Project Mentors: Prof. Michael Spear, Computer Science & Engineering; Prof. Zilong Pan, Teaching, Learning & Technology, College of Education
Continuing Fellow:
Faatiha Kalam '27
2025 Impact Fellows:
Jolie Goldstein '28
Benjamin Rainey '27
Project Description:
In India, computer science education continues to face challenges in engaging both students and teachers effectively. Many students perceive programming as an intimidating and complex subject, while teachers often lack the pedagogical resources and innovative tools needed to make coding instruction interactive and accessible. The traditional focus on syntax memorization and mechanical coding exercises, rather than on problem-solving, creativity, and computational thinking, further limits engagement. Bridging this gap is essential to building a coding education ecosystem that not only motivates learners but also empowers teachers to cultivate curiosity and confidence in computer science. Through the integration of AI-driven tools like iCodePal, this project seeks to transform programming education into an engaging, dynamic, and empowering experience for both educators and students.
In this project, students will collaborate with K-12 computer science teachers from the Agastya International Foundation, leveraging iCodePal—an AI-powered companion designed to support K-12 and adult learners in developing programming and computational thinking skills. iCodePal provides personalized, conversational support that adapts to each learner’s style and progress. It offers two major forms of assistance: conceptual and metacognitive. For conceptual support, iCodePal explains programming concepts (such as loops, conditionals, and data structures), provides guided practice through coding challenges, and recommends relevant learning resources like interactive tutorials or instructional videos. It can also walk students through debugging or problem-solving processes by offering hints—without directly revealing solutions—to encourage independent thinking.
The next phase of the project involves dashboard development and usability testing. Students with front-end development expertise (especially in JavaScript) and those experienced in machine learning—particularly natural language processing (NLP)—are encouraged to participate.