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iLab Challenge: zhamed

Published on February 4, 2013August 21, 2022 by post_author

photogarengarysrapyan, iLabChallenge, submission

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Crash CodeCrash Code is a platform that enables the average person to gain coding skills for success in the workforce.  It is becoming more and more obvious that throughout the 21st century many people will lose their jobs due to automation [1]. The people who will first be impacted are blue collar workers, who lack a college education and typically have worked in manufacturing jobs. Users of our platform will not only have the opportunity to learn how to code, but we will also directly connect them with employers who are looking to hire people with their abilities. Our content will come from Code Academy’s API and then in turn users will have to build projects with their new skills, which reinforces what they learn and motivates them by seeing the practical application of it. Our goal is for every single coder to make it through our program and be gainfully employed by the end. With enough effort, our users will have the technical know-how for entry level coding positions after just 6 months. While learning a new skill will prove to be challenging to most people, our program divides the workload into manageable pieces so that anyone can learn how to code. We also will provide support, so that if users get confused they can immediately turn to us rather than turning away from the problem.The Crash Code platform hosts a six month intensive coding course that uses content from Code Academy, Khan Academy, and W3 Schools to teach coding concepts. The advertising for the program provides motivation by showing users potential career opportunities and salaries on the homepage of the website, and gives users ability by allowing them to learn a wide variety of CS skills through the platform. Finally, triggers are built into the program (email reminders and weekly check ins with teaching staff) in order to sustain user engagement [2]. Users choose one of three tracks (Javascript + Html, Ruby + Python, PHP + SQL) based on their interests and information about potential careers in these areas. They watch lesson videos and complete assignments on weekly or biweekly schedules. In the first trimester (Month Zero and Month One) assignments are fairly basic and some involve Scratch, and users can get help via a chat bot. Throughout the course, users receive daily emails updating them on their progress and encouraging them to move forward, and will have weekly one-on-one meetings with a member of the teaching staff to hold users accountable to their work and provide support. In Months Two and Three, assignments will become more challenging, and users will receive help through online office hours held by teaching staff and can use a forum in the site that draws from sites like Stack Exchange and Quora. In Months Four and Five, users will do assignments created by companies that use the platform to recruit new talent. These assignments let users understand what work as a programmer would actually be like, and can also serve as a diagnostic tool for companies, helping them evaluate who to hire. At the end of the program, companies that use the platform can choose to interview users and hire them. Users can continue to use the platform to learn new skills and network with employers. [1] https://www.wired.com/2017/02/programming-is-the-new-blue-collar-job/[2] BJ Fogg article

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Selected News…

Fifteen Professors of the Year, Harvard Crimson, 2016

Top 50 Thinkers: On the Radar 2018
Emerging thinkers with the potential to make lasting contributions
, 2018

Laura Dern & DL Director Say Creators Need to ‘Catch Up’ With Audience’s Desire for Diverse Stories, AdWeek, 2018

Designing digital workspaces for creativity and collaboration in online project-based courses, MIT Media Lab, 2020

A living (room) lab: With students off campus, faculty and staff innovated to redesign hands-on courses, Harvard SEAS, 2020

Chef League (mobile game) challenges you to improvise recipes like the pros, VentureBeat, 2019.

When it comes to innovation, it’s personal: The secret to successful innovation isn’t a great idea; it’s great people, The Business Post, 2019

Smart kitchens need smarter ideas to solve real problems, Fortune, 2019

Design for Desirability: Game design challenge requires students to think outside the box, Harvard SEAS, 2019

Apply the science of desirability to game design at GDC, Gamasutra: The art and business of making games, 2019

Applying human-centered design processes to build successful teams. Into Practice, Harvard Vice Provost Office for Advances in Learning, 2019

Tech that helps us understand ourselves, Future Assembly, 2019

Women changing the way we think about innovation. Stern Speakers, 2019

Loneliness, the fear of digital nomads, Le Temps. (in French), 2019

LA Design Festival spotlights city’s ‘creative diversity and talent’, Dezeen, 2018

Rolling toward a user-friendly commute
Harvard faculty-led startup pioneers human-centric urban travel
, 2017; Vespa’s New Robot Will Carry Your Groceries, CNN Money, 2017

Five Cutting Edge Ideas and Attractions, Boston.com, 2017; Technology That Helps Us Understand Ourselves, HUBWeek, 2017

Food for Thought: Flavor & Algorithms, MIT Museum, 2017

Harvard Aims to Reinvent Business-Engineering Education, Harvard Magazine, 2017

Globetrotting Digital Nomads: The future of work or too good to be true?, Forbes, 2015; Why is a Harvard professor studying digital nomads, Nomadlist, 2015

The nature of desirability, The Design Issue, Kinfolk Magazine (paywall), 2015-2016

Harvard Class Teaches the Design of Desirability, Boston Magazine, 2015

A new model for innovation in big companies, Harvard Business Review, 2013

Present at the Creation (Putting research-based creativity tips to the test), Boston Magazine, 2013

Contact & Acknowledgements

RESEARCH LAB OFFICE:
Desirability Lab
Brown University & RISD
Barus & Holley, No. 220
Email: ba[at]desirabilitylab.com

 

THANKS TO EARLY SUPPORTERS:

Harvard School of Engineering & Applied Sciences

Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching

Harvard Innovation Lab

Harvard Global Health Institute

Berkman Center for Internet and Society

SUTD-MIT International Design Center

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