LiveCode in Education

Delight Students Learning to Code

Tens of thousands of students are now learning to code using LiveCode each year and loving it. LiveCode has a proven track record as a fantastic way to teach and learn coding. You can learn everything you need to know about computational thinking, logic and coding principals. But rather than using complex jargon and symbols, LiveCode uses simple English words and phrases. And students can build their own mobile games and apps that run on the devices they have in their pockets.

Engage your students from the first day

We know that if you aren’t successful at engaging a student at the very start of the course it can be hard to get their engagement back later. LiveCode helps you to engage everyone in your class from day one – and hold their attention right through to the end of the course.

Build games with the “Wow” factor

LiveCode is great at creating games. It has full support for graphics, animation and creating game logic. Games are a great opportunity to teach computational thinking. How do I solve a problem? Break it down into logical chunks and see your game come to life. Students are motivated when they are able to create impressive apps and games to share with friends and family. LiveCode apps run on any platform, including most importantly the iOS and Android devices your students have in their pockets

Get and retain more students

We regularly hear stories of schools having success in increasing their class sizes after they adopt LiveCode. It is common for schools to double the number of higher or advanced classes a year or two after adoption. We also see a reduction in the rates of students dropping out of classes. In some cases LiveCode has even helped to retain students within the school system rather than dropping out.

Which of these languages do you want to teach at ages 10 to 17?

In the following example we show you how to sort the lines of comma separated text in reverse alphabetical order. An “item” in LiveCode is text separated by comma (comma is the default, you can choose any delimiter including a word).

LiveCode
JavaScript
PHP
Java
Python
sort lines of theText descending by last item of each

The Result

Without symbols or complex jargon, LIveCode completes the same action typically with 90% less code and in this example in just 1 line of code.

Run the code example Reset
Mr, Ali, Lloyd
Ms, Heather, Laine
Mr, Kevin, Miller
Mr, Mark, Waddingham

What other teachers have to say…

“Because of LiveCode, more students have taken CS classes and our school has become a primary feeder school for the University of Maryland’s Computer Science program.”

Name: Cyril Pruszko
Occupation: Teacher
School: Eleanor Roosevelt High School

Hear more from Cyril

Teach them to solve their own problems

With English-like coding, students grasp concepts easily. The language offers simplicity, e.g, you can start counting in a loop with 1 not 0. Students don’t have too many hard concepts to grasp early on. We avoid the use of symbols, which are tough for the human brain to grasp. Coding in LiveCode is “live” – students see their programs work as they build them. If they make a mistake they can step through their code line by line and see exactly how it works. Students can spot and correct their own errors rather than having their teacher do it.

Motivate students with success

Your students will really enjoy the power and flexibility available and will be able to produce amazing apps and games. There is nothing more motivating for a student than being able to demo their app to their friends and family and others on their own phone. For example, LiveCode classes have been so successful that a small high school group recently placed second in the Congressional App Challenge – a USA-wide contest with hundreds of entrants predominantly at college/University level!

LiveCode vs other languages

Having just the right coding language for the age group you are teaching is very important. Ages 10 to 17 have some particular challenges. Scratch is too simple for this age group and doesn’t stretch students sufficiently. Java, JavaScript and even Python are too complex and can lead to lots of students dropping out. Platforms such as App Inventor are also too complex.

An independent study from Southern Cross University compared the cognitive load of completing tasks in LiveCode to App Inventor and showed that LiveCode required around half the cognitive load.

What other teachers have to say…

“LiveCode has transformed our teaching of ICT. It was easy for us to learn, covered the whole curriculum and best of all, the kids love it”

Name: Steven Whyte
Occupation: Teacher
School: Gracemount High School

Read more from Steven

Teach LiveCode first

If your students are going on to a career in software engineer, LiveCode makes an excellent stepping stone to other languages such as Python on JavaScript. One teacher experimented with just this point, switching from teaching Python first to LiveCode first. He was then able to go on to do Python next and found he could get through 5 months of Python classes in 2 months. 25% of the class would drop out when he taught Python first, when teaching LiveCode first none of the students dropped out.

Less jargon and unnecessary complexity

LiveCode can be taught at any age. However it is specially well suited to teaching ages 10 to 17. It is a perfect step-up for students who started out with Scratch in earlier years. It is just as powerful as JavaScript or Python, but comes without the jargon, symbols or unnecessary complexity that can cause as much as a third of your class to drop out early on. It is “live” so your students see results every step of the way.

Supported by a welcoming community

LiveCode has a vibrant and welcoming community. Students and teachers are encouraged to ask questions in our forums, or look for help in our Lessons Portal, Dictionary or User Guide. The LiveCode environment itself also contains lots of helpful pointers.

*APPROPRIATE ADULT – IF your child is under the age of 13 we recommend that if signing up to the LiveCode forums you do so on their behalf, and supervise their use.

Affordable licensing options

LiveCode is a paid software platform built by a small team. We bring unique benefits to your students you won’t find elsewhere. We have a range of very affordable licenses for students, teachers, schools and universities. You can find out more here. However if you can’t afford a license for whatever reason, please get in touch – we want to help.

View Licensing

Teaching resources for parents, students & teachers

There are a range of materials available to help you get started with LiveCode, many of them linked below. These range from the free Scottish School Curriculum materials, to the online courses offered by our education partner Tekkie Uni. Tekkie Uni has online LiveCode app development courses available at three levels for individual students, teacher training materials and curriculum materials available for schools.

For Parents & Students – Age 10-17

App Development for Kids

Created from our official teaching partner for students age 10-17, App Development is a great way to learn coding! In this course, students create their own games and apps – learning essential tools, developing their skills and building confidence.

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For Teachers & Educators – Age 10-17

App Development for Kids – Classroom Edition

If you love the sound of the App Development course above but you would like to include it in your classroom then this is the option for you. The course would be delivered by our official partners at Tekkie Uni (part of eTeacher Group) who teach 5000 kids every year how to create apps in LiveCode. IF you are interested in this option for your classroom please get in touch with us to discuss your specific requirements.

Get in touch

For Teachers & Educators – Age 10-17

App Development for Kids – Licensed Edition

As with the App Development for Kids – Classroom Edition you will get access to the App Development course system and materials designed by our official teaching partner at Tekkie Uni. With this option you are licensing the right to teach and use this in your classroom. Instead of using Tekkie Uni’s teachers (as per the Classroom Edition) you will use your own teachers to deliver their outstanding materials. If you are interested in this option for your classroom please get in touch with us to discuss your specific requirements.

Get in touch

For Teachers & Educators

Learn how to teach LiveCode

Our official teaching partner at eTeacher Group have trained people all over the world to teach LiveCode to their students. Let them teach you to do the same. If you are interested in this option please get in touch with us to discuss your specific requirements

Get in touch

For Teachers & Educators

Free Scottish Curriculum – Age 14 – 18

Based on the Scottish Curriculum and covering the complete syllabus. These notes are editable in a variety of formats and suitable to be adapted as a general introduction to programming for students anywhere in the world. These course notes have generously been provided by Steven Whyte, Computing Studies teacher at Gracemount High School, Edinburgh

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For Students – Age 18+

LiveCode University

LiveCode University assumes no past experience programming. You will start with the basic principals of computational thinking and build up step-by-step. The course content was created by Brigham Young University and has been taught there successfully for several years. The skills you learn will make it easier for you to learn many other languages and technologies in the future if you choose to.

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For Students, Teachers & Educators

Free Education Learning Resources

Created by Cyril Pruszko this free site includes learning resource that were used during his teaching at Prince George’s County Public Schools. A completely free site where you will find useful resources for teaching and learning LiveCode.

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Steven CrightonLiveCode in Education