Hackathon Playbook
Partner School Guide — 2026 Edition
Welcome
Thank you for partnering with the Codeflow research project. This playbook contains everything your school needs to successfully host an AI-integrated hackathon as part of our international research study. The hackathon consists of two phases: an asynchronous preparation phase (tutorials students complete at home) and a single on-site coding sprint (one morning at your school).
Researcher: Davor Radic Institution: IU International University of Applied Sciences Contact: d.radic@roc-nijmegen.nl Website: codeflow.live/partner
1. What Is This Research About?
We are investigating how vocational programming students work with AI-assisted coding tools (like GitHub Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI assistants). The goal is to build a competency framework that helps schools design better curricula for the AI era.
Research Questions
- Skills: What competencies do students need to work productively with AI programming tools?
- Experience: How do novice and experienced programmers differ in their adaptation strategies when working with AI-assisted coding tools?
- Curriculum: What can hackathon outcomes teach us about designing AI-enhanced vocational education?
- Ethics: What ethical, collaborative, and autonomy challenges arise in human-AI coding?
Why This Matters
- AI tools are transforming the software industry — education must adapt
- There is very little empirical research on AI in vocational programming education
- Your students' data directly contributes to an evidence-based competency framework
- Your school receives the full research results and curriculum recommendations
2. What You Need (Requirements)
Students
- Minimum: 15 students
- Ideal: 15-25 students
- Age: 16-19 years old (vocational programming students)
- Mix: A combination of beginners (< 1 year coding) and more experienced students (2+ years) is ideal but not required
Technical Requirements (per student)
- A laptop (Windows, Mac, or Linux)
- Internet connection (stable enough for screen recording upload)
- A code editor installed (VS Code recommended)
- A GitHub account (free)
- Access to at least one AI-assisted coding tool (e.g., Claude, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini — students may use any AI tool of their choice)
Facilities (for the on-site coding sprint day)
- A classroom or lab with enough space for all participants
- Projector/screen for presentations
- Power outlets for all laptops
- Wi-Fi access for all participants
Staff
- 1 faculty coordinator (main contact person)
- 1-2 mentors/teachers present during the coding sprint (for supervision and observation)
- No special technical expertise needed — we provide all instructions
3. Timeline Overview
Before the Hackathon (2 weeks prior)
| When | What | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks before | Confirm participant list and schedule the coding sprint date | Faculty coordinator |
| 2 weeks before | Distribute consent forms to students (and parents if < 18) | Faculty coordinator |
| 1 week before | Collect signed consent forms | Faculty coordinator |
| 1 week before | Share the tutorial link (codeflow.live/docs/tutorials) with students | Faculty coordinator |
| 1 week before | Ensure all students have laptops, VS Code, GitHub accounts | Faculty coordinator |
| 1 week before | 15-minute video call with Davor to finalize logistics | Faculty coordinator |
| 2 days before | Remind students to complete Tutorial 6 (Codeflow Recorder setup + pre-survey) | Faculty coordinator |
| 2 days before | Share the "Student Preparation Checklist" (see Section 7) | Faculty coordinator |
Hackathon Structure
| Phase | What | Where | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation Phase | 6 tutorials (2 videos + 4 reading guides) covering AI tools, ethics, and Codeflow Recorder setup | At home (self-paced) | ~60 min total |
| Coding Sprint Day | Technical check-in, coding challenge, presentations, surveys | On-site at your school | ~3 hours (1 morning) |
The asynchronous tutorial approach means your school only needs to free up one morning for the actual coding sprint. Students prepare at home in the week before, completing short tutorials at their own pace.
After the Hackathon (1 week)
| When | What | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Same day | Students complete post-hackathon survey and peer evaluation (on-site) | Students |
| 1-3 days after | Optional: 3-5 students for 15-min interview (online) | Davor + selected students |
| 1 week after | All recordings uploaded (automatic via Codeflow) | Automatic |
| After study | Full research results shared with your school | Davor |
4. Preparation Phase: Tutorials
Duration: ~60 minutes total (2 videos + 4 reading guides, self-paced) When: Students complete at home in the week before the coding sprint day Goal: Prepare students for the coding sprint. No coding assignments are given during this phase.
The coding challenge is NOT revealed during the preparation phase. This is intentional — it prevents students from preparing in advance, which ensures fair data collection.
Tutorial Curriculum
| # | Title | Format | Duration | What Students Learn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Welcome to the Research | Video | ~8 min | What the study is about, why their participation matters, what to expect |
| 2 | AI in Programming — The Big Picture | Reading guide | ~10 min | How AI tools are changing software development, real-world examples |
| 3 | Hands-on: GitHub Copilot | Reading guide | ~12 min | Installing Copilot, autocomplete, Copilot Chat, best practices |
| 4 | Hands-on: Claude for Coding | Reading guide | ~12 min | Prompting strategies, code generation, debugging, code review |
| 5 | AI Ethics & Responsible Use | Reading guide | ~8 min | Authorship, dependency, critical evaluation, when NOT to trust AI |
| 6 | Setup: Codeflow Recorder | Video | ~12 min | Download, install, run a 5-minute test recording, complete pre-survey |
Total time: ~60 minutes (2 videos + 4 reading guides)
How It Works
- 1 week before coding sprint day: Faculty coordinator shares the tutorial link with students (codeflow.live/docs/tutorials)
- Students complete at their own pace (all tutorials available on codeflow.live)
- Tutorial 6 is mandatory before coding sprint day — students must install Codeflow Recorder and complete the test recording + pre-hackathon survey
- Faculty coordinator receives a dashboard showing which students have completed the setup
- Group assignments are communicated to students after they complete the preparation phase (groups of 3-5 members, balanced by skill level)
Faculty Coordinator Checklist
- Share tutorial link (codeflow.live/docs/tutorials) with students (1 week before)
- Remind students to complete Tutorial 6 (install + test recording + pre-survey) at least 2 days before
- Check the completion dashboard — follow up with students who haven't finished setup
- Confirm with Davor that all students are ready
5. Coding Sprint Day (On-Site)
Duration: Approximately 3 hours (one morning) Goal: Collect research data through a controlled, recorded coding challenge.
The coding assignment is revealed for the first time at 09:15 on the coding sprint day. Students must not know the task in advance.
Schedule
| Time | Activity | Duration | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Technical Verification & Check-in | 15 min | Verify all students have Codeflow Recorder installed and working. Quick troubleshooting for anyone who had issues. Davor joins remotely (via Teams/Zoom). |
| 09:15 | Assignment Briefing | 15 min | The coding challenge is revealed. Davor explains the task via video call. Students receive identical written instructions. |
| 09:30 | Start Recording | 0 min | All students start Codeflow Recorder on their laptops. Davor confirms all recordings are active. |
| 09:30 | Coding Sprint Begins | 1 hour | Students work in their assigned groups. Each student records individually on their own laptop. Any AI tools are allowed and encouraged. |
| 10:30 | Stop Recording | 0 min | All students stop Codeflow Recorder. Recordings auto-upload. |
| 10:45 | Team Presentations & Reflection | 30 min | Each group briefly presents what they built (2-3 min per group). Structured discussion: What was easy? What was hard? How did AI help or hinder? |
| 11:15 | Post-Hackathon Survey & Peer Evaluation | 30 min | Students complete: (1) online self-reflection survey, (2) peer evaluation form rating their teammates on collaboration. |
| 11:45 | Thank You & Close | 15 min | Davor thanks participants. Explain next steps (optional interviews, results sharing). |
The Coding Challenge
- Students will rebuild a simplified software application (e.g., a task management tool or service app)
- The task includes: UI development, data handling, core functionality, debugging
- All groups receive the same task, same tools, same time
- Complexity is calibrated to be achievable in 1 hour but challenging enough to require collaboration
What Gets Recorded (Codeflow Recorder)
The app runs in the background and automatically captures:
- Screen video (10 FPS, split into 5-min chunks)
- Keystroke frequency (how actively they type)
- Paste events (indicates AI-generated code usage)
- Window switches (IDE vs. AI tools vs. browser vs. docs)
- Session timestamps
No webcam, no audio, no personal files. Only the screen during the coding sprint. All data is pseudonymized (linked to participant IDs, not names) and encrypted.
What the Faculty Coordinator Does on Coding Sprint Day
- Arrive 15 min early to set up the room and projector for Davor's video call
- Ensure all students are present and ready at 09:00
- Help with any technical issues (recording not starting, etc.)
- Supervise the classroom — ensure students stay on task
- Complete a lightweight mentor observation checklist for each team (3 simple questions)
- Davor monitors recordings remotely in real-time
Mentor Observation Checklist (per team)
During the coding sprint, mentors/teachers observe each team and note:
- Did the team discuss AI output before using it? (Yes / Partially / No)
- Was there visible role division within the team? (Yes / No)
- Did team members explain code or reasoning to each other? (Yes / Partially / No)
This is a simple, lightweight checklist — no detailed notes needed. It takes about 1 minute per team.
6. Data Privacy & Consent
What We Collect
- Screen recordings during the 1-hour coding sprint only
- Keystroke frequency and paste events (no actual keystrokes/passwords)
- Survey responses (pseudonymized)
- Peer evaluation forms (pseudonymized)
- Mentor observation checklists
- Optional interview recordings (with separate consent)
What We Do NOT Collect
- No webcam or audio recording
- No personal files or browsing history outside the coding sprint
- No names in the research data (all pseudonymized with participant IDs)
Consent Process
- Every student (and parent/guardian if under 18) must sign a consent form before participating
- Consent forms are provided in English and can be translated to your local language
- Participation is entirely voluntary — students can withdraw at any time without consequence
- We provide a template consent form; your school can add institution-specific clauses
GDPR / DSGVO Compliance
- All data is stored on encrypted Firebase servers (EU region)
- Data is pseudonymized — no real names are stored with recordings
- Data retention: research data is kept for the duration of the study and deleted within 2 years
- Participants can request data deletion at any time
7. Student Preparation Checklist
Share this with students 2 days before the coding sprint:
Before the coding sprint day, make sure you have:
- Completed all 6 tutorials on codeflow.live (2 videos + 4 reading guides)
- Installed Codeflow Recorder on your laptop (Tutorial 6)
- Completed the 5-minute test recording (Tutorial 6)
- Completed the pre-hackathon survey in the Codeflow app (Tutorial 6)
- Your laptop, fully charged, with charger
- VS Code installed (code.visualstudio.com)
- A GitHub account (github.com — sign up if you don't have one)
- At least one AI coding tool ready (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini — your choice)
- Signed consent form (and parent/guardian signature if under 18)
What to expect:
- The coding sprint is a fun coding challenge — work in teams, use AI tools, build something cool
- It lasts about 3 hours total (1 hour of coding + presentations + surveys)
- Everything is recorded for research, but it's pseudonymized (no names in the data) — no grades, no judgment
- You can withdraw at any point if you feel uncomfortable
8. What Your School Gets in Return
During the Study
- Free access to the Codeflow recording platform for your students
- A structured, ready-to-run hackathon event (we handle all content)
- AI tools workshop for your students via online tutorials (practical skills they keep)
- International collaboration experience for students and faculty
After the Study
- Full research report with findings relevant to your school
- Evidence-based curriculum recommendations for AI integration
- Aggregated benchmarking data (how your students compare to the study average)
- Co-authorship acknowledgment if your school's data is included in publications
- Access to the final competency framework for vocational AI-assisted programming
9. FAQ for Faculty Coordinators
Q: Do I need to be a programming teacher to coordinate this? A: No. You need to manage logistics (room, students, consent forms). Davor handles all technical content remotely.
Q: What if some students don't have laptops? A: Contact us — we can discuss alternatives (school lab computers, loaned devices).
Q: Can students use any AI tool? A: Yes! Students are free to use any AI-assisted coding tool of their choice — GitHub Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or any other AI assistant. The Codeflow Recorder tracks which tools they use through window switch logging.
Q: What if we have fewer than 15 students? A: Contact us to discuss. We may be able to work with smaller groups depending on the circumstances.
Q: What language should the hackathon be in? A: The video tutorials and surveys are in English. Students can discuss and collaborate in their own language during the coding sprint — only the coding task and surveys are in English.
Q: Is this graded? A: No. This is a research activity, not an exam. Students should feel free to experiment and make mistakes.
Q: What programming language do students use? A: The task is designed for web development (HTML/CSS/JavaScript or similar). We can adjust based on your curriculum.
Q: How much on-site time do we need? A: Only one morning (~3 hours). Students prepare at home by completing ~60 minutes of tutorials (2 videos + 4 reading guides) in the week before. On the coding sprint day, everything from check-in to close fits in a single morning session.
Q: What do the mentors/teachers need to do during the coding sprint? A: Supervise the classroom, help with any technical issues, and fill in a simple 3-question observation checklist per team. No programming expertise required.
Q: What timezone are you in? A: Central European Time (CET/CEST). We can accommodate different timezones for the remote sessions.
10. Contact & Next Steps
Ready to participate? Here's what to do:
-
Email Davor at d.radic@roc-nijmegen.nl with:
- Your school name and country
- Approximate number of students
- Preferred dates (March-April 2026)
- Name of faculty coordinator
-
We'll schedule a 15-minute video call to discuss logistics
-
We'll send consent form templates and the video tutorial playlist link
-
You distribute consent forms and the student checklist
-
Students watch the video tutorials at home and complete the setup
-
We run the coding sprint together!
Quick Reference Card
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| What | AI-integrated coding hackathon (video prep + 1 on-site coding sprint) |
| Who | Vocational programming students (16-19 years) |
| When | March - April 2026 (flexible scheduling) |
| Where | Preparation: at home (video tutorials). Coding sprint: at your school (researcher joins remotely) |
| Preparation | ~72 min of video tutorials (self-paced, 1 week before) |
| On-site time | ~3 hours (1 morning) |
| Cost | Free |
| Students needed | Minimum 15 |
| Tech needed | Laptops + internet + VS Code + GitHub + any AI coding tool |
| Contact | d.radic@roc-nijmegen.nl |
| Website | codeflow.live/partner |
This playbook is part of the research study "From Coding to Co-Creating: Competency Frameworks for Human-AI Collaboration in Software Development" conducted at IU International University of Applied Sciences.
Version 2.0 — March 2026