Peer Review

Hour of Code

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Nov 20, 2025 by ICT Literacy

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

Code.org promotes coding for all students K-12, although the high school options might be of use at the introductory college level as well. Their site includes the Hour of Code campaign, Code Studio app, online tutorials, and curriculum.

Type of Material:

Collection

Recommended Uses:

Instructors can choose a coding learning activity for their target learning population (or 2-3 that students can choose from). Instructors can introduce coding using the website's videos, and ask students to do a coding activity in class or as homework. In any case, learners should share their experiences,findings and ideas about implications/application in class or online. If the class members did different activities, they can compare their experiences.

Technical Requirements:

The website includes videos and Flash.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Students will build foundational computer sciene skills, be introduced to high-demand fields in computing, and explore how AI works.

Target Student Population:

Grade School, Middle School, High School, College General Ed, Professional

STEM majors Pre- and in-service teachers Information and library science majors

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

basic ICT literacy

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The website provides a vast array of resources for students and teachers to learn how to code and find out the benefits of coding. The materials are accurate and current, chosen or created by educational and STEM advisors. The content is clear and concise. Some content is self-contained and can be used without requiring an assignment or context. The materials are well designed , and can be used independently. Internal links work, and resources are attributed appropriately.

Concerns:

The content does not provide a complete demonstration of the concept or demonstrate a course concept grounded in the discipline. Some of the resources do not appear to be ADA-compliant.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The learning objectives are usually stated; certainly the broad objectives support coding, which reflects digital literacy aspects of ICT. Curriculum is well structured, building upon concepts logically. Instructors can easily incorporate the ready-made activities, and can contextualize those lessons using the videos provided by the website. The results is time-effective learning about coding.

Concerns:

Without a verified account, despite this being a free website, it is unable to see the lesson plans or slide decks, although a course section can still be made for use of the course itself.

Teachers probably want to preview the materials, which can be time-consuming and may assume some coding skill.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The web architecture is professional: attractive, engaging, and easy to use. Instructions are clear and informative. Some courses are self-contained and some need a teacher to lead them, as indicated to students in the student view of the course catalog but not the teacher view. Technical support is available, and a community forum also provides support. Videos are close-captioned.

Concerns:

The course descriptions for the teacher and for the student are vague. The grade range for many of the options is very broad. Suggested sequences of courses are not provided. Students either need to be able to read or use the accessibility buttons available to hear the instructions in some of the courses. The student view is very hard to navigate, and the tool is not usable without guidance for teachers or students.

Some materials do not appear to be ADA-accessible.

Other Issues and Comments:: While free, there are many limitations if you are not part of a verified school. Some of the materials are provided by Disney and other commercial companies, which some teachers might not want to use for philosophical reasons.
Creative Commons: