Bit Camp creates a 6-week JavaScript bootcamp with TwilioQuest

Bit Camp creates a 6-week JavaScript bootcamp with TwilioQuest

Meet the students that are making programming accessible for people with non-technical and unconventional backgrounds.

Students from non-traditional backgrounds who are interested in learning to code often don’t have access to the same resources, professors and experiences during their studies. This disparity often leads to a lack of confidence in pursuing opportunities, and when a group of students from UC Davis in California realized they had an opportunity to change this, the non-profit, Bit Camp was born.

As Shreya Gupta, Head of Developer Relations at Bit Camp puts it, “As a major in Computer Science and Engineering, I have felt intimidated by my lack of experience prior to college. I found that projects outside the classroom helped me overcome this, and I think it is important for me to help other students see their potential”.

BitProject, Bit Camp’s student-led bootcamp, aims to democratize tech education through open source learning experiences. These experiences involve partnering with industry leaders which give students an opportunity to learn from professionals who act as mentors in the program.

When the team at BitProject was looking for a partner for their web development course, they looked to TwilioQuest to build a fun and engaging learning experience.

Inspiring a community of future tech leaders

Creating an engaging, impactful bootcamp program involves a lot of creativity and coordination from the team at Bit Camp. With their “Intro to Javascript” bootcamp, which launched in December 2020, the team used TwilioQuest’s JavaScript Test Lab mission to develop 6-weeks worth of curriculum for their students.

As Shreya says, “We prepare students to create a final project using the skills they learned in the course. The guidelines for the project are broad, and we encourage them to build something that has an impact on the world.”

The students were accompanied by Twilio software engineers and product professionals who met weekly with the students as mentors, answering questions about JavaScript and the tech industry more broadly. Each week, the students joined a live stream on Twitch where course content was shared by Bit Camp’s instructors and Margaret Staples, TwilioQuest’s Developer Evangelist.

The Javascript Test Lab helps students build projects that have an impact on the world

The TwilioQuest for Education curriculum allows students to learn JavaScript concepts through game play, while preparing them for real-world programming.

The Intro to JavaScript Bit Camp is only one of the courses the BitProject team has created, and their vision for the future is inspiring. Their plans for growth involve creating courses that support individuals switching from non-technical careers, as well as expanding the Bit Camp community into other universities and colleges.

“TwilioQuest combines basic concepts as well as more advanced concepts that the students can use to make analogies to real life scenarios. It also provides students with the flexibility required to challenge themselves based on their own individual needs.” - Shreya Gupta

Learn more about TwilioQuest for Education