Singpath Mobile: An iPad app for learning Python and Java

If you’re a Python or Java beginner, Singpath Mobile might just be your ticket to hackerdom.

The iPad app, developed as a Final Year Project by a team from the Singapore Management University, lets you pick a “path”, either Python or Java. You would then proceed to answer a series of quizzes on programming concepts, earning points and badges along the way. It’s sort of like Codeacademy.

According to the creators, this app is designed to help people overcome their programming anxieties with an easy entry to learning. It’s still an early version, so the creators are gathering feedback to drastically improve the user experience. It’s also non-commercial.

I’m personally fascinated by this app since I’ve picked up Python recently. But after trying it out, I think it has fallen short of its goals.

I wouldn’t recommend Singpath Mobile to absolute beginners as an entry point into programming. There are far better resources out there, such as Learn Python the Hard Way, any one of the free courses on Udacity, and yes, Codeacademy.

What Singpath Mobile lacks at this point is comprehensiveness. It expects people to know what functions and arguments in Python are, without unpacking what these concepts mean. A total novice would be lost.

Also, programming is best learnt by doing, and that involves actually typing out the codes. However, Singpath Mobile is essentially a series of quizzes. At best, it helps learners get acquainted with the language, but not the execution.

But I did have some fun with Singpath Mobile. It’s sort of like an exercise book for me, a way to refresh some of the concepts I’ve grasped on Learn Python the Hard Way. At this point, it’s a complementary tool for the beginner.

I would love to see subsequent versions focus more on novice-friendly content and hands-on learning. Perhaps add a console and some exercises that allow users to create their first mini-scripts.

But I’m not sure how feasible it is to do that in an iPad app though.

After all, I’m just a novice.