UTDallas Spring Break Virtual Coding Camps

The goal of these camps is to provide an opportunity for all the school students to explore the world of coding & improve their problem solving skills. It enables them to make informed decisions about the college majors and future career. They can also apply these skills to complete their school assignments & projects. Since we are offering these camps online, any family from anywhere in US (or the world) can register and attend our camps!

Since the most schools around DFW metroplex & Texas are closed for Spring Break during one of these weeks (March 8-12 or March 15-19), we have decided to run the coding camps in both weeks.
March 8-12: Plano, Frisco, Allen, Denton, Sherman, San Antonio, ...
March 15-19: Richardson, Garland, Mesquite, Dallas, Highland Park, CFB, HEB, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, Fort Bend, ...

If your school closes for Spring break in another week & you would like coding camps for a group of kids, email us at csk12@utdallas.edu. We will be happy to work with you and provide the coding camps. If you prefer to learn in your own schedule & pace instead, we do offer private tutoring at $16 per hour. See the details at utdallas.edu/k12/custom

Review the listing of all the camps below - pay attention to the timings and pre-requisites. You can also visit Camp Descriptions tab to see the detailed description, setup details and the sample agenda for each camp. When a camp has a pre-requisite, we do not recommend taking that camp & its pre-requisite camp together - take the pre-requisite camp this time & take the second camp in the next break.

Also, after completing the camps for the camper's grade level, it is OK to sign up for the higher grades' camps if the camper feels confident to advance and try them out. However, our registration system may block you from signing up for higher level camps - email csk12@utdallas.edu for manual override. Also, current system does not allow you to sign up for morning camp & afternoon camp together. Email us for manual override as well. Since these camps are fast-paced & it is easy to forget the details after a few months, some campers may find it useful to repeat the camps. There is nothing wrong - there is no need to race to reach the top - we prefer each student to progress in his/her own pace & enjoy the camp content!

Registration site: events.circuitree.com/UTD

Shortcut: bit.ly/utdcamps

Each camp costs $100 (except for 1-hour camps for 1st and 2nd graders - they cost $50 each), with automatic advance registration discount of $25, until March 1st. Then the discount goes away and the fee will become $125 and $75 respectively. There is $10 processing fee for cancellations, transfer between camps is FREE.

Families that qualify reduced rate meals at schools can apply for 50% discount - go ahead and register for camps, but stop before payment and email the documentation from school or the first page of previous year tax return to csk12@utdallas.edu Once we apply the discount, you can proceed to pay.

code.org --> Scratch --> Alice --> JavaScript --> Java/Python/C++ is the sequence we have been recommending for several years (we do offer several other camps in each level too). code.org, Scratch & Alice use block based coding (we build the code with a sequence of mouse drag & drop operations). JavaScript, Java & Python are typing based - Campers should be able to type at reasonable speed before taking these camps (typing.com is a good resource to learn typing if needed) - Basically, they should be able to type without looking at the keyboard.

Here are additional clarifications about the camps:

• 1st and 2nd graders can start in code.org

• 3rd to 5th graders can start with Scratch

• Middle & high school students can start with Alice, but high school students can directly start with JavaScript too!

Learning to code is like learning to drive! Rushing is not a good thing!! Do not register for advanced level camp directly - it is no fun to get overwhelmed and frustrated with the details/error messages. Slow down and enjoy the journey! Trial and error is the proven way to learn coding - so be patient, be curious & wear a thinking-cap to enjoy & get the maximum out of each camp.

We have also split Java and Python to multiple levels:

• Java Basics --> Intermediate Java --> Advanced Java is the sequence we recommend to learn Java.

• Similarly, campers are encouraged to take Basic Python before taking Intermediate Python.

Microsoft Teams is the standard platform used by UT Dallas to run online courses. We will use the same for all the virtual camps as well. You can either download it or use a web-based version. More details will be posted later.

** This camp is offered through a partnership with Wize Computing Academy.

* This camp is offered through a partnership with Rex Academy
** This camp is offered through a partnership with Wize Computing Academy

* This camp is offered through a partnership with Rex Academy
** This camp is offered through a partnership with Wize Computing Academy.

** This camp is offered through a partnership with Wize Computing Academy.

* This camp is offered through a partnership with Rex Academy