Grok's Coding Challenge Now Free For All Aotearoa New Zealand Students

Grok Academy is delighted to announce that the 2024 NCSS (National Computer Science School) Challenge will be available free to all students across Aotearoa New Zealand, thanks to the support of WiseTech Global. Teachers can now register students in Years 5 - 13 for this inclusive and engaging coding competition, which will launch on July 29.
 

The NCSS Challenge, a long-time favourite among students in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, is designed to introduce young people to the world of coding and computational thinking. This year’s Challenge includes a series of exciting updates that cater to students from complete beginners to confident coders.

"Coding is a fundamental skill for the 21st century," says James Curran, CEO of Grok Academy. "The NCSS Challenge provides a supportive and fun environment for students to explore coding, whether they are complete beginners or have some experience. Thanks to WiseTech Global, the Challenge is free for all New Zealand students, removing barriers to participation and promoting inclusivity in tech education, helping build a local, high-skilled workforce."

As students participate in the five-week Challenge, they can accumulate points and climb the leaderboard, competing with their peers across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

One of the key additions to this year’s Challenge is the primer module, released for all challenges before the competition begins. This module is designed to familiarize students with the content and help them determine which challenge is right for them. The 2024 Challenge also includes updates to the Newbies and Beginners Blockly streams, which offer more support and guidance for students who feel less confident.

Students learn to code in Python, an easy to learn language used for many different purposes such as web applications and scientific research. The NCSS Intermediate Python Challenge has been updated to include a module on ‘Errors and Debugging,’ aiming to make the coding experience more realistic and help students develop resilience and problem-solving skills. The Advanced Python Challenge features more complex problems in the final week that allow students to fully utilize their skills.

Students receive feedback and online tutor support, and are presented with real-world problems to solve on topics from medicine to movies, and sports to science. The content and problems align with the Digital Technologies curriculum, and intelligent auto-marking reduces teacher workload.

The NCSS Challenge was originally developed in Australia, with the support of organizations including Atlassian, Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), CommBank, Macquarie, NAB, Optiver, Telstra, and Platinum sponsor WiseTech Global.

Teachers across Aotearoa New Zealand are invited to register their classes for the NCSS Challenge. Registration is simple and can be completed online through the Grok Academy website.

For more information about the 2024 NCSS Challenge and to register, visit https://groklearning.com/challenge/.

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