Matthias De Witte, Peter Dawyndt and Bart Mesuere (Dodona), Craig Sargent and Dave Hillyard (Craig’n’Dave) and Ceredig Cattanach-Chell, Computer Science Subject Advisor

This article is a guest post. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Cambridge OCR. Reference to specific products, services or platforms does not imply endorsement. 

The teams behind coding platform Dodona and teaching resource provider Craig’n’Dave recently talked to Cambridge OCR Computing Subject Advisor Ceredig about their experiences of teaching programming. They explain in this blog how they hope their teaching tools could support computing teachers and boost student engagement. 

Dodona is now hosting Craig’n’Dave’s Time2Code learning track. Both organisations were enthusiastic about the possibilities of combining the Time2Code and Dodona platform for both GCSE and A Level classrooms.

Can you tell us more about the origins of Dodona?

Dodona began back in 2016 as an in-house solution for teaching programming at Ghent University in Belgium. The team wanted a platform that could help with the everyday challenges faced by teachers: installing software, collecting student work, marking mountains of code, huge ability differences, spotting plagiarism, and – more recently – the impact of AI on programming lessons. 

Since launching, Dodona has spread beyond the university and is now used in secondary schools and universities across Belgium and internationally.

What do the team see as Dodona’s key features?

Dodona is designed to support the entire programming journey, from first steps all the way to final assessments. It’s informed by classroom experience and grounded in educational research, with a focus on solving actual teaching challenges. 

The Dodona team particularly highlight the visual debugger. The visual debugger enables students to step through each test case both forwards and backwards and providing instant, meaningful feedback can help students understand how their program behaves, not just whether it works.

What features are particularly valuable to teachers?

Craig’n’Dave describe Dodona as a highly feature rich coding platform, based on their experience of tools used in classrooms. Aspects that teachers often respond positively to include:

• Instant feedback. When students submit their code, Dodona automatically tests it and immediately shows what worked and what didn’t. Students can fix issues, resubmit, and learn by doing, without waiting for teacher driven marking.
• An effective visual debugger. Students can jump into each test case, step forwards or backwards through their program, and see exactly what’s happening. This can help build independence and free teachers to focus on the students who really need support.
• Web-based. The platform runs in a browser, avoiding local installation and updates. Students can use the built-in online environment, while schools that prefer alternative tools can integrate them. 
• Classroom management and learning analytics. Teachers can track student progress, create their own content, and run tests and exams within the platform’s environment.

Can you tell us more about Time2Code and its pedagogy?

Time2Code, created by Craig’n’Dave, is a complete scheme of learning for Python and C#. It’s built around the idea that every student learns to code at a different pace. 

Traditionally, leading lessons from the front means some students already know the content, some follow along fine, and others get left behind. Time2Code lets students work independently at a pace that suits them. 

They follow videos, tweak existing programs, and eventually create their own solutions using the TIME structure: 

• Try 
• Investigate 
• Make 
• Evaluate 

This is a development of PRIMM (Predict, Run, Investigate, Modify and Make), intended to give teachers more time to focus on individual students or small groups. 

Time2Code also introduces decomposition early. Students use subprograms from the very beginning, not halfway through the course, which helps reinforce the idea that decomposition is a fundamental part of programming rather than an optional technique. 

Progression is planned too, with each new concept having a clear purpose. For example, while is always for repetition, while for is used to iterate over data structures.

How did Time2Code come to be hosted on Dodona?

The Dodona team heard that teachers were increasingly stuck after tools like Replit and Trinket withdrew from the education market. They also heard positive feedback about Time2Code. 

This led to discussions with Craig’n’Dave about hosting the full Time2Code course on the Dodona platform. The Time2Code track launched on Dodona in January 2026 and schools around the UK have started using it at both GCSE and A Level.

Time2Code’s approach aligns well with Dodona: students can work independently at their own pace, while teachers use the platform’s analytics to guide the next lesson. 

Subprogram first teaching also supports Dodona’s ability to provide granular unit testing feedback.

Where can teachers find further information?

There’s more information on the Dodona website, including how teachers can set up a free account. 

There’s also a podcast featuring an interview with Craig’n’Dave, which discusses the challenges of teaching programming at scale, how Dodona keeps pedagogy at the centre, and why Time2Code found its new home on the platform. 

You can find the Time2Code learning track on the Dodona platform. There’s also a quick guide on how you can get started with Time2Code on Dodona.

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About the authors

Prof. Dr. Peter Dawyndt heads the Computational Biology Lab at the Faculty of Sciences (Ghent University), whose research occurs at the intersection of computer science and the life sciences. This cross-fertilisation serves as a source of inspiration for novel developments in computer science. 

Prof. Dr. Bart Mesuere is affiliated with the Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics. As a data scientist, he is involved with various projects. Bart teaches Software Engineering Lab 2, Data Visualisation, and Big Data Science within the Computer Science program. 

Matthias De Witte began his career as a lawyer and moved into venture capital as a partner at a biotech investment fund, before becoming a company builder.

Craig Sargent and Dave Hillyard are the co-founders of Craig’n’Dave. Both were previously computing teachers with degrees in Computer Science and extensive industry experience. They founded Craig’n’Dave after realising the lack of resources for teaching the subject. Craig’n’Dave provide resources, videos and revision tools for both teachers and students, specialising in a flipped-learning approach. 

Ceredig Cattanach-Chell joined Cambridge OCR in 2015 after eight years of teaching experience. He supported the development of the GCSE (9-1) Computer Science and Entry Level R354 and is currently working on curriculum reform and the development of digital examinations in Computer Science. He is a keen advocate for EDI and for access to the computing curriculum for all students.