Introduction - Ojas
A snapshot of our 2021 Code-A-Thon
Since its inception, the Code-A-Thon has become a quintessential aspect of the WCTD program line-up. Every year, students from various high schools meet up at one location for the weekend, where they transform a new acquaintance into a project and friendships. By staying together for 72 hours, the students share a large portion of their time, quite literally from the moment they wake up to the moment they fall asleep.
This year, however, we were faced with the challenge of the pandemic. In a program that relies on collaboration and communication, how can success be even plausible without the one aspect that seems so necessary? By design the CODE-A-THON had in the past an online component across sites, when teams would engage with each other to share ideas and collaborate on feedback for their projects. This year however each participant was within their own home and coming online to be a part of an amazing program that enabled them to be social, laugh, learn, and experience solving problems together. For many this was a much needed opportunity to feel like you were a part of something important and working on a project to solve real global issues.
Training Sessions – Hiral
Level 3 Training Session on Microsoft Teams
For the 2021 CODE-A-THON, we provided students with training sessions to teach them coding skills in preparation for the CODE-A-THON weekend. By providing these training sessions, we could ensure that any student, regardless of their prior experience with programming, could participate. With three different levels of training sessions, students could select which sessions they would attend. In Level 1, students were introduced to HTML and CSS as well as some JavaScript. In Level 2, the students focused on JavaScript with integration of HTML and CSS. Finally, Level 3 covered a higher expertise in JavaScript and React.
The engagement in the training sessions was amazing to see. The students were all interested in what they were learning and even showed off some of their work. Being able to see the development of the students' skills was such an amazing opportunity. They were able to learn many valuable coding concepts through fun projects, including creating their very own website. These skills were then applied to the Code-a-Thon competition, allowing the students to make inspiring solutions to the United Nations Sustainability Goals.
These training sessions would not have been possible without the work of our instructors: Chris Gomez, Kerri Shotts, and John Wargo. We truly appreciate the work they have done for the Hack-A-Thon as well as the effort provided by the students!
Games- Bharvi
During the CODE-A-THON we were able to organize several games for the students to participate in. The games were designed to incentivize teamwork and creative thinking. To motivate and create some fun competition the games involved prizes! During our training sessions we blended gamification with the learning experience. Each activity was designed to give time for teams to get to know each other and build strong connections for working together on their projects. During the training sessions students participated in a typing competition and a survival activity. During the competition weekend, games included STEAM-related crossword puzzles, bingo, Kahoot, and Unlock the Box. Students worked individually while competing in Kahoot, bingo, and the typing competition, but with their teammates for the crossword puzzles and unlock the box.
Broadening Our Impact - Michelle
The Code-A-Thon’s attendance spanned across the United States!
The strange circumstances we are all under due to the ongoing pandemic have greatly impacted the annual CODE-A-THON, and for once in a positive manner. In years past, the Hack-A-Thon has been to the amenity of students who lived within reasonable travel distances away from the coding sites. This year, in 2021, the opportunity to contribute to and participate in the CODE-A-THON was extended to students all over the United States, thanks to this year’s online model of the program. Students who live in rural areas and in areas far from the traditional CODE-A-THON sites had the opportunity to partake in this year's program, and to gain the same skills and learning experience as all other students who have participated in the program in years past. This online format provided teams with the opportunity to work with students from other states as far across the country as WA, and CA.
Measuring Our Outcomes
As a research focused organization we value the importance of learning from our outcomes and ensuring we measure what is important. We want to learn from each experience to create positive change and build programs that create value and impact to our participants. What follows is a brief summary of the program participants, how the program supported a shift in mindset and feedback regarding their experience. This is just a sample of our full research data.
What did you think of the online experience?
“I liked it I thought it was fun and I learned that I'm good at graphic designing and good at doing a little bit of coding as well.”
“It was almost indiscernible from the actual in-person experience.”
“I had some internet issues, but otherwise I really enjoyed working online. I hope that WCTD does another online program like this next year as well. Since I live in Illinois, I can't come to Long Island for the program, but it was really fun and I would love to do it again!”
“I think it was better than in-person and I hope you continue this online format.”
“I liked how we used the Microsoft utilities and the activities.”
What was your favorite part of the program?
“My favorite part was getting able to make the website! I definitely learned a lot about HTML, and I'm going to make a website with my brother as soon as I can. Each year I participate in the code-a-thon I seem to make better websites!”
“The friends i made during the program”
“I enjoyed the team building activities and getting to know other people.”
“I liked how we got to learn new things and communicate with others who are also interested. The instructors and mentors were great and really helpful.”
“The structure/management of tasks and activities. I think the time to take a break and eat, do activities, and work was placed well because when I felt like I needed a break, there would usually be an activity starting soon which is good.”
“Meeting people who share similar backgrounds with me and working on a project with them.”
“My favorite part was the collaboration with a team.”
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
This program could not have been possible without the funding and support of our sponsors. We would like to thank Jovia Financial Credit Union, Microsoft, The American Association of University Women, and Nebula Academy. With their help, we were able to provide a positive learning experience, investing in our future workforce, and award amazing prizes and complimentary gifts to the students who participated!
Thank you to our Community Ambassador Team who without their dedication and commitment to supporting communities across the country this program would not have been a success!
