Hour of Code, which is actually a week’s worth of events celebrating the joy of coding while removing barriers to computer science for underrepresented groups, will be held Dec. 7 to 13 at the University of Colorado Boulder, in the community and online.

Hour of Code was launched in 2013 by Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. It coincides with Computer Science Education Week.

CU Science Discovery is offering a variety of free programs at CU-Boulder, area libraries and at Fireside Elementary School in Louisville, which is doing a school-wide Hour of Code this year for the first time.

CU Science Discovery Hour of Code events include:

• Dot and Dash Robots (ages 7 to 10): From 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at Boulder Public Library, 1001 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder, and 4 to 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11., at Lafayette Public Library, 775 Baseline Road, Lafayette.
• Scratch for Girls (ages 8 to 10): Led by CU-Boulder professor Eliana Colunga at CU Science Discovery, 3400 Marine St., Boulder (already full), 3:45 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8.
• Video Game Design (ages 9 to 11): Using CU-Boulder-developed software AgentCubes at CU Science Discovery, 3400 Marine St., Boulder (already full), 3:45 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10.
• Fireside Elementary Hour of Code: Coding activities throughout the week at Fireside Elementary School, including Coding with Dot and Dash robots (Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings), Video Game Design with AgentCubes (Wednesday) and LEGO Mindstorms (Dec. 14-17).

Meanwhile, the CU-Boulder-created, self-guided AgentCubes Online activity can provide a fun and engaging learning experience for students and teachers alike. In one hour, students (or anyone, for that matter) can learn about computer science by building a 3D game they can then share on mobile phones and tablets.

The Scalable Game Design team in the CU-Boulder Department of Computer Science this year has added international versions of AgentCubes and programming language tool tips, including Spanish. Teacher notes provide tips for preparing and organizing a class around the AgentCubes Online activity. The tutorial follows the project-first pedagogy – not just a sequence of programming puzzles.

“The ownership resulting from creating their own 3D worlds and characters has been found to motivate students’ interest in programming,” said Alexander Repenning, CU-Boulder computer science professor and founder of AgentSheets and Scalable Game Design.

“In one hour students can create the first working part of a 3D game including 3D modeling and programing. Our data show that students are so motivated to build their game that the majority continue to work on their games beyond one hour.”

CU Science Discovery, AgentCubes and the Boulder Valley School District are all part of a larger community effort to promote Hour of Code. For a schedule of additional events featuring local businesses including SparkFun Electronics, Bitsbox, Modular Robotics and others, click on Boulder Computer Science Education Week 2015.  

-CU-