Teaching Coding and Robotics in the Intermediate Phase

Course description

Coding and Robotics is set to become part of the South African Curriculum in the near future. Both public and private primary schools will require trained teachers to deliver this subject. The national
Coding and Robotics curriculum was only finalised in August 2024, and tertiary institutes have only recently begun developing relevant course material. As for now, no official textbook has been published for this course yet.

Tertiary institutions are developing courses that will only be SAQA approved in 3 years’ time, but the need is now.

This course seeks to address this capacity gap by equipping teachers with the knowledge, values and skills needed to teach Coding and Robotics effectively at the Intermediate Phase level. This course
is not an approved course for accreditation towards a degree or diploma, but it will ensure that teachers are equipped with all the knowledge and skills to offer Coding and Robotics confidently.

The Faculty of Education has developed this course in collaboration with colleagues from the Computer Science Department at UWC and in consultation with key stakeholders from the Western Cape Education Department to ensure that it aligns with the needs of the schools.

Course details

Unit 1: Foundations of Coding and Robotics (Week 1)
Unit 2: Computational Thinking & Algorithmic Design (Week 2)
Unit 3: Coding Concepts with Visual Languages (Week 3)
Unit 4: Introduction to Robotics Kits (Week 4)
Unit 5: Classroom Integration of Robotics (Week 5)
Unit 6: Data and the Internet of Things (Week 6)
Unit 7: Assessment in Coding and Robotics (Week 7)
Unit 8: Design Thinking & Project-Based Learning (Week 8)
Unit 9: Peer Presentations and Final Reflection (Week 9)

Statement of purpose

This short course is designed to provide educators with foundational, practice-oriented training of
Coding and Robotics, aligned with the current developments in the South African curriculum. It
offers intellectual enrichment through a structured and focused exploration of relevant theories,
methodologies, and classroom applications. By fostering a deep understanding of Coding and
Robotics, this course aims to equip Intermediate Phase teachers with the knowledge, skills, and values required to deliver the subject confidently and effectively. In doing so, it supports the
integration of innovative teaching practices and contributes to improved educational outcomes across the curriculum.

Course outcomes

On completion of this course, participants should be able to:
• Unpacking of Coding and Robotics in CAPS for the Intermediate Phase, focusing on key
learning outcomes and progression across grades within the framework of Constructionism
• Master digital concepts, computational thinking patterns and algorithm development for
teaching Coding and Robotics
• Practice visual programming tools (Scratch) focusing on loops, conditionals, and variables
• Build robotics kits suitable for Intermediate Phase learners, such as the Micro:bit
• Plan and manage the teaching of coding and robotics in Intermediate Phase group settings
• Introducing basics of the Internet of Things (IoT) and simple data structures to Intermediate
Phase learners
• Design associated assessment rubrics to assess Coding and Robotics learning outcomes for
Intermediate Phase learners
• Design project-based learning activities in STEAM
• Reflect on learning and sharing implementation plans

Entry level requirements

Qualified teachers, and final year student teachers. Unqualified teachers who conform to the
UWC’s Recognition of Prior learning policies can also apply.

Planned course dates

15 September 2026 - 17 November 2026 (Tuesdays at 4PM - 7PM)
Applications open 19 June. Application deadline: 11 September 2026

Assessment methods

Formative assessment activities through group participation, peer evaluations, engagement with
facilitators and written activities.

A Summative Assessment in the form of Challenge will be given, where participants need to plan a
lesson around a challenge, build a robot and programme it to perform different tasks in a given
time. The second part of this assessment will be written as an associated assessment assessing the learning outcomes.

Teaching & learning strategies

Face-to-face and synchronous online learning:
Variety of methods:
• Self-directed Learning
• Experiential learning
• Blended collaborative learning with an emphasis on the “flipped classroom”
• Practical learning and experimentation with an emphasis on implementation
• Incremental learning - sessions build incrementally on one another

Course material & equipment

The Resources for Coding:
Students/Teachers will need a device (Computer/tablet/Smartphone) for individual or group
training. In the intermediate phase, we will follow a block-based coding approach. This course will need open-source software called Scratch and MakeCode. It allows users to create programs
using visual elements like blocks and symbols. In this type of environment, users can drag and
drop various blocks representing commands and snap them together like puzzle pieces to create their programs. It helps users to learn the foundational concepts and principles of coding without getting overwhelmed by the intricacies of text-based syntax and it minimises errors (such as formatting, punctuation, or spelling mistakes, semantics that could discourage users) associated with the complex syntax of text-based environments. By abstracting away the textual complexities, it therefore reduces cognitive load and allows users to focus on the problem and the foundational coding concepts, as well as the underlying logic of their programs, rather than too much mental effort on the code syntax. It therefore serves as an effective steppingstone for beginners to develop their problem-solving and programming skills before transitioning to more advanced coding environments.

The Resources for Robotics:
These resources will be supplied by the university.

For robotics, having a Micro:bit microcontroller is a great help but not mandatory. Teachers
can use simulations to test their programs.

The resources for Digital Concepts are:
• Sample technologies and components (e.g., mobile phone, tablet, laptop (with input and output devices, etc.) )
• Pictures of computing devices, input devices, output devices
• Simple diagrams of networks, etc.

Modes of delivery

A blended teaching mode of delivery will be followed.
Teachers will attend 3-hour sessions once a week for 9 weeks through face-to-face sessions.
18 hours of online peer and lecturer engagement.
Assignments 15 x 2 = 30 hours
Self-study = 45 hours