The Raspberry Pi Foundation in conjunction with the University of Cambridge have launched Ada Computer Science, a free online learning platform for teachers, students, and anyone interested in learning about computer science.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation already offers many educational resources providing introductions the the Scratch programming language, to Python and to Physical Computing. Judging from its content, this new site is targeted mainly at UK School students working towards GCSE and A Level exams and their teachers. However it is open to anyone whether or not they are associated with a school and covers a wide range of topics from computing systems, programming concepts and networking fundamentals to security concerns and issues around the impact and consequences of technology. Topics include real code examples in Python, Java, VB, and C# and its live code editor features interactive coding tasks in Python. New content will be developed in response to user feedback and the latest research.

Where appropriate there are short videos introducing these topics but beyond this students are expected to read the content and to tackle quiz questions. There are already nearly 1000 interactive questions to test students understanding, complete with hints to help students arrive at the right answer. The My Ada section of the site maintains a Progress Chart which keeps track of questions attempted and proportion answered correctly. The site is intended to be used for exam preparation and revision and a helpful inclusion are the specifications of both A Level and GSCE exams in Computer Science for specific Examining Boards with links to the content.

Teachers can use Ada Computer Science for classwork, homework, and revision, and even set assignments for their students. Like the quiz questions the assignments are marked directly, and the results help both teachers and students understand how well they have grasped the key concepts and identify areas where they need further tuition.

Ada Computer Science enables teachers to: 

• Plan lessons around high-quality content
• Set self-marking homework questions
• Pinpoint areas to work on with students
• Manage students’ progress in a personal markbook

At the same time it provides students with: 

• Free computer science resources, written by specialist teachers
• A huge bank of interactive questions, designed to support learning
• A powerful revision tool for exams
• Access wherever and whenever you want

The Learn section has a helpful glossary and also has two user stories intended to inspire young people to aspire to following a career related to Computer Science.

While the site's name is obviously a reference to Ada Lovelace there is no mention of her that I can find on the site!

More Information

Ada Computer Science

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