Duncan Johnson, E26, was a high school freshman in Columbus, Ohio, when he and his best friend, Elliot Roe, decided to parlay their coding skills into a summer computer coding camp for kids. 

Their observations soon led them to develop a new software platform called Patch, a computer program that helps middle school students transition from block-based coding tools, like Scratch, to more text-based coding with Python. 

For Johnson, a computer science major with a math minor, text-based programming can unlock creative freedom. He has followed a calling to create new approaches to mastering coding that spark imagination.

It’s a conviction that inspired him in high school to start his own nonprofit, BX Coding, and, as a Tufts undergraduate, to continue to expand the promise of Patch. With research funding from the Laidlaw Scholars Program, he built and tested a Patch middle-school curriculum, advised by Ethan Danahy, E00, EG02, EG07, research associate professor of computer science, and with the support of additional like-minded STEM educators at the Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO).

The following summer, with continued funding, he brought that curriculum to Nepal; working with the nonprofit Karkhana Samuha, he taught and created educational materials for students in grades 6 to 10.

Patch also was recognized last year at Derby Entrepreneurship Center’s $100K New Ventures competition, where Johnson—along with Roe and Ava Wandersleben, who are both at Georgia Tech—won first place in the Social Impact track. This year Johnson won the Paul and Elizabeth Montle Prize for Entrepreneurial Achievement for “Most Progress in a New Venture.”  

“How students learn with Patch improved dramatically because of Professor Danahy’s mentorship and guidance, and I’m excited to co-author a research paper on Patch with him this summer,” Johnson says. “I’m also grateful for funding from Tufts’ Derby Entrepreneurship Center that has allowed us to grow our development team to improve Patch as a tool that will get kids excited about coding.”

What’s the origin story for the invention of Patch?

It goes back to a two-week summer camp we started in 2019 with about 12 kids, ages 7 to 14, split into morning and afternoon sessions. Three or four kids sat around Elliot’s dining room table using Scratch, which teaches the basic concepts and logic of coding using colorful, LEGO-like blocks of code. During our 2021 camp, we realized, though, that there was a gap in coding tools specifically for middle-school kids, and the next year we invented Patch.

Why was bridging that age group so important?   

It’s important that we reach kids before negative thoughts about coding set in. Professional text-based programming languages like Python require using precise syntax to prevent errors and can be frustrating. Many students get the idea that “coding just isn’t for me.” But Patch leverages students’ comfort and familiarity with Scratch to ease that transition. Our main goal is to make coding fun, to create classrooms where kids are excited about exploring and trying new things. 

When did you get a sense that you’d like to dig into teaching?

I’ve been an education guy forever. In elementary school I was part of a STEM club, and we decided to make a mini-STEM club where we taught little engineering challenges to first and second graders. Then during our first summer camp, I realized, wait a second: I really like working with kids and teaching. And middle school kids are so creative; I enjoy seeing what they come up with! 

Can you expand on the connection between coding, creativity, and social impact? 

We decided very early on that Patch would never cost a dollar for students to use; it’s free and open source. We also knew that, traditionally, computer science has a high barrier to entry and can be difficult for students without the privilege of having prior experience in the field. We also wanted to give students more agency and creative freedom as they learn text-based programming. Computer science is about creatively solving tough problems, and with Patch, we hope to truly challenge students while also helping them flex their creative muscles, welcoming them into this field we love so much.