How to Choose a Coding Project

This tool at Science Buddies helps students find a coding or computer science project, whether they are just getting started or already have a project idea in mind.

All students should be encouraged to explore coding and have opportunities to learn to use code to create solutions, design and instruct robots and machines to perform specific tasks, analyze data, and more.

Computational and algorithmic thinking are important 21st-century skills and are not limited to those who want to develop software and video games. Coding projects build and strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills and emphasize innovation. With more and more jobs incorporating coding, students who experiment with coding projects in elementary, middle, or high school may discover exciting STEM career paths.

Whether students are interested in traditional computer programming or another STEM field, there is often tremendous overlap. Coding is an interdisciplinary skill set, a tool that can be applied to almost any field. Already, many fields use programming, data analysis, physical computing (in which circuits are connected to programs), and machine learning.

Where to Start?

For students just getting started with coding, finding and choosing a project may be confusing. What language should you learn? What should you code? What types of coding can you use to explore specific STEM questions?

Our How to Pick a Coding Project self-guided tool helps students find coding projects that fit their interests and experience leve. Much like a flowchart, this tool helps students quickly see what's available, understand what projects they could do, and find a project of interest.

When visiting the How to Pick a Coding Project page, students will choose between these four options:

The initial selection helps students navigate to projects of interest based on their starting point:

• By Programming Language: Do they want to learn or work with a specific language?
• By Technology or Application Type: Do they want to create a specific type of program? Are they interested in robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, software development, or game design?
• By Area of Science: Are they looking for a coding project related to a specific field of science?
• By Global Goal: Are they interested in finding a coding project that connects with specific sustainability goals or targets real-world problems?

Finding a Project of Interest

After making a selection and clicking through to the next level, students are presented with a list of suggested projects or another set of options that help them further narrow the list of projects.

• After selecting "By Programming Languages," students will choose between beginner-friendly, block-based programming with Scratch or projects that use Python, C++, or other languages.
• After selecting "By Technology or Application Type," students will choose to explore coding projects in categories like simulation/modeling, software/app design, artificial intelligence, data analysis, robotics, game design, or programmable gadgets.
• After selecting "By Global Goal," students select a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of interest.
• After selecting "By Area of Science," students are shown a list of coding projects they can then filter by specific areas of science.

Once students have used the tool to drill down to a list of projects, they can further filter the list by selecting an appropriate grade level from the filters.

How to Choose a Coding Project in Action

The following examples demonstrate how students might use this new tool.

Fifth-grade Student, First-time Coder

This example shows a fifth-grade student who is new to coding and would like to do a project using Scratch, which they've heard is a good way to get started learning to code.

In this example, the student:

1. Selected the "By Programming Languages" option
2. Selected Scratch as the language
3. Was presented with a list of Scratch projects
4. Used the "Grade Level" filter to select "Fifth Grade" to view a smaller list of projects

Middle School Student Interested in AI and Machine Learning

In this example, a student wants to find a machine learning project for an eighth-grade project.

In this example, the student:

1. Selected the "By Technology or Application Type" option
2. Selected "Artificial Intelligence," which includes machine learning
3. Was presented with a list of AI projects
4. Used the "Grade Level" filter to select "Eighth Grade" to view a smaller list of projects

High School Student Interested in a Project Related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This example shows a student who wants to find a project related to a real-world problem for a tenth-grade project.

In this example, the student:

1. Selected the "By Global Goal" option
2. Selected "Zero Hunger" from the list of Sustainable Development Goals
3. Was presented with a list of coding projects related to the selected SDG
4. Used the "Grade Level" filter to select "High School" to narrow the list by difficulty level

Recognition for Student Coding Projects

Students using coding in their projects may be eligible for the Broadcom Coding with Commitment® award. Learn more about this initiative for students in grades 5-8 and find science fairs at which it is awarded.

These stories highlight students who received Broadcom Coding with Commitment awards for their coding projects:

• A Video Game Science Project to Help People with Alzheimer's
• Middle School Student Codes to Improve Life with Visual Impairment

Related STEM Resources

For additional projects and lessons that involve coding, see the following:

• 25+ Coding Projects for Beginners and Beyond
• Interactive Coding Blocks Help Students Get Started!
• Student AI and Machine Learning Projects
• Arduino Projects for Students

Share Your Coding Project Stories!

We look forward to hearing how your students use this new features and about the coding projects they choose and explore. If you have students doing coding projects who would like to share their experience, they can reach us at [email protected]. We are always interested in showcasing stories about students using our resources to do science and engineering projects.