General Assembly is one of the most senior names in the coding bootcamp industry, educating more than 97,000 learners since 2011. The operation moved primarily online in 2021 but still offers some in-person courses at campuses across the world.
General Assembly aims to teach students how to learn tech, explained Elias Saad, senior manager for global affiliates and partnerships. In an always-changing field, grads must be curious and feel empowered to keep learning and tackle new technology.
The company offers immersive bootcamps, part-time and accelerated courses, and one- and two-day workshops.
In this review, I’ll focus on General Assembly’s four 12-week bootcamps.
Cohort Model
What sets General Assembly apart is its live instruction. Students log into Zoom and attend class every weekday, typically for about 40 hours a week. They code along with the instructor, tackle assignments and complete group projects to cement their skills. Classes max out at 35 students, which promotes collaboration while allowing learners to access individual support.
In addition to the in-classroom time, learners should expect to spend two or three hours each evening on homework, plus one weekend day. General Assembly encourages learners to take a full day to recover each week; to reinforce that idea, TAs are only scheduled to work one weekend day.
General Assembly also recently launched a part-time software engineering cohort, which requires about 15 hours per week. While the full-time program aims to teach students to code as quickly as possible, the part-time course aims to create effective developers without requiring them to sacrifice their other responsibilities.
Instructors
General Assembly’s instructor management team consists of former teachers and educators, said Alex Terrana, the head of instruction in North America. The company embraces instructors from different career pathways, including those with practitioner or project management experience, or alums who return as educators. The education-focused team invests in its instructors, teaches them how to teach and aims to build community.
When hiring lead instructors, General Assembly looks for flexibility, adaptability and a teaching-related “it” factor. Potential instructors complete a sample peer-reviewed lesson. Instructors also contribute to the program curriculum.
While the product team develops each program’s core modules, instructors can add their own spin to a course through “level-up” units. For example, one instructor used his experience as a music teacher to add a module on making music through code. While these additions aren’t disclosed beforehand, the admissions team attempts to pair learners and instructors with matching interests.
Each cohort has at least one lead instructor and one instructional associate (IA), who helps with academics, time management and other aspects of the student experience. Additionally, teaching assistants work nights and weekends to provide technical help. TAs are typically former students.
Student Success Team
The cohorts move at a quick pace—after all, they aim to create job-ready developers in just three months. But the General Assembly team keeps an eye on students to make sure they don’t fall behind.
Students review their skills, pacing and comfort level through a weekly exit ticket, and instructors incorporate that feedback as they lead the cohort.
Additionally, student success teams help learners navigate roadblocks. This team keeps tabs on students’ progress, graduation requirements and trends. They maintain weekly records to identify any struggling learners, then work with students and instructors to develop a plan.
In practice, this might look like daily check-ins from the General Assembly team, scheduling additional time with an IA or TA, preparing extra module content, breaking down big projects into smaller checkpoints, or offering learning accommodations or English language learning support.