Teaching Web Development to Beginners with Gatsby.js - Daniel Kim - Gatsby Days LA 2020
Bit Project is a student organization at UC Davis that works with developer advocates from industry leaders to develop software engineering coursework. One of the most popular track offered is Web Development, which empowers students to program a web application for a 501(c) nonprofit using React.js.
However, students struggled with the unique project structure of create-react-app when first learning React because features outside of those for Single Page Applications (SPAs) were reliant on 3rd party tools and complex configurations. Gatsby is a perfect framework for these beginner developers who can follow an intuitive structure made up of internally linked pages created from individual components. Students preferred Gatsby over other frameworks because of its speed, instant feedback with Hot Reloading, and its integration with Netlify and Github.
Within a span of 6 weeks, four student teams were able to build multi-page, multi-functional websites for a STEM retention, LGBTQIA+ Employment , Veteran Support, and an Indigenous Interpreter Training Program.
Our first cohort of students completed their web applications for the nonprofits successfully. We are planning on expanding our offerings with advanced coursework integrating GraphCMS and Contentful to Gatsby Websites.
Daniel is the President of Bit Project at UC David and a student developer promoting hands-on STEM education.