CodePath · CiR · CS1

CodePath Curriculum · CodePath in Residence

Introduction to Computer Science with GenAI

Year 2 instructor briefing · Summer 2026 revision · Python & Java tracks

What the course is, what changed for Year 2, and how to work with it and reach us.

Who we are

The Curriculum Team

  • I'm Sar; I lead curriculum development at CodePath, with our team.
  • We build, maintain, and quality-check curriculum across CodePath's courses.
  • For CS1, we own this year's revision and we're your support for the term.

Origins

Where this curriculum came from

  • Designed by Google. You heard the original design vision on Tuesday.
  • CodePath adopted it rather than building it from scratch, which is unusual for us.
  • The key difference: this course comes with the opportunity, and the responsibility, to deeply adapt it to your students.

Working with the curriculum

What to keep, what's yours to change

Keep these true

  • Code examples are real and runnable.
  • Grading is fair: correct work gets credit.
  • Students think before reaching for GenAI.
  • Preserve the original design intent.

Yours to change

  • Pacing and emphasis.
  • Your own examples and walkthroughs.
  • Assignments you build.
  • Ordering and delivery in your classroom.
Unsure why something is the way it is? Treat that as a signal to pause and understand the design intent before you change it. If you're stuck, ask us.

Orientation

Anatomy of the course

Structure Unit→ ModuleModuleModule
Inside a module ICAs+ Lab+Homework
Also Projects Exams Four unit exams (EdStem calls them "quizzes").
Heads up on EdStem's naming: EdStem labels every item a "lesson", even projects and exams. Don't let the label throw you.
Year 1 launch
(Fall 2025)
Mid-run
feedback
Summer 2026
revision
You teach
Year 2

Year 1 · Fall 2025

What CodePath did in Year 1

  • Adopted Google's design and structure as-is.
  • Built the full Java track from the Python original.
  • Implemented it into EdStem and the course portal for delivery at scale.
  • Ran a GIR-supported review pass.
Year 1 launch
(Fall 2025)
Mid-run
feedback
Summer 2026
revision
You teach
Year 2

During Year 1

We asked instructors for feedback

  • While the course ran, we collected instructor feedback on what worked and what didn't.
  • ⚠️ Only two or three instructors responded.
  • That feedback is the single biggest way this course improves. Please use the feedback board this year, it's on the Feedback tab.
Year 1 launch
(Fall 2025)
Mid-run
feedback
Summer 2026
revision
You teach
Year 2

Summer 2026 revision

What changed: five themes

  • Trustworthy to learn from. Example code runs and compiles; shown output matches reality.
  • Fairer autograders. No more false failures over whitespace, quotes, or print handling; point spreads rebalanced.
  • Clearer instructions. Dense prompts and project write-ups rewritten as plain tasks; new teaching slides (tracing, = vs ==, precedence, debugger, exceptions).
  • Learn-by-doing before AI. GenAI hints moved behind a reveal; students write and trace first.
  • Java that reads like Java. Python idioms cleaned up, Unit 4 repaired, capstone rewritten, decks correctly linked.

Unit 1 saw by far the most change. 70+ Python fixes, all live in EdStem. Full detail in the Changelogs tab.

By design

Lab and Homework feel similar on purpose

Students often feel they're doing the same thing twice. They're doing similar activities, but in two very different modes.

LabHomework
PurposePracticeProof
How students workExploratory: experiment, try things, get it workingShow you can do it on your own
ModeCollaborativeIndividual

Explaining this to students defuses most of the frustration. If it's still causing friction, flag it, the differentiate-or-drop question is deferred to next year and your input will shape it.

Year 2 · Scope

What we did not change, and why

  • Unit 4 image module (Java). A planned modernization was deferred; the partial slides were rolled back so lecture, lab, and homework stay consistent on the standard-library approach. It works as-is. We're open to revisiting mid-semester if there's demand.
  • Returners: clone from the v2 base, not last year's copy, so you start from the current curriculum.

Docs & demos

Move content between courses in EdStem

Your EdStem course

Your Lab 2
Your Project
Your Homework 3
⇄ Import
Lesson

CS1 v2 base

Updated Unit 1
Revised capstone
Exam 1

"Import Lesson" copies individual lessons either direction, without replacing anything. Pull our updates into your course, or bring your own assignments into the base.

Live demo. Your full diff of what changed is in the Changelogs tab.

Java · Landing today

A few Java pieces land by end of day

The Java track is nearly complete. Two pieces are still in flight and will be in the v2 base by end of day today:

Landing todayThe four Java unit exams
Landing todayUnit 4.3 Lab and Homework (Image files)

This is exactly why you may want to import from the v2 base again later: once these land, pull them straight into your course with Import Lesson, no rebuilding. They're flagged "Landing today" in the Changelogs tab.

Support

How to reach us this term

  • Fix-it Garages. Monday–Thursday, 1:30 PT / 4:30 ET. I plan to be at all four, most weeks (I'll aim for roughly 90% of the time). Bring curriculum questions any day.
  • Feedback board. Submit bugs, suggestions, and questions through the form on the Feedback tab.

This is the escalation path for anything you hit while teaching or modifying the course.

Questions

Questions

The curriculum, the Year 2 changes, or working with the course. Diogo and Julia are welcome to add context.

Changelogs and the feedback form are on the tabs above, available any time.

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Summer 2026 changelog

Every change across both tracks. Filter by track, unit, type, or status, or search. Chips within a row stack; leave a row empty to include everything.

Track
Unit
Type
Status

CodePath · CiR · CS1

How to reach us & submit feedback

Two ways to get curriculum help this term: come to a live Fix-it Garage, or submit anything (bugs, suggestions, questions) to the feedback board. Use the board freely, it's how we know what to prioritize.

Submit feedback

Curriculum feedback board (Asana). Submit through a short form.

Submit a ticket: Open the curriculum feedback form

To submit the form, you'll need to be signed in to Asana with your CodePath email (the form requires it). Beyond that, you don't have to use or monitor the Asana board at all, viewing it, commenting, and tracking your ticket there is optional.

Fix-it Garages

A note on modifying the course

You have the opportunity to deeply adapt this course. Keep these true: code examples are real and runnable, grading is fair, students think before reaching for GenAI, and the original design intent is preserved. If you're unsure why something is the way it is, pause and understand the intent before you change it, and if you're stuck, ask us.