There are 72M students learning to code around the world. How might we make learning more accessible, equitable, and, more seamless for them?

MLH and Microsoft have joined forces. Join the hackathon to pay it forward to those learning CS for the first time.

The context: Professors and teaching assistants build custom tools like python tutor, Harvard’s Help50 and Check50, or use visualizers because educational IDE’s don’t exist at scale.

The challenge: On the VS Code team, we want to make learning to code easier. For students new in their coding journey, there’s a lot to do: learning new programming syntax, understanding computer science concepts, setting up a coding environment, and figuring out how to use an editor / IDE. We challenge you to build an extension to help new coders learn. For students, by students. What extension can you build in VS Code to make any step or part of this simpler? How you promote collaboration or community? How can you increase access and accessibility? You could choose to invent something new or take an existing tool (Like Harvard’s Help50) and modify it for VS Code.

Think back to when you were learning to code. Think about students who have a range of abilities and contexts.

  • What are shortcomings in coding tools?
  • How do we embrace the full range of human diversity to create equitable learn-to-code experiences for the widest number of people?

Join us and win a mentorship session with a Vice President at Microsoft, Amanda Silver.

Eligibility

This event open to hackers, all over the world, who are students at the time of the hackathon or who have graduated within the last 6 months


As per our Code of Conduct, there is no discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, social class, economic status, veteran status, disability, or age.

Requirements

You must submit a 2 minute (max) video demo!

In the video, tell us what problem for new CS learners did you choose to focus on and why, and how your extension helps new coders. How does your final output reflect learnings from peers or new CS learners and how it considers equity, access, inclusiveness? Show a demo of the extension in action.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

Best Overall

Given to the submission with a well-presented idea and extension functionality

Most Creative

This category will be presented to the submission with the most creative idea. For this, think about how tech companies and educators can best support a diverse community of new student learners in a coding editor.

Best use of an external API

Are there existing publicly available tools you use today to make coding easier? Can you integrate one of those tools as a VS Code extension?

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Sujay Vittal

Sujay Vittal

Abhra Basak

Abhra Basak

Xiyu

Xiyu

Jackson Kearl

Jackson Kearl

V. Dairwi

V. Dairwi

Sana Ajani

Sana Ajani

Margaret

Margaret

Joyce Er

Devin

Devin

Josh Spicer

Josh Spicer

Jacqueline Russell

Jackson

Jackson

Sana Ajani

Sana Ajani

Judging Criteria

  • Inclusive-led
    The final output considers equity, accessibility, and inclusiveness
  • Collaborative
    The final output reflects contributions and learning from peers and new CS learners
  • Potential for impact at scale
    The final output can work for a broad range of new learners
  • Final Submission
    The final output includes not only a working extension, but the storytelling/framing for this that is crisp and lists the issues it addresses
  • Education Goal
    Did the team frame why they chose a specific problem and how the solution addresses the problem?
  • Creativity
    How creative is this idea? Does the team come up with a new or fun experience for new coders?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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