Code Academy

Learn. Build. Solve.

We provide top of the line computers, professional grade software, passionate instructors, and an environment that makes learning and productivity unavoidable.

Carolyn Chandler User Experience Instructor

Ready to join the builders movement?

Apply Today!

Applications close May 27th at 11:59PM.

Class Schedule

Classes begin on Monday, June 25th and run through Friday, September 7th.

UX Class Hours: M – 6:00pm – 9:00pm

Meet Carolyn Chandler, User Experience director at Manifest Digital, friendly instructor, fierce designer. Author of A Project Guide to UX Design.

What Others Have to Say About Carolyn

“This book is a fantastic introduction to how to design great products for real people. But it covers much more than just design—it also includes all the things around design: managing projects, working with people, and communicating ideas. A great all-rounder.”
– Donna Spencer, author of “Card Sorting: Designing Usable Categories”
“Carolyn and Russ have laid a solid foundation for planning and managing design projects. This is an essential handbook for anyone mired in the competing methodologies, the endless meetings, and all the moving parts of user experience design.”
– Dan Brown, author of Communicating Design
“This is a practical, accessible, and very human guide to a very human activity: working together with people to make great things for other people.”
– Steve Portigal, Portigal Consulting
“I had the benefit of enrolling in one of Carolyn’s classes in Interaction Design at DePaul University. She is truly an end-user advocate and teaches a through and comprehensive approach to understand both the client and end-user before the design process even begins. I’m grateful to have had her as a professor.”
– John Jarosz

Why Should I Learn User Experience Design?

Learn How to See New Opportunities

User-centered design doesn’t just mean making existing products better – it’s about seeing the possibilities in everyday life. In this course you’ll go into the field to find opportunities for innovation, and pair that insight with findings from research online. Solve problems creatively with a broad, open mindset – and debate with colleagues that challenge you to color outside the lines.

Understand the Entrepreneur Mind

Whether you want to start your own business, or improve your skills in working with business owners, this course will put you in a business owner’s shoes. You’ll create your own concept for a business based on your personal passions, experience, and resources, and refine it with user research. We’ll also pair you with a fellow student who will fill the role of an objective designer for a product you define – and you get to play that game too.

Design Systems that Move, Motivate, and Work

A great user experience is about more than a product’s pixels. It’s about the need it addresses, how it makes users feel, and what motivates them to use it. The techniques you learn in this class will help you design and build a product that engages users and brings them back again.

What Will I Learn?

Design research techniques like field observation and interviews
Persona creation, to model your user base
Basics of business modeling and brand definition
Conceptual design techniques like sketching, mood board creation
Interaction design and information architecture tools such as wireframes in Balsamiq, site maps, flows, and card sorting activities
Visual design principles like color, balance, font usage and layout
Basic Photoshop techniques for web design
Usability testing to validate design with users

What Will I Be Able to Create?

Develop your idea from a thought to business concept using

lean startup

Design visual mockups of your application to focus yourself and others on the users you want to reach
Create low-fidelity prototypes representing your MVP (minimal viable product) that you will test with users, or high fidelity for those pairing this class with the

HTML/CSS class.

Why UX?

You may design a site that's beautiful to look at, or develop a site that uses the latest technology - but if it doesn't meet a real user need it'll be a flash in the pan. User experience design is about making all the elements come together so you can create something meaningful, useful, and pleasurable for the people you're trying to reach. This class will develop your skills in visual design and your understanding of front-end development, but user experience design is the framework that will ground you in planning and innovation.

Jeff Cohen Web Development Instructor

Meet Jeff Cohen, a seasoned Ruby on Rails developer, great communicator, and passionate instructor. Author of Rails for .NET developers.

Ready to join the builders movement?

Apply Today!

Applications close May 27th at 11:59PM.

Class Schedule

MWF classes begin on Monday, June 25th and run through Friday, September 7th.

T, Th classes begin Tuesday June 26th and run through Friday, September 7th.

Development Class 1: M, W, F – 8:00am – 11:20am
Development Class 2: T, Th – 8:00am – 1:00pm

Hear What Students Have to Say About Jeff

“What do you get when you combine the Chicago startup scene that is blowing up, Ruby on Rails instruction from Jeff Cohen, and world-class mentors and advisers? The answer is Code Academy.”
– Cesar Pereira
“In class, we were getting bombarded with knowledge bombs. On two separate occasions, there was virtual brain matter all around us after our minds were blown. Thanks, Jeff Cohen! He’s our super cool instructor.”
– Jin Hwang
“We are moving at a very fast pace, but our professor Jeff does an amazing job, driving our learning faster and faster.”
– Tom Cullen
“Aside from being incredibly smart and articulate, Jeff has all of the qualities of a great teacher: patience, lucidity, approachability, and genuine concern for student understanding.”
– Danica Tiu
“Jeff Cohen is easily one of my favorite instructors of all time.”
– Dave Levine

Why Should I Learn Web Development?

Start Your Own Company

By taking advantage of the resources and knowledge given to you at Code Academy, you’ll have the capacity to prototype the basic functionality of your own web application without having to pay or rely on someone else to do it. You’ll gain competitive advantages with a real-world understanding of the software development process to lead and organize a team as a founder of a tech startup.

Start A New Career

People who have both the necessary business skills and technical foundation are a rare and valuable breed in the current employment landscape. This is what Code Academy will teach you, and as a result, will make you miles more marketable and unique to some of the best workplaces in Chicago and beyond. The road will be long (3 months at CA is only the beginning), but it will definitely be worthwhile if you're willing to invest the time necessary!

Get Connected

Code Academy is an unprecedented opportunity. It gives you the chance to interact with the best in the Chicago entrepreneurial and tech communities , and opens doors to networks you would not have encountered otherwise. Additionally, with the quality of the instruction and experience you will receive, Code Academy will unlock your perspective in terms of what you think you can accomplish.

What Will I Learn?

Build web applications the same way they’re built in the real world. Learn what HTML and CSS are all about, and the differences between client-side and server-side programming. We use the Ruby on Rails application framework to build basic database-backed web applications. And we’ll be using all of the modern tools of the trade all along the way.

The Ruby on Rails Web Application Framework. The best way to build database-backed, web applications.
HTML5 – The new standard for web markup. Build modern, rich web applications with HTML5.
Test Driven Development. Engineer your code to last by ensuring quality throughout.
Agile Software Development. Adapt to change and minimize costs by leveraging agile theory and practices.
Business Model Development. Learn how to build your idea into a real business.
Presentation Skills. Be able to present your ideas and code in front of technical and non-technical audiences alike.

What Will I Build?

Here are some examples of what you will be able to achieve from our 11-week course:

Create your own social network site
Build your own blog
Build a portfolio of projects that represent your progress as an application developer
Start an online e-commerce store
Launch a project management app

Why Rails?

Ruby on Rails is the best way for beginners to learn how to build their own web applications, with all the advantages of power, agility, and robustness as the top websites on the planet. Here are a few examples:

Shay Howe HTML & CSS Instructor

Ready to join the builders movement?

Apply Today!

Applications close May 27th at 11:59PM.

Class Schedule

Beginner and advanced classes begin the week of Monday, July 2nd and run through Friday, September 7th.

Beginner Class Hours: T – 6:00pm – 9:00pm
Advanced Class Hours: Th – 6:00pm – 9:00pm

What Students Have to Say About the Class

“Shay’s class was exactly what I need to get my feet wet with HTML and CSS. The perfect beginners guide to set a solid foundation!”
– Nate Lassiter,
“I couldn’t have learned all that I did without this class. It was a critical aspect in my Code Academy experience overall. I am thinking of taking the advanced course in the summer. Hope I can get in!”
– Tracy Lucas,
“Shay took my fear out of learning HTML5 and CSS3. His friendly teaching style and mastery of the subject matter helped me understand many previously unknown concepts.”
“Shay’s class provided the critical front-end foundation and resources needed to build out my app. Perfect supplement to the 11-week development course.”
“Shay’s class really helped me grasp the front end development process much faster than other sources. Combined with his online tutorial, you will feel confident in working through your own projects.”
“Awesome, very helpful. Shay is a great teacher and is amazing at teaching HTML and CSS to all levels of programmers.”
“Shay’s class helped introduce me to some of the newest changes and technologies effecting today’s world of front-end web development. I appreciated the online learning resource he created to accompany his class so I could really concentrate on his class lectures instead of having to take notes.”
“Great stuff, as with all the material at Code Academy I did not have any knowledge coming in. He was a good teacher for beginners and made the material approachable.”
“I came into CA thinking I “knew” HTML/CSS. Shay put me to shame in the first ten minutes.”
“Shay is a master of CSS! When I get stuck or make a stupid mistake, Shay knows the answer.”
“Shay is a HTML5 and CSS3 Rock Star!”
– Jaret Manuel,

Why Should I Learn HTML & CSS?

Learn How to Build Your Own Website

Knowing how to build your own website is an expertise many desire, however few obtain. In ten weeks you'll learn how to build your own website, taking a concept or design and turning it into fully functional HTML and CSS. Once launched see what it takes to update and maintain your website, as well as websites for others.

Work to Become a Front-end Developer

The demand for front-end developers is higher than ever. See what it takes to occupy one of the hardest to fill jobs. Whether you're looking for a job or looking to build out your own understanding of HTML and CSS, Code Academy will help you gain the abilities to be a talented front-end developer. Knowing HTML and CSS is a great advantage to an already skilled software engineer or web designer.

Expand Your Fundamental HTML & CSS Skill Set

Not only are beginners welcome but so are intermediate students looking to expand their fundamental knowledge of HTML and CSS. An advanced class will be offered to help those with an already basic understanding rise to the next level. The advanced class will dive deeper into coding practices and techniques, as well as the new HTML5 and CSS3 languages.

What Will I Learn?

HTML & CSS Beginner Class

How to develop web pages in HTML and CSS
The terminology and syntax of HTML and CSS
Common HTML elements and their semantic value
The box model and how to position elements
How to work with backgrounds and gradients using CSS
Semantically displaying and stylizing text
How to create forms to gather user input
Adding images, audio clips, and video clips to a web page
How to organize and display data with tables
Building and styling list
Organizing code and site architecture

HTML & CSS Advanced Class

The HTML and CSS advanced class doesn’t start until the summer of 2012.

Advanced front-end coding techniques and practices
Leading edge CSS selectors
Building responsive pages with CSS media queries
HTML and CSS compilers HAML, SCSS, and SASS
CSS3 transitions, transforms, and animations
Advanced semantics including microformats and WAI-ARIA roles
Working with different frameworks, including Twitter Bootstrap
CSS sprites and working with data URI images
Progressive ways to position and clear elements
Designing in the browser
Using JavaScript and jQuery for advanced asset creation
(slideshows, tooltips, drop down menus, modals, etc.)

What Will I Be Able to Build?

Websites and web pages in HTML and CSS
Semantic and standards compliant code
The front-end of web applications and websites
All things HTML and CSS

Why HTML & CSS?

HTML and CSS are the two dominant languages of the web and the backbone of all websites. Having a proficient understanding of HTML and CSS provides the ability to build websites and leverage other skill sets, be it entrepreneurial, user experience, or backend development. Knowing HTML and CSS also provides the capacity to update and maintain websites, an expertise always in request.

Code Academy

Learn. Build. Solve.

We provide top of the line computers, professional grade software, passionate instructors, and an environment that makes learning and productivity unavoidable.

Make it right with

User Experience

Make it real with

Web Development

Make it awesome with

HTML & CSS

Why Should I Learn User Experience Design?

Learn How to See New Opportunities

Understand the Entrepreneur Mind

Design Systems that Move, Motivate, and Work

What Will I Learn?

What Will I Be Able to Create?

Why UX?

Why Should I Learn Web Development?

Start Your Own Company

Start A New Career

Get Connected

What Will I Learn?

What Will I Build?

Why Rails?

Why Should I Learn HTML & CSS?

Learn How to Build Your Own Website

Work to Become a Front-end Developer

Expand Your Fundamental HTML & CSS Skill Set

What Will I Learn?

HTML & CSS Beginner Class

HTML & CSS Advanced Class

What Will I Be Able to Build?

Why HTML & CSS?

Learn more about our culture.