Responding to the Coding Policy in Schools, ITS Informatics Department Introduces Fun Coding through Community Service Program

Image: Group photo of students, teachers of SDN Sutorejo 1/240, and the KKN Abmas Informatics Engineering ITS team after the Fun Coding training.

Surabaya, ELECTICS ITS – The Department of Informatics Engineering at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), particularly the Intelligent Computing and Vision (KCV) Laboratory, once again held a community service (ABMAS) activity. Titled Fun Coding Training Using Scratch, the program partnered with SDN Sutorejo 1/240 Surabaya, involving fifth-grade students and teachers in two days of engaging learning.

The head of the ABMAS program, Dini Adni Navastara, explained that the idea for this training arose from the latest policy of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, which recently introduced coding and artificial intelligence as elective subjects at the elementary school level.

“We hope that coding does not appear intimidating, but instead fun. If children are accustomed to it from primary school, they will find it easier to think logically and get used to problem-solving,” said Dini.

The choice of SDN Sutorejo 1/240 was not without reason. The school has collaborated with KCV for the past three years. “This is our second time working together with SD Sutorejo, so we already have a strong relationship,” she added.

Image: Students’ enthusiasm while learning coding with guidance from the KKN Abmas team.

The training took place on August 20 – 21. The first day was held at the Programming Laboratory 1 of ITS Informatics Department, attended by 20 students and five teachers. The community service team consisted of nine lecturers from various laboratories (KCV, MCI, KBJ, GIGA) and ten students. The children were introduced to block programming through Scratch. Instead of writing code from scratch, they assembled visual blocks to create simple animations and games. “Interestingly, the children were very enthusiastic because they felt they could create their own games,” Dini said.

On the second day, the training continued at the computer laboratory of SDN Sutorejo. The ITS team ensured that the school’s infrastructure was ready, with Scratch installed on each computer. The students were then assigned small projects, individually or in groups.

One of the projects was a simple bouncing ball game. However, the students’ creativity went far beyond the basic instructions. Some changed the background, added scores, and even gave the ball a color-changing effect. “We didn’t even teach them that, but they managed to innovate on their own. It turns out they were inspired by the games they often play,” Dini shared. The best projects were awarded prizes as a form of appreciation.

Not only the students, but the teachers also received similar training. The difference was that they were provided with more detailed modules so they could continue teaching independently in the future.

Dini hopes that this activity can be expanded to other schools, including those in areas with limited facilities. “Children are like sponges, they absorb information very quickly. That’s why it’s important to give them the opportunity to learn coding from an early age, so they can use technology wisely, not just for playing games,” she concluded.