VIRTUAL ADVENTURES WITH THE MUSEUM – CODING BASICS AND BEYOND FAQ

The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences welcomes all children and strives to provide an equal experience to any child registered for our programs. We are committed to open and honest communication with guardians to ensure the best experience for all participants.

If your child can benefit from any modification and/or support in order to fully enjoy their time in each program, please contact matthew.faerber@naturalsciences.org.

Coding Basics and Beyond

Grade Level: rising 9th–12th grade in the upcoming 2020/2021 school year.
Day 1:  Monday, August 10 @ 10am–5pm
Day 2:  Tuesday, August 11 @ 10am–5pm
Day 3:  Wednesday, August 12 @ 10am–5pm
Day 4:  Thursday, August 13 @ 10am–5pm
Day 5:  Friday, August 14 @ 10am–5pm

Learn computer science the fun way by building games and educational programs completely from scratch using Processing, a powerful, cross-platform Java-based language. Share your custom code with others and interact with the instructors in real time using Google Classroom and YouTube. Includes live and pre-recorded content. Students work through daily projects at their own pace.

Listing of all Virtual Adventures with the Museum programs.

Registration for Virtual Adventures with the Museum – Coding Basics and Beyond
Registration is first come, first served. Programs traditionally fill quickly.

What age group should I sign my child up for?
Grade levels stated in the program descriptions are the upcoming school year (2020-2021). Please double-check to make sure that you sign your child(ren) up for the appropriate grade level. We cannot make exceptions. Falsified registrations will be cancelled, and the registration fee will be refunded minus the $20.00 processing fee.

When is my payment due and what forms of payment are accepted?
Payment is due in full at the time of registration and required to secure a spot. MasterCard, VISA, Discover, and American Express are accepted. Checks or cash payment cannot be accepted or dropped off at the Museum.

When will I receive confirmation?
Your confirmation will be emailed upon submitting the online registration. The confirmation receipt, along with additional information will be sent to the email address provided during online registration. A reminder email will also be sent before the start of your program.

Is there a waiting list if a program is full?
Yes! Send an email to summercamps@naturalsciences.org with name of child, name of guardian and phone number. There is no cost to be added onto the waiting list.

Refunds
The Museum can grant refunds only when a cancellation is received before August 3^rd. Cancellations received after the deadline will not be eligible for a refund. A $20.00 processing fee per program is required for all refunds. If we are alerted as soon as possible of a child’s illness or family emergency immediately before a program begins, we will do our best to provide a refund, minus the $20.00 processing fee.

Cancellation
The Museum’s primary goal is to keep programs safe for participants and staff. While not anticipated, programs may need to be cancelled, rescheduled, or modified to meet current safety guidelines. You will be notified if this becomes the case. A full refund will be issued if the Museum cancels the program.

Programs with low enrollment 2 weeks prior to the start date are subject to cancellation. Guardians will be contacted to investigate the possibility of enrollment in another program.  A full refund will be issued if the Museum cancels the program.

How will the virtual program work?
This virtual program uses Google Classroom and YouTube. Each day includes both live and pre-recorded content and students work through daily projects at their own pace. Information about the program, how-to documents, and login information will be emailed to you the week prior to the start of your program.

Programs will involve learning basic computer programming concepts at an accelerated pace through coding activities that encourage creativity. Each day participants will build a different program or build off of programs from a previous day’s work. By the end of the week, participants will have created and customized multiple programs unique to them. Daily projects and challenges are self-paced, but activities are designed to provide 4 to 7 hours of coding activities each day. Every morning from 10:00am to 11:00am, NCMNS instructors will live stream a video going over the day’s theme and answering participant questions in the live chat (this video will be recorded and made available for a limited time to participants who may miss the video or wish to re-watch). At the end of the livestream, a link will be made available for a video that will lead the participant through the day’s lesson in detail (this may take approximately two hours to complete based on individual speed). Students will also be given coding challenges each day that will allow them to customize their program. The amount of time spent on the coding challenges is up to the participant, but instructors design the challenges for 2 to 4 hours of project time. Instructors will be available from 1:00pm to 4:00pm to answer questions live through the chat section of Google Classroom.

Sample Timeline for each daily session of the program:
Each student works at their own pace, so individual schedules and time spent will vary.

• 10:00am-11:00am:  Watch the livestream YouTube video of the NCMNS instructors going over pertinent info for the day and answering questions live in the text chat.
• 11:00am-12:00pm:  Watch the pre-recorded YouTube video from the NCMNS instructors and code the program for the day.
• 12:00pm-1:00pm:  Break for lunch.
• 1:00pm-5:00pm:  Work on the daily coding challenges to customize your program. NCMNS instructors are available from 1:00pm-4:00pm to answer any questions that participants have through the chat section of Google Classroom.

Two NCMNS Museum staff will lead each program. Programs will be recorded by the moderator for internal review by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Each session builds upon the knowledge gained from the last, and thus we encourage participants to be able to attend the daily sessions when they register. Recordings of the videos will be available during the week of the program and for one week following.

We want your child to be able to engage as much as they need to in order to fully understand the concepts being taught. Disruptive behavior will be redirected. Significant disruptive behavior may lead to the moderator or teacher disabling the chat privileges of the student and the parents or guardians will be notified.

What technology and supplies will my child need?
Participants will need the following materials:

• Desktop or laptop computer running a full desktop version of Windows, Linux, or MAC. Devices running Android and others such as Chromebooks, iPads, phones, etc., will not be able to run the required Processing software.
• Microphone and camera
• Internet connection
• A personal Gmail account for logging into Google Classroom
• The ability to install Processing* before the start of the course

No coding experience is necessary, but proficiency in typing and general computer usage is required. If participants want to improve their typing skills, our instructors recommend completing the free typing program available at https://www.typingclub.com/* before the start of the Coding Basics and Beyond program.

*Links are not affiliated with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Does a guardian or adult need to be present?
Activities are intended to be completed with virtual assistance from Museum educators and require little guardian oversight. Guardians should be in the same house with a mobile phone on for notifications. If the name and phone number of the adult at home with the child during the program is different from the adult registering the child, please send an email to matthew.faerber@naturalsciences.org.

What if my child missed a day?
We encourage participants to attend sessions daily. Refunds will not be given for days missed. If a child must miss part of a session, they will be able to complete the activities by following the posts on Google Classroom.

Are siblings allowed to participate together under one registration?
Only one participant per registration may participate in the program. Multiple participants in the same household can register, but each participant will need their own computer.