website and we’ll do our best to arrange to accept whatever form of payment suits you best. If you'd rather pay by cash we can arrange this, but please contact us ahead of time to reserve a place.
A: Right now, all our coding classes and coding courses are taking place online via Zoom. When not in lockdown, we also work with schools across Dublin and beyond. Venues can vary from term to term - follow the links from the home page or the menu at the top of this page to see our line-up for the current term.
A: We don't assume everyone wants to work in IT any more than a music teacher would assume all their students will become professional musicians. Learning to code is a great skill, regardless of what path you want to follow in life. More and more, everyone needs to be at least technically literate to thrive professionally, regardless of career path. More importantly in the short term, building cool things with code is a lot of fun!
A: We understand that not every student takes to coding straight away. We'd always encourage students to stick with it for at least a few weeks, and ideally the full first term, to be sure they've given it a fair chance. That said, we do have an outrageously comprehensive satisfaction policy - we haven't and won't ever decline to give a refund for any reason. If things aren't working out after week one or two (or eleven, or thirty, or...) you can always just ask for your money back.