Today was a historic day for CodeCombat as we announced our launch into the biggest country in the world!
On April 18th, CodeCombat formally announced their partnership with NetEase, one of the leading internet companies in China. Two of our team members, CEO Nick Winter and BD Manager Lisa Wu, flew out to Beijing for a joint press conference with NetEase. The announcement and release was met with incredible excitement and already nearly 500,000 users in China have signed up for CodeCombat.
NetEase, whose education portfolio has over 100M Chinese users, made CodeCombat its first foreign education product in its portfolio. So, why did one of the 100 biggest companies in China choose CodeCombat to be the first foreign education product in their portfolio?
NetEase gave 4 reasons why they believe CodeCombat will flourish in China:
1. “It is the perfect fusion of games and teaching.”
2. “Everyone can play and learn programming without any prior experience.”
3. “In the future, programming will be a must-have skill, similar to reading and writing.”
4. “There are not enough Chinese teachers to keep up with the demand for programming education. CodeCombat enables children to take initiative of [their own] studies.”
As part of this partnership, CodeCombat and NetEase will be launching CodeCombat’s platform in 8 Chinese secondary schools with fully localized content, customized lesson plans and teacher support. These schools represent a swath of the top schools in the country including People’s University Xishan Middle School, Beijing Haidian Experimental Middle School, Guangzhou City Zhixin Middle School.
According to Zhou Suying, principal of Hangzhou Jianlan Middle School, the school has been using CodeCombat with 400 students for just over a month and enthusiasm for the program is “very high.”
Zhou Suying reported that the attitude toward programming education has changed from "they want me to learn how to code" to "I want to learn how to code".
“The percentage of students learning programming in US schools has been increasing at a rate of 60% per year,” CodeCombat CEO Nick Winter said at the press conference. “In 2017, only 25% of schools in the United States had programming courses, this year it is 40%. We believe that, in the near future, it will be 100%."
According to leaders in NetEase’s education division, while China recently introduced policies to incorporate computer science into college entrance examinations, the overall penetration rate of computer science education is still low.
Our partnership represents a shared belief that NetEase’s expertise in gaming, localization, and marketing combined with CodeCombat’s game-based learning platform will usher in the new wave of computer science education in China.
From left to right, Cao Zhiqing, CEO of NetEase Education STEM Division, Jiang Zhongbo, General Manager of NetEase Education, Bill Pang, NetEase Corporate VP, Nick Winter, CEO of CodeoCombat, Lisa Wu, BD Manager of CodeCombat
About CodeCombat:
CodeCombat is a platform for students to learn computer science while playing a real game. It has been played in 200 countries around the world and has helped 5M users learn Python and JavaScript. Used by more than 31,000 teachers in more than 13,000 schools in North America. It is built for all learners and teachers, grades 4-12 and is recognized by the College Board as an endorsed provider of curriculum and professional development for AP® Computer Science Principles (AP CSP). Teachers, students, and individuals can sign up for CodeCombat and try the first level for free.
About NetEase:
NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES) is a leading internet technology company in China. Dedicated to providing online services centered around content, community, communication and commerce, NetEase develops and operates some of China’s most popular PC-client and mobile games, advertising services, e-mail services and educational platforms. It has a global market capitalization of more than $40 billion and its education division has products that have accumulated over 100M users.
Check out CodeCombat's Official Chinese Site