Distance Learning

Cengage Releasing Coding Courses with Embedded Tutor

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 02/25/16

Digital curriculum provider Cengage Learning has struck an agreement with another education technology company to use the latter's coding labs inside a series of new programming courses. The deal with Codevolve, a San Francisco start-up, will give Cengage access to Codevolve's computer coding environment for integration within MindTap, the larger company's flagship digital platform.

This spring Cengage expects to release five new MindTap courses, covering Python, Java and C++. The Codevolve integration will let students practice writing and running code within a browser-based integrated development environment.

The IDE includes an embedded coding tutor, Codey, who can guide the student through exercises by pointing out problems with syntax and other bugs.

For its part, MindTap gives instructors features such as automated grading, analytics and learning management system integration.

"Codevolve is a powerful tool that provides students the hands-on practice and troubleshooting support they need to learn complex subject matter," said Saul Costa, Codevolve's CEO, in a press release. "Students love the 'just in time' help as it provides assistance that beginners can understand without technical jargon. In addition, it leverages artificial intelligence to create a feedback resource that continually gets smarter."