The first occurred in November 2013. This event was about having the students attempt to solve a problem that faculty were encountering in their LMS when they were changing dates for activities in preparation for the new semester. The November event saw students work together and partially develop a C++ program that would take XML output from and LMS and convert it to allow faculty to more easily update dates and times of learning activities for a new semester. The students were able to complete half of what they wanted to; however the end result was one of student success. Out of the students, all but one of them continued on to the next level of computer science classes. The one student that did not continue had found full time employment as a programmer with his Associates Degree. Also the instructors noticed a change in their students after the Hackathon event. They were more interactive with each other, more engaged in the course content, and all asked deeper questions about coding. The instructors were amazed at the level of enthusiasm, camaraderie, and work ethic the students exhibited after the event. We will continue monitoring the students that attended our April Hackathon and see what effect the event has on them. We will also continue to plan for our final event on June 20-‐21st at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado. If you would like more information, please contact Chris Luchs at christopher.luchs@cccs.edu.
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