What to Expect

Ada Build

All students are asked to complete our Ada Build curriculum prior to applying to our program. The content covers foundational concepts such as the basics of coding languages and getting comfortable with tools.

Ada Precourse

All students need to complete the precourse prior to Day 1 in the classroom. This 6- week, pre-classroom content covers foundational computer science concepts like the basics of coding languages and coding tools to prepare students for their first day of class. The purpose of this curriculum is to keep students coding (and talking about code) between admission and start of the program. This also gives students an opportunity to start building community by with peers.

Additionally, we offer Ada Precourse Live; a guided classroom experience for students who need extra support or would like to gain more practice before beginning the program. This is a series of four online sessions conducted by Ada instructors to help incoming students work through the Ada Precourse. These live sessions are geared toward providing foundational concepts, such as using loops, lists, and dictionaries. 

Ada’s Classroom Experience

Students are in the Ada classroom for six core hours a day, five days a week for six months. Our classroom features community over competition. Students are encouraged to support each other both inside and outside the classroom. A typical day caters to a variety of learning styles and consists of reading and before class, watching videos before class, and small group activity-based learning in class.

Ada’s classroom model includes content that is inclusive of various learning styles: videos, readings prior to class. This focuses classroom time for discussions and small group activities, which we call Roundtables. Students learn by doing and our Instructors are the guides in the process.

Ada Learning Objectives

1. Learn how to learn: create a model of independent self-learning study skills to facilitate learning new technologies.
2. Write Code: implement features in high-level code for medium-sized systems.
3. Debug Code: establish a model of debugging skills to facilitate debugging, reading, and understanding existing code in medium-sized systems.
4. Communicate about Code: apply coding and communication skills combined to team-based software development.
5. Prepare Themselves for Internship: combine their code skills and job-preparation workshops to prepare themselves for a successful internship in software development.
6. Build Communities rooted in Social Justice: integrate skills learned from social justice, advocacy, diversity, equity, and inclusivity to co-author a supportive learning community.

Ada Developers Academy teaches full-stack web development, allowing students to choose what specialty of software development they want to pursue in their post-Ada careers. We cover Python, SQL, Flask, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and Computer Science fundamentals. The complete curriculum is online and open-source.

All of Ada’s roundtables lectures are recorded for students using the Panopto video platform. For more information on how our course is structured, check out our syllabus here.

In-person and Digital Classroom

Students are in the Ada classroom for six core hours a day, five days a week for six months. Our classroom features community over competition. Students are encouraged to support each other both inside and outside the classroom. A typical day caters to a variety of learning styles and consists of reading and watching videos before class, and small group activity-based learning in class.

The curriculum is divided up into three units:

Unit 1: Python & Computer Science Fundamentals

• Python
• CS Fundamentals
• Programming Fundamentals

Unit 2: SQL & Flask

• Flask
• SQL
• Web APIs
• CS Fundamentals

Unit 3: JavaScript and React

• HTML & CSS
• Web APIs
• Javascript
• CS Fundamentals
• React

Ada uses a cohort model for its classroom, where students move through the curriculum together from start to finish. Here is the syllabus.

Capstone

As a culmination of each student’s classroom learning experience, they create a Capstone project to showcase what they have learned in the program.

Project Goals include:

• Demonstrate self-direction, time management, and independent learning
• Learn and implement new technologies
• Complete a product life cycle from conception to delivery
• Utilize agile practices learned to assist in project completion

Services

The success of each Adie is our number one priority. Students can sign-up for 1:1 tutors, ask questions from TAs during afternoon project time, connect with industry mentors, and also seek guidance from Adies from past cohorts. Our Student Services support staff is on-hand to listen and refer services as needed.

Testimonials

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The Ada staff have worked to make this learning space a truly collaborative environment. This is not a competition. Take every opportunity to boost up the Adies on your left and right!

Grace Shea (she/her)

Ada has fostered the kind of community where the challenges posed by its rigorous nature are surmountable with the expansive and active support network of Adies and staff members.

Stephanie Marchante (she/her)

I was given an opportunity for training and a career that I would have never gotten without Ada Dev Academy. The program rewards grit and determination, and the Ada community fosters an environment of support and empathy that contributes to the success of all of their students. I encourage everyone who is eligible to be brave and apply.

Kat Perreira (she/her)