Welcome to CodeAI; we're very excited to have you!

This article covers how to get started teaching on CodeAI. Below, check out a new video walkthrough on basic features of CodeAI, featuring Aryanna!

Step 1: Get an overview of CodeAI's courses and materials

You can see all our courses and their suggested student age ranges on our Curriculum Catalog.
 

Step 2: Create a teacher account 

Do you already have an account? If so, skip to step 3.

If you don't already have a teacher account on CodeAI, start by creating one here. Your teacher account will allow you to create a classroom (we call them class sections) of students on CodeAI, assign work to those students, and track their progress (see which levels and projects they've completed, view their code, and in some cases, leave feedback on their work). 

Note: You do not need a teacher account (and your students do not need their own student accounts) to work on CS Fundamentals or Hour of Code courses. However, without accounts, student work will not be saved and you will not be able to see your students' work.
 

Step 3: Set up your classroom on CodeAI

Create a class section

Your classroom is represented as a class section of students on CodeAI. You'll want to create a class section for each class you teach. (Example: if you're a middle school teacher with three classes of students, you'll want to create three separate class sections, one for each class)

Class sections help you organize your students and allow you to easily assign work to your students and check on their progress. Look for the "New class section" button at the top of your CodeAI homepage (make sure you're signed in) or learn how to create a class section here.


 

Add students to your class section

Once you've created a class section, you'll want to add students to it. This process will be a bit different based on the type of class section you create. You can learn how to add students here or by going to the Roster page for that class section.

When a class section doesn't have students added yet, the class section card on your homepage will show an "Add students" button that will take you to the Roster page, where you can view instructions for adding students to your class section.


 

At any time, you can access the Roster page for a class section from the three-dots menu in the upper right corner of the class section card on your homepage. Scroll to the bottom of the page to view instructions for adding students to your class section.

Step 4: Assign work to your students

Once you've chosen a course, you can assign it to your class section. Assigning work to your students will help keep them on track—students will be automatically directed to the work you've assigned when they sign in to CodeAI. Learn more about assigning work to your students here.

When a class section doesn't have a course assigned yet, the class section card on your homepage will show an "Assign a course" button that will take you to the Curriculum Catalog, where you can browse and assign CodeAI courses.

Step 5: Become a verified teacher and consider professional development

Professional Development

CodeAI offers Professional Development for our CS Fundamentals, CS Discoveries, CS Principles, and CSA courses. While our courses can be taught without attending Professional Development, we highly recommend attending: it's a great way to learn more about the curriculum and website as well as build a support network of other computer science teachers. Learn more about CodeAI Professional Development.

We also offer online, self-paced professional learning opportunities for CS Discoveries and CS Fundamentals. These courses are designed to give an introduction to the curriculum and the CodeAI teacher and student tools. Learn more about CodeAI Self-Paced Online Professional Learning.

Verified Teacher Process

If you plan to teach Computer Science Discoveries, Computer Science Principles, or AP Computer Science A, you'll want to become a verified teacher to get access to assessments, answer keys, and the ability to leave feedback for your students. Being verified is also required to access AP Computer Science A to begin with (not just for solutions).

To become a verified teacher:

• If you attend Professional Development with CodeAI before you start teaching, you'll be made a verified teacher automatically.
• If you aren't able to attend Professional Development with CodeAI before you start teaching, become a verified teacher by following the steps in this article.

Step 6: Prep for your first class by exploring the course and platform

Before you get started teaching, take some time to review the curriculum materials, course lessons, and website tools:

• View Curriculum materials (curriculum guide, lesson plans, slide decks, standards mappings, and more) for our CS Fundamentals, CS Discoveries, CS Principles, CSA and Hour of Code courses by visiting any Course page. To view lesson plan materials, make sure you are signed in to a CodeAI account. For more info on how to find various curriculum resources, check the guide here.
• Review the course outline and the student flow of activities in a lesson by going to the Course page of the course you chose for your students. You can find this page by going to your homepage, locating the class section card, opening the "Jump to" menu dropdown menu, and selecting the course or unit. This will take you to the Course page for that course or unit. 
  
  
   
• Once you're viewing the Course page:
  • If you have not assigned a specific unit in the course, click on a unit to view all the lessons and chapters in the unit. Note that not all courses contain units. For courses that have units, the unit-specific view of the Course page is where you'll find the features listed in the next few bullets.
  • If you have assigned a specific unit in the course or if the course does not contain units, you will be taken directly to the page that contains the features listed in the next few bullets.
     
    • Tap on the first level in a lesson to preview the lesson content that students see. Levels look like bubbles or diamonds.
      
      
       
    • Tap the blue "View Lesson Plan" lesson plan button to view the lesson plan for a lesson 
      
      
       
    • Tap the blue "Teacher resources" button to view additional resources for the course or unit
      
      
• Hide lessons you don't want your students to work on yet. This helps you prevent students from racing ahead. Learn more.
• Learn how to monitor your student's progress. The Teacher Dashboard has lots of features that help you keep track of what your students are doing. Learn more.
• Learn how to give feedback on student work (offered in non K-5 courses). Leave a note on student programming levels so they can see how they're doing. Learn more.