Creating a Kotlin Course from Scratch (JetBrains Kotlin webinar)

This talk tells the story of mobile development at BME-VIK-AUT, how I joined that story, and how we introduced Kotlin to the university curriculum. First as part of the Android software development course, then eventually creating a standalone course to teach it in depth.

It covers the all-live-demo approach used for lectures, the choices made to make the course fun to complete, the wonders that remote teaching introduced, and how the students have received the course.

More about the talk:
https://zsmb.co/appearances/kotlin-for-education-webinar-july-2021/

Transcript

1. zsmb.co zsmb13 Creating a Kotlin Course from Scratch Márton Braun
3. › Budapest, Hungary
4. › Budapest, Hungary › BME (Budapest University of Technology and Economics)
5. › Budapest, Hungary › BME (Budapest University of Technology and Economics) › VIK (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics)
6. › Budapest, Hungary › BME (Budapest University of Technology and Economics) › VIK (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics) › AUT (Department of Automation and Applied Informatics)
7. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011
8. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011
9. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective)
10. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book
11. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc)
12. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc)
13. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc)
14. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc) Android course (as a student)
15. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc) Android course (as a student) Learning Kotlin
16. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc) Android course (as a student) Learning Kotlin
17. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc) Android course (as a student) Learning Kotlin
18. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc) Android course (as a student) Learning Kotlin Converting the Android course to Kotlin
19. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc) Android course (as a student) Learning Kotlin Converting the Android course to Kotlin Creating a Kotlin Course from Scratch
20. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc) Android course (as a student) Learning Kotlin Converting the Android course to Kotlin Creating a Kotlin Course from Scratch Kotlin course (elective)
21. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2012 2022 2010 2011 Android & iOS courses (elective) Android development book Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) Flutter course (elective) Mobile and Web Development course (BSc) Android course (as a student) Learning Kotlin Converting the Android course to Kotlin Creating a Kotlin Course from Scratch Kotlin course (elective)
22. Acknowledgements Bertalan Forstner Péter Ekler Hassan Charaf Imre Kelényi Gergely Csúcs
23. Goals › Teach independently of Android
24. Goals › Teach independently of Android › Build an interest in Kotlin
25. Goals › Teach independently of Android › Build an interest in Kotlin › Deep understanding of language basics
26. Goals › Teach independently of Android › Build an interest in Kotlin › Deep understanding of language basics › Building on Java and OO knowledge
27. Student language stats 3% 4% 4% 10% 11% 25% 32% 37% 61% 72% 77% 87% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Dart pascal Swift PHP TypeScript Kotlin JavaScript Python C# C C++ Java
28. Materials › Full written material in English
29. Materials › Full written material in English
30. Materials › Full written material in English
31. Materials › Full written material in English › Many links, lots of code
32. Materials › Full written material in English › Many links, lots of code › Some original illustrations
36. All on GitHub
37. All on GitHub István Juhos stewemetal
38. Lectures
39. Lectures › 0 slides
40. Lectures › 0 slides › All live coding
41. Lectures › 0 slides › All live coding
42. Live coding
43. Live coding › The IDE is a core part of the Kotlin experience
44. Live coding › The IDE is a core part of the Kotlin experience
45. Live coding › The IDE is a core part of the Kotlin experience
46. Live coding › The IDE is a core part of the Kotlin experience – and it’s free!
47. Live coding › The IDE is a core part of the Kotlin experience
48. Live coding › The IDE is a core part of the Kotlin experience › Great for encouraging questions
49. Useful IDE functionality
50. Useful IDE functionality
51. Useful IDE functionality
52. Useful IDE functionality
53. Useful IDE functionality
54. Useful IDE functionality
55. Useful IDE functionality
56. Useful IDE functionality › Java to Kotlin converter › Kotlin scripts › Scratch files › REPL
57. Lectures › Usual setup › In-person lectures
58. Lectures › Usual setup › In-person lectures › Extras outside of the core material › Events › Language news
59. Lectures › Usual setup › In-person lectures › Extras outside of the core material › Events › Language news › Easy interaction
60. Remote
61. Remote › Recordings are essential
62. Remote › Recordings are essential › Started these in person already
63. Remote › Recordings are essential › Started these in person already › Making them available very quickly
64. Remote › Recordings are essential › Started these in person already › Making them available very quickly › Available in multiple forms
65. Remote › Recordings are essential › Started these in person already › Making them available very quickly › Available in multiple forms
66. Remote › Recordings are essential › Started these in person already › Making them available very quickly › Available in multiple forms › Zoom classes › Harder to get interaction
67. Remote › Recordings are essential › Started these in person already › Making them available very quickly › Available in multiple forms › Zoom classes › Harder to get interaction › Clear communication of important info
68. Remote › Recordings are essential › Started these in person already › Making them available very quickly › Available in multiple forms › Zoom classes › Harder to get interaction › Clear communication of important info
69. Requirements Homework Test
70. Homework › Free choice of project
71. Homework › Free choice of project › … as long as it’s not Android
72. Homework › Free choice of project › … as long as it’s not Android › Varying difficulty › Create something meaningful › Write neat Kotlin code
73. Homework › Starter projects › Command line, JDK8 › JavaFX JDK8 › TornadoFX › JavaFX JDK11
74. Homework › Starter projects › Command line, JDK8 › JavaFX JDK8 › TornadoFX › JavaFX JDK11 › Largest setup problems › JDK versions › Missing JavaFX support
75. Homework › Starter projects › Command line, JDK8 › JavaFX JDK8 › TornadoFX › JavaFX JDK11 › Largest setup problems › JDK versions › Missing JavaFX support › No problems installing IntelliJ IDEA
76. Homework examples
77. Homework examples › Basic Kotlin classes with operators, unit tests, conventions
78. Homework examples › Basic Kotlin classes with operators, unit tests, conventions › REST services › Ktor/Exposed stack › Spring Boot apps
79. Homework examples › Basic Kotlin classes with operators, unit tests, conventions › REST services › Ktor/Exposed stack › Spring Boot apps › JavaFX / TornadoFX games › Minesweeper, Tetris, Game of Life
80. Homework examples › Basic Kotlin classes with operators, unit tests, conventions › REST services › Ktor/Exposed stack › Spring Boot apps › JavaFX / TornadoFX games › Minesweeper, Tetris, Game of Life › Integrations with video games
81. Homework examples › Basic Kotlin classes with operators, unit tests, conventions › REST services › Ktor/Exposed stack › Spring Boot apps › JavaFX / TornadoFX games › Minesweeper, Tetris, Game of Life › Integrations with video games › Image processing
82. Homework examples › Basic Kotlin classes with operators, unit tests, conventions › REST services › Ktor/Exposed stack › Spring Boot apps › JavaFX / TornadoFX games › Minesweeper, Tetris, Game of Life › Integrations with video games › Image processing › Data analysis
83. Testing
84. Testing › Not super hard
85. Testing › Not super hard › Lots of quiz type questions
86. Testing › Not super hard › Lots of quiz type questions › Open ended questions
87. Testing › Not super hard › Lots of quiz type questions › Open ended questions › Some coding questions
88. Testing › Not super hard › Lots of quiz type questions › Open ended questions › Some coding questions › “Rewrite this by using apply” val square = Square() square.x = 10 square.y = 20 square.side = 50
89. Testing › Analyzing broken code
90. Testing › Analyzing broken code › “Someone wrote this code without sufficiently learning Kotlin. Mark and fix as many mistakes as you can!”
91. Testing › Analyzing broken code › “Someone wrote this code without sufficiently learning Kotlin. Mark and fix as many mistakes as you can!” class Car(val year = 2000) { val model: String; } void drive(car: Car?) { println("Driving around in a $car.year $car.model") }
92. Stats 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 2019/20/1 2019/20/2 2020/21/1 2020/21/2 Students Survey responses
93. External resources used
94. External resources used › kotlinlang.org
95. External resources used › kotlinlang.org › Ktor, TornadoFX, Spring docs
96. External resources used › kotlinlang.org › Ktor, TornadoFX, Spring docs › StackOverflow
97. External resources used › kotlinlang.org › Ktor, TornadoFX, Spring docs › StackOverflow › YouTube tutorials
98. External resources used › kotlinlang.org › Ktor, TornadoFX, Spring docs › StackOverflow › YouTube tutorials
99. External resources used › hyperskill.org
100. External resources used › play.kotlinlang.org
101. More to consider › play.kotlinlang.org
102. More to consider › play.kotlinlang.org
103. More to consider › play.kotlinlang.org
104. More to consider
105. Favourites
106. Favourites › Showing everything through examples
107. Favourites › Showing everything through examples › Homework assignment
108. Favourites › Showing everything through examples › Homework assignment › GitHub repo materials
109. Favourites › Showing everything through examples › Homework assignment › GitHub repo materials › Functional programming
110. Favourites › Showing everything through examples › Homework assignment › GitHub repo materials › Functional programming › Coroutines
111. Favourites › Showing everything through examples › Homework assignment › GitHub repo materials › Functional programming › Coroutines › Looking at Java bytecode
112. Favourites › Showing everything through examples › Homework assignment › GitHub repo materials › Functional programming › Coroutines › Looking at Java bytecode › Nyan progress bar
113. Favourites
114. Feedback
115. Feedback “Never seen live coding like this in a course before”
116. Feedback “Never seen live coding like this in a course before” “The most useful elective course I’ve had so far”
117. Feedback “Never seen live coding like this in a course before” “The most useful elective course I’ve had so far” “Finally understood lambdas after seeing it elsewhere before”
118. Feedback “Never seen live coding like this in a course before” “The most useful elective course I’ve had so far” “Finally understood lambdas after seeing it elsewhere before” “Didn’t just learn the language, but also the design decisions behind it, and the IDE’s capabilities”
119. Feedback “Never seen live coding like this in a course before” “The most useful elective course I’ve had so far” “Finally understood lambdas after seeing it elsewhere before” “Didn’t just learn the language, but also the design decisions behind it, and the IDE’s capabilities” “Would love a 4 credit subject with labs each week”
120. Feedback “I’m an electrical engineer in the 4th semester, realized I want to code for a living instead, this course reenforced that decision.”
121. Feedback “I’m an electrical engineer in the 4th semester, realized I want to code for a living instead, this course reenforced that decision.” “Was looking for copper but found gold. I wanted to take a 2 credit filler course for my last semester, but this turned out to be really useful.”
122. Overall subject rating: 9.63 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
124. › Meet students where they are › Live lectures or recordings › Written material › Projects to follow along with
125. › Meet students where they are › Live lectures or recordings › Written material › Projects to follow along with › Teach more than syntax › Explain the “why” › Show underlying details
126. › Meet students where they are › Live lectures or recordings › Written material › Projects to follow along with › Teach more than syntax › Explain the “why” › Show underlying details › Put students first › Clear communication, open for feedback › Involve them in the lectures › No super hard requirements
128. Everything’s a remix › Android-based Software Development (VIAUAV21) › C11 and C++11 Programming (VIEEAV01) › Server Side JavaScript (VITMAV42)
129. Kotlin @ BME › Android software development (4) › Kotlin software development (2) › Mobile & web development › 400+, all BSc students › Mobile Software Development minor (MSc) › Mobile Software Platforms (4) › Mobile Software System Development (4) › Mobile Software Laboratory (4) › 3D Graphics › KotlinJS for WebGL
130. zsmb13 zsmb.co/talks
131. zsmb.co/talks zsmb13 Márton Braun › Meet students where they are › Teach more than syntax › Put students first Creating a Kotlin Course from Scratch