Unit 0 — Course Launch & Diagnostic

Getting the studio up and running. No track split yet — this unit is for everyone together, and nothing here is graded.

What You'll Be Doing

• Learning the classroom norms and the studio model — what "independent with guidance" actually looks like day to day
• Setting up your dev environment: VS Code, Python, the debugger, and Live Share
• Starting your portfolio — where and how your work gets collected throughout the course
• An introduction to the BC Applied Design cycle, using a simple, low-stakes example
• A short diagnostic — a self-assessment plus a small coding challenge — used only to help figure out where you're starting from

Almost entirely whole-group and one-on-one time at the start — the shared norms, working environment, and diagnostic all need to be in place before independent studio time can start.

What You'll Produce

Diagnostic complete, portfolio started. No graded work yet.