Iowa State University · Department of Computer Science — Summer 2026

Run real Python in the browser, with an AI tutor that guides, not solves.

The AI Program is a full learning platform from the Iowa State University Department of Computer Science. Write and run code with no install, step through it line by line, and climb a hint ladder with a Socratic tutor at your side — built for educators and learners alike, no prior coding required.

Enrolled Iowa teachers: sign in with Google to begin — Summer 2026 cohort starts July 20.

Runs in your browser · no install Auto-graded exercises + projects An AI tutor on every step
A code editor running class_average.py shows the average of five scores computed as 87.6, beside an AI Tutor card offering the first of three Socratic hints instead of the answer.
class_average.pyActiveCode
# Class average — try changing a score
scores = [88, 92, 79, 95, 84]
average = sum(scores) / len(scores)
print("Class average:", average)

Class average: 87.6

AI TutorHint 1 of 3

You want one number that stands for all five scores. What tool do you already know that adds a whole list up for you?

Reveal solutionGuides you there — never hands it over.

▹ Ask AI about my code

This is a full course platform — not a chatbot.

Enroll, learn, submit, get graded, earn a certificate. The AI is the tutor beside your work, not the thing you talk to instead of learning.

Enrollment · Gradebook · Discussions · Certificates

Guided, not given

A hint ladder that stops before the answer.

Stuck on an exercise? The tutor doesn't dump a solution. It gives you the smallest useful nudge first, and only offers more if you still need it.

  1. Rung 1 — A nudge

    A Socratic question that points at what you already know.

  2. Rung 2 — A strategy

    Name the approach and where it fits, without writing your code for you.

  3. Rung 3 — A worked step

    One concrete step demonstrated on a nearby example — you finish the rest.

  4. Locked — Full solution

    Deliberately withheld. The goal is a mental model you keep, not an answer you paste.

Every activity also has a code-aware Ask AI about my code — it reads what you actually wrote and responds to that.

No install, no setup

Write it, run it, and watch it think.

CodeLens

Step through execution line by line. Watch variables, the call stack, and output change — the fastest way to build a real mental model of how code runs.

variables
scores[88, 92, 79, 95, 84]
average87.6
line 3average = sum(scores) / len(scores)

ActiveCode

Edit and run Python directly in the browser — powered by Pyodide. Run, reset, save a draft, and submit for hidden auto-graded tests.

Auto-graded work

Instant feedback on exercises; larger projects are graded against a rubric so you always know where you stand.

A complete LMS

Run a real course, end to end.

Courses & enrollment
Multiple courses with real rosters and enrollment.
Canvas-style gradebook
Inline grading, statuses, totals and letter grades — export a Canvas-friendly CSV in one click.
Discussions
Per-course boards where cohorts think out loud together.
Announcements
Post updates that reach every enrolled learner.
Progress tracking
Learners always see what's done, what's next, and where they stand.
Certificates
Finish the work, earn a certificate you can show.
Flagship course · Cohort starts July 20, 2026

AI for High School Teachers

A 3-week, online, self-paced professional-development course from Iowa State University Computer Science — preparing Iowa educators, in any subject, to bring AI into their classrooms. No coding experience required.

Enrollment is by accepted application (the Summer 2026 Iowa cohort). Already enrolled? Sign in with Google to begin.

What you'll do

  • Understand how today's AI and language models actually work — plainly, without the hype.
  • Try classroom-ready activities you can adapt for your own students.
  • Build small things yourself, with the guided AI tutor beside you the whole way.
  • Finish with a certificate from ISU Computer Science.

A growing catalog.

Start with the flagship. Grow into the rest.

CourseWho it's forStatus
AI for High School TeachersAny subject · no coding
Enrolling — Summer 2026Enter the course →
Introduction to AINew to the fieldIn the catalog
Building AI Apps with PythonReady to buildIn the catalog
Applied Deep Learning with PyTorchReady to go deepIn the catalog
AI Engineering From ScratchBuild the internals by handIn the catalog
Introduction to Data ScienceWorking with dataIn the catalog
Python foundationsFirst lines of codeIn the catalog

New courses are added as the platform grows.

Built for the teacher and the student.

For educators

Come as you are — no prior coding. Learn the concepts, leave with activities you can actually use, and see exactly how a guided AI tutor changes what students can do on their own.

For learners

Write real code from lesson one, build projects, and get unstuck by a tutor that makes you think — so the understanding is yours to keep.

Enrolled in the Summer 2026 cohort? Your classroom terminal is ready.

Sign in with Google and pick up right where the course begins.