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Short-Term Coding Program
Coding workshops @ TRU — summer 2018
As the use of computers becomes more and more prevalent in many fields, programming skills are ever more important. To meet the increasing demand for skilled programmers, Thompson Rivers University, in consultation with local industries, offers short-term coding related training courses. These courses are based on hands-on experiential learning and targeted for the public or professionals from non-IT field who are looking to change their career.
Two-day workshops (weekends)
The workshops are offered over two days (about a total of 12 to 18 hours) to introduce coding-specific skill sets/topics using a hands-on, direct-experience approach (experiential learning and problem-based learning). The team of instructors includes instructors from the Department of Computing Science, CS students, and CS graduates working in the IT industry. No prior programming experience is required for taking these workshops. They are open to all.
| Day 1 Saturday | |
| 8:30 - 9 | Registration and breakfast |
| 9 - 10:30 | Session 1 |
| 10:30 - 10:45 | Coffee break |
| 10:45 - 12:15 | Session 2 |
| 12:15 - 1 | Lunch break |
| 1 - 2:30 | Session 3 |
| 2:30 - 3 | Refreshment break |
| 3 - 4:30 | Session 4 |
| Day 2 Sunday | |
| 8:30 - 9 | Registration and breakfast |
| 9 - 10:30 | Session 1 |
| 10:30 - 10:45 | Coffee break |
| 10:45 - 12:15 | Session 2 |
| 12:15 - 1 | Lunch break |
| 1 - 2:30 | Session 3 |
| 2:30 - 3 | Refreshment break |
| 3 - 4:30 | Session 4 |
| 4:30 - 5 | Closing remarks |
Cyber Security and Privacy Issues REGISTRATION CLOSED
Do you know what are viruses, malware, ransomware and phishing attacks? How can attackers compromise your computer remotely and ask for ransom? How easily your personal information and identity can be stolen without your knowledge? How can attackers steal your financial information including credit card information? Can you do anything to protect from these attacks? What are the available best practices and tools that you can use to safeguard yourself from these attacks? If you are interested to know about these topics, then this course is for you!
Cyber-crime is a huge and growing problem to online businesses and individuals across the globe. In this digital age, the issues of Internet security are no longer just for the technology crowd; they matter to all of us. Due to the lack of awareness among general users and affordable resources available for their protection, these are becoming increasingly difficult issues to tackle. The purpose of this course is to help you keep your information safe online using the best free and low-cost security practices.
This course is open to everyone, and no previous programming experience necessary. However, below 12 years old must attend with an adult participant.
When: Saturday, June 2, 2018 and Sunday, June 3, 2018
Where: OM 1327
Introduction to Web Technologies REGISTRATION CLOSED
Since web technologies were invented to share documents over the Internet, they have been evolved into a new programming environment. In the web programming environment, web documents are presented on a web browser in various forms and ways. The documents can be read more easily and effectively with various user interface means. Programming logic is also included in the web programming environment to provide a more sophisticated user interface and access to databases. Hence web documents have become rather web applications.
Web applications usually consist of two sides — client side and server side. Initially, web programs that run at client side are downloaded and run on a web browser. The client side web programs exchange data with service side web programs that access to databases.
In this course, students are introduced to the overview of web programming environment. Students learn how to develop web applications with the two major aspects of client-side components – Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) — for good document presentation with some useful user interface. A brief introduction of programming logic with JavaScript programming language is also included.
This course is open to everyone, and no previous programming experience necessary. However, below 12 years old must attend with an adult participant.
When: Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018 and Sunday, Aug. 5, 2018
Where: OM 1327
Introduction to Mobile App Development REGISTRATION CLOSED
Have you ever wondered how mobile apps are developed? Do you want to learn what it takes to start an app development career? Join us in this short, compressed course and learn the basic concepts of Mobile app development. Throughout this short course, you will learn what programming languages are used to create mobile applications for different platforms, which software kit is used for each platform and how they integrate with each other. This course takes place over two days and includes 8 lessons, which take you step by step through creating your first Mobile App. The course uses Corona Software Development Kit and covers basic programming concepts through Lua scripting language. You will develop two mobile applications by the end of this course. The first application is a simple game that uses few physics concepts, such as friction, bouncing effects, etc. You will learn how to use the physics library in Corona and how to configure different parameters to create cool effects. The second application is a simple application that demonstrates how to create a simple user interface. At the end of the course, you will extend one of these two applications to create your own app project.
This course is open to everyone, and no previous programming experience necessary. However, below 12 years old must attend with an adult participant.
When: Saturday, June 16, 2018 and Sunday, June 17, 2018
Where: OM 1327
A Taste of Coding REGISTRATION CLOSED
This course introduces the basics of programming concepts to everyone using fun and interactive a block-structured programming language such as the Scratch. Without any prior programming knowledge, participants will learn coding concepts utilizing the block coding platform. Also, following hands-on experiential learning method, students will be introduced how to use Raspberry PI board (an open-source platform used for building electronics projects) with sensors and understand the concepts of the Internet of Things. At the end of the course, they will apply their coding skill to develop an app that will interact with the physical world using sensors and Raspberry PI.
This course is open to everyone, and no previous programming experience necessary. However, below 12 years old must attend with an adult participant.
When: Saturday, July 7, 2018 and Sunday, July 8, 2018
Where: OM 1327
Python for Programming REGISTRATION CLOSED
This hands-on course provides an introduction to general programming concepts using Python programming language. The course uses Jupyter Notebooks, which requires only a browser and an internet connection, to learn, practice and write python programs. The course explores different programming concepts, such as arguments, variables, data types, conditional statements, and loops. By the end of this course, students will be able to create programs that accept inputs from the user, process this input using mathematical and logical operations, and provide the correct output to the user.
This course is open to everyone, and no previous programming experience necessary. However, below 12 years old must attend with an adult participant.
When: Saturday, July 14, 2018 and Sunday, July 15, 2018
Where: OM 1325
iOS Application Development REGISTRATION CLOSED
This course will introduce you to the basics of iOS app development using Apple's new programming language, Swift. We will use Swift 4 in this course, which is a powerful and intuitive programming language for macOS, iOS, watchOS and tvOS. The course does not require any prior programming experience. We will first use Swift playgrounds to learn the Swift language. Then, we'll cover the basic concepts of iOS app development and build a simple application for the iPhone and iPad platforms using the iOS SDK (Xcode). The course covers the basics of user interface design, using Model-View-Controller (MVC) design patterns, creating a custom control design and developing multi-scene applications.
When: Saturday, July 21, 2018 and Sunday, July 22, 2018
Where: OM 2632
Introduction to Programming with Arduino REGISTRATION CLOSED
This exciting coding course teaches you how to program a robot. If you do not have any prior coding experience or a little experience, no worries. You will learn basics of programming step-by-step. Then you can develop programs that let a robot see and move around and even make it intelligent. At the end of this course, there will be a robot competition. Your robot can win a prize by making it faster and smarter. You can have so much fun and learn basics of coding at the same time in this course. Come and join this exciting course.
This course is open to everyone, and no previous programming experience necessary. However, below 12 years old must attend with an adult participant.
When: Saturday, July 28, 2018 and Sunday, July 29, 2018
Where: OM 1327
One-day workshops
These camps are be a half-day or day-long hands-on practical experience on building a specific product, learning how to use a particular technology, or acquiring a specific skill (software, hardware) in the field of computer science. The focus is on the process and product, and the scope is a small but developing a practical skill set, or a procedure. These boot camps use a team-teaching, project-based approach, and the instructors work along with the students. The teams include CS students, IT professionals, and other experts in the subjects. Computing science faculty members from TRU act as coordinators and facilitators.
| Morning sessions | |
| 8:00 - 8:30 | Registration and breakfast |
| 8:30 - 10:30 | Session 1 |
| 10:30 - 10:45 | Refreshment break |
| 10:45 - 12:15 | Session 2 |
| 12:15 - 12:30 | Closing remarks |
Recipes for Staying Safe Online REGISTRATION CLOSED
Cybercrime is on the rise both in Canada and around the globe. Cybercriminals are always looking for ways to compromise your system and steal information. This short course will make you aware of staying safe online and provide you foundational knowledge about internet security and privacy. Topics include general password safety and management, how to maintain your social network activities secure and protected, how to identify phishing attacks to defend against identity theft, and how to keep your system safe and protected from malware.
When: Sunday, June 10, 2018
Where: OM 1325
Introduction to Programming using Arduino and Pixel LEDs REGISTRATION CLOSED
To introduce programming using pixel lights and an Arduino utilizing basics programming techniques in the C programming language. This course allows you to build and program your own custom RGB LED project. The course foster your creative side and combine it with technology to create dynamic art in vibrant colored LEDs. All ages are welcome; there is something for everyone to learn! No previous programming experience necessary!
When: Saturday, July 7, 2018
Where: OM 1325
Phenomenal Photo Editing REGISTRATION CLOSED
Learn how to turn your own photos into beautiful images using a free photo editing software! In this workshop, you will learn colour correction, basic healing, artistic techniques, and the workings of photo editing software. Bring your own images and walk away with stunning landscapes and portraits! Or if you don't have any photos you'd like to edit, learn the techniques on some of the photos provided! All ages are welcome; there is something for everyone to learn!
When: Sunday, July 8, 2018
Where: OM 1325
Building Website with WordPress REGISTRATION CLOSED
In this course you will learn how to build a stunning website without writing any code! You will learn basics of Web technologies and how thigs work on the Internet. After completing this course, you will be able to create your personal website, portfolio, and even online store. All ages are welcome; there is something for everyone to learn! No previous programming experience necessary!
When: Sunday, July 15, 2018
Where: OM 1325
How to Promote Your Business through Social Media REGISTRATION CLOSED
Social media is a big part of modern culture and everyday communication. With more and more people joining social media sites and using them regularly, the social media industry is booming like never. With such incredible growth, every business today needs to leverage proper social media channels in the best possible way. By promoting your business through social media, you not only generate more business but also connect with your customers better and serve them on a higher level. According to an infographic published by Ambassador, 2 million business today use Facebook advertising for promoting their products and services. In this workshop, you will learn how to use different social network platforms and websites to promote your business. With hands-on examples, you will learn techniques and tricks to utilize social media to improve your business effectively.
When: Sunday, July 22, 2018
Where: OM 1325
