Code ABC hackathons: Teachers as tinkerers

Motto ‘hands-on exercises are the most efficient means to learn coding’ prevails the design of Code ABC hackathons. Hackathons are emergent and challenge-based ways to engage participants. The participants of this study comprise Finnish comprehensive schoolteachers that are willing to develop their coding skills. Perceiving hackathon participants as players grants employing the same motivation and engagement theories that game researchers and developers exploit in developing serious games. This paper represents two subsequent Code ABC hackathon iterations, the autumn of 2017 and the spring of 2018. The development of hackathon challenges was based on the previous semester-long Code ABC MOOC exercises field-tested since autumn 2015. As the data, we exploit the returned work from participants (multiple-choice questions, open-ended responses, programming exercises, N = 10, the first, N = 30, the second) and the instructors’ reflections (N = 5). In particular, we address the topics considered challenging, engaging, and the lessons learned; the analysis utilizes mixed methods. Results show that the hackathons were almost too demanding yet engaging; however, their full potential was left unexploited.