Back

Online Resources Recommended by AP Teachers

We surveyed AP Computer Science A teachers about what online resources they recommend, and the list below comes directly from their responses. The list also includes teacher descriptions of the resources. This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it an endorsement of any of these resources by the College Board.

Albert.io — CSA $  

  • Self-directed student practice
  • Good exam prep with “plenty of practice questions with feedback” including multiple-choice and free-response questions. Suited for online teaching and learning.

CodeHS $  

  • AP-endorsed curriculum; self-directed student practice; online instruction tutorials/resource pages for teachers
  • Complete curriculum that is a “self-contained classroom with instructional videos, sandbox environment, and practice problems.” Well organized and easy to view student progress and give students feedback on their work.

CodeStepByStep  

  • Self-directed student practice; instructional videos for students
  • “Excellent coding practice problems” that provide students with immediate, specific feedback. Teachers can create their own exercises and problem sets and view student results.

CodingBat  

  • Self-directed student practice
  • Short programs to “practice essential skills such as manipulating strings and arrays.” Teachers can “monitor student progress,” and programs are automatically graded and provide students with immediate feedback.

Codiva  

  • Online Java compiler and IDE
  • Students can write and compile Java code from their smartphone and share files with their teacher. Works “right in the browser, with no download or installation required.”

CSAwesome  

  • AP-endorsed curriculum; self-directed student practice; online instruction tutorials/resource pages for teachers
  • Full curriculum with labs, practice videos, print resources, and more. Interactive textbook with activities that are easy for students to follow, providing “necessary rigor” that “incorporates AP FRQs and AP-level MC practice.”

Github Classroom  

  • Self-directed student practice
  • Teachers can create repositories of homework/labs/assignments/etc. Includes an auto grade feature that “allows students to get immediate feedback” and know how they did “without having to wait for the teacher to grade and return the work.”

HackerRank  

  • Self-directed student practice
  • Teachers can enter labs/exercises in a “contest,” and students can complete the lab online. Site compiles and executes code, without students needing a separate IDE, and runs the code on provided datasets for automated grading.

Popfizz CS $  

  • AP-endorsed curriculum; self-directed student practice; online instruction tutorials/resource pages for teachers
  • Complete curriculum with video lessons, auto-graded student practice, and open-ended projects in a web- based coding environment.

Practice-It!  

  • Self-directed student practice
  • Online practice problems that are auto graded and allow students to get immediate feedback. Teachers can “monitor student progress and help students with individual needs.”

Project Lead the Way $  

  • AP-endorsed curriculum; self-directed student practice; online instruction tutorials/resource pages for teachers
  • Complete problem-based curriculum with student practice, print resources and more.

Project Stem $  

  • AP-endorsed curriculum; self-directed student practice; instructional videos for students; online instruction tutorials/resource pages for teachers
  • Complete curriculum including teacher videos, student videos, and practice coding exercises. Students were able to transition to online learning without skipping a beat. Although there is a cost, it is potentially free to schools admitted to the Amazon Future Engineer program.

Repl.it

  • Online Java compiler and IDE
  • Browser-based IDE to code and share programs in several programming languages. Teachers can share assignments with other teachers, and students can collaborate easily “with students and teachers able to simultaneously edit code.”

Umletino

  • Online resource for teachers
  • Browser-based tool to create UML diagrams. Helps make code design “more organized” and is “easy to export.”

UTeach Computer Science A $  

  • AP-endorsed curriculum; self-directed student practice; online instruction tutorials/resource pages for teachers
  • Complete project-based curriculum with student practice, presentation slides, print resources, and more.

$ = May require a fee  = Account creation needed