Hackathons Can Foster CS Skills Out of Class

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 07/25/19
group of students working on computers around table

A survey of students participating in hackathons found that most of them learn new concepts and gain skills that they later use in their computer science work. The survey was conducted by GitHub Education and Major League Hacking (MLH), which calls itself the "official student hackathon league." Each year, MLH hosts some 200 weekend-long "invention" competitions that bring students together on teams to work on targeted challenges.

According to the results of the informal survey, four in five students explored new technologies or services during their hackathon project experience. Even more (93 percent) said they learned something new that hadn't been covered in coursework. Sixty-nine percent said they gained new skills that they were able to use in classwork later on, and 85 percent said they thought the skills they'd picked up could help with future coursework.

A solid majority of hackathon participants (70 percent) said they met or worked on projects with people they'd never worked with before and nearly nine in 10 (89 percent) said they learned something new from fellow students during the event.

GitHub, which produces a platform for developer collaboration, is running a program that grants $1,000 to students in colleges and universities that are organizing their first MLH hackathon during the 2020 season, and provides the organizing team with one sponsored ticket to Hackcon, MLH's conference for hacker community leaders.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • interconnected cloud icons with glowing lines on a gradient blue backdrop

    Report: Cloud Certifications Bring Biggest Salary Payoff

    It pays to be conversant in cloud, according to a new study from Skillsoft The company's annual IT skills and salary survey report found that the top three certifications resulting in the highest payoffs salarywise are for skills in the cloud, specifically related to Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Nutanix.

  • a hobbyist in casual clothes holds a hammer and a toolbox, building a DIY structure that symbolizes an AI model

    Ditch the DIY Approach to AI on Campus

    Institutions that do not adopt AI will quickly fall behind. The question is, how can colleges and universities do this systematically, securely, cost-effectively, and efficiently?

  • minimalist geometric grid pattern of blue, gray, and white squares and rectangles

    Windows Server 2025 Release Offers Cloud, Security, and AI Capabilities

    Microsoft has announced the general availability of Windows Server 2025. The release will enable organizations to deploy applications on-premises, in hybrid setups, or fully in the cloud, the company said.

  • digital brain made of blue circuitry on the left and a shield with a glowing lock on the right, set against a dark background with fading binary code

    AI Dominates Key Technologies and Practices in Cybersecurity and Privacy

    AI governance, AI-enabled workforce expansion, and AI-supported cybersecurity training are three of the six key technologies and practices anticipated to have a significant impact on the future of cybersecurity and privacy in higher education, according to the latest Cybersecurity and Privacy edition of the Educause Horizon Report.