When last we checked in with Lighthouse Labs, the coding bootcamp was expanding its presence to Calgary and Toronto. This week, Lighthouse Labs is testing a pilot program that could expand its education program to remote communities across Canada.
Lighthouse Labs has partnered with the Yukon Government to offer a hybrid online/in-person coding bootcamp to 5 students in Whitehorse. While these students will spend the first 3 days of the program in Vancouver, the rest of the 8 weeks will be spent in a classroom housed at MakeIT, the Yukon’s leading IT company.
Delivering an intense remote coding bootcamp, while maintaining Lighthouse Labs’ 100% placement rate for students, presents some challenges. Jeremy Shaki, Lighthouse Labs’ co-founder, blogged about the process earlier this week:
“Our space in Launch Academy has been retrofitted with the appropriate technology to provide an instructional system that’s been referred to as a “closed loop”. The technology will allow for instructional delivery, outcome tracking, and live assistance in a remote setting. We do all this in a way that remains personal and teaches the students what it means to become a professional developer.
“For example, our built-in TA queue (booths pictured above) will allow for TAs to see when students in the Yukon need help, and immediately jump on our remote station to give them face-to-face feedback and support. That same queue function will measure the TA’s response time to students, how long it’s taking to actually finish supporting them, which students aren’t asking enough questions, and what concepts are not being explained properly(this leads to a barrage of questions).”
If Lighthouse Labs can successfully deliver a quality educational experience and maintain its 100% placement rate, expect to see similar hybrid courses pop up all over Canada. There really is no excuse nowadays to not become digitally literate.