AI Academy: Vibe Coding & App Engineering

  • Price: Starting at $4,599 (payment plan available)
  • Age: Ages 13-18
  • Skill Level: Beginner-Advanced
  • Format: iD Tech Academies | Small-Group, On-Campus
  • Duration: Two-week program

Premier Teen Program

Write the code. Direct the agent. Build the app. In this two-week AI academy, you’ll learn industry-standard coding syntax in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from day one, so you can read what your AI agent writes and know where to step in. Decide when to mix your own code with vibe coding, and when to fix a bug yourself or hand it off. Review your agent’s plan before you accept it to catch logic errors and ensure it fits your vision.

Team up in an AI hackathon to crack a hypothetical client brief, then build a week-long group project with GitHub version control. For your capstone, take on an advanced build like an interactive escape room game with randomized puzzles or a trip planner with live weather data. Sharpen your pitch in mock presentations, then present your app with a pitch deck at the Launch Party and earn your iD Tech Academy diploma and transcript. Come away with a portfolio of apps you coded, designed, and refined, which can help boost your college and internship applications.

AI Usage
You’ll write code and direct an AI agent alongside it. Your instructor will guide you on when to code and when to delegate, as well as best practices for prompting and token usage.

You'll learn to:

  • Learn industry-standard coding syntax and structure so you can read what your agent builds
  • Mix your own code with vibe coding, and decide when to delegate
  • Collaborate with peers in an AI hackathon using hypothetical client briefs
  • Build a week-long group project with GitHub version control
  • Design polished interfaces with UX principles
  • Host your projects on a portfolio website with GitHub

Course Format 

This course is part of an intensive 2-week summer program running Monday through Friday (overnight at most locations with the option to stay the weekend within the two weeks). Your teen will learn in a lab on an inspiring university campus with a balanced daily schedule of assignment-driven workshops and outdoor/recreational activities. Courses are led by experienced instructors in a small-group setting. Learn more below. 

Sample Schedule

Here’s a sample of what each week in the course could look like! Please keep in mind that students will progress at varying paces; this is a general outline of key material and the overall student experience.

Utilize your AI agent to level up your coding expertise. You’ll use a mix of vibe coding and your own, learning fundamental syntax in languages best suited for app development, like JavaScript. Use GitHub repositories to collaborate on a team and rapidly prototype projects. Test, iterate, and debug your projects with your teammates and AI agent, sharpening your own troubleshooting skills as you go.

In the second week, design custom assets to integrate into your project and tweak the user experience. Work together with your AI agent to generate more features for your capstone. You’ll present your final capstone in a comprehensive presentation at the iD Tech Academy Launch Party. Bring home a portfolio-worthy project along with all the skills you developed during this academy experience.

Portfolio-Boosting Diploma & Transcript

At the conclusion of your teen's course, they will receive an official iD Tech diploma and course transcript outlining the skills they learned over the session—which can help boost high school, college, and internship applications.
 

Get advice from our experts

Our goal is to make planning and registering easy, so you can focus on what matters most—giving your teens a summer to remember. Our team of experienced Program Specialists can answer any and every question, including finding the perfect location and course for your teens. Call us at 1-888-709-8324 or email hello@idtech.com. 

Elite Staff & Experienced Instructors

Passion for tech. Unmatched expertise. Personality that brings out the absolute best in your student. With 25 years of experience, we know there's no replacement for the best teacher. Each year iD instructors go on to be hired by the most prestigious tech companies in the world like Google, EA, Disney, Microsoft, and more. When your student learns from the best, they’ll unlock opportunities to become their best. 

  • 100% USA-based, adult instructors

  • Recruited from top universities like Stanford, Caltech, and NYU

  • Rigorous background and reference checks

  • Robust training programs and certification

  • Adherence to American Camp Association accredited guidelines

Instructor Highlights

Chris M.

Software Engineer at Google

“My time as an iD instructor was really formative. I stayed with STEM in college as a Computer Science and Electrical Engineering major, and now I’m working at Google in Chicago. If you find yourself thinking about STEM-related things outside of school, follow that passion. Major in it. Keep pursuing it.”

Instructor Highlights

Chris M.

Software Engineer at Google

“My time as an iD instructor was really formative. I stayed with STEM in college as a Computer Science and Electrical Engineering major, and now I’m working at Google in Chicago. If you find yourself thinking about STEM-related things outside of school, follow that passion. Major in it. Keep pursuing it.”

Instructor Highlights

Aspen C.

Associate Designer at Bethesda Softworks

“The spirit of innovation and creativity I felt around my students while teaching Unity led me toward my career as a professional game designer. My time at iD Tech taught me that no dream is too big, and that brilliant ideas can come from anywhere.”

Instructor Highlights

Aspen C.

Associate Designer at Bethesda Softworks

“The spirit of innovation and creativity I felt around my students while teaching Unity led me toward my career as a professional game designer. My time at iD Tech taught me that no dream is too big, and that brilliant ideas can come from anywhere.”

Instructor Highlights

Brian M.

Software Engineer at Disney

“The opportunity to create an environment of collaboration, inclusion, and creativity was a truly special experience. The skills I honed while teaching at iD Tech led me to my software engineering roles at ESPN and the Walt Disney Company.”

Instructor Highlights

Brian M.

Software Engineer at Disney

“The opportunity to create an environment of collaboration, inclusion, and creativity was a truly special experience. The skills I honed while teaching at iD Tech led me to my software engineering roles at ESPN and the Walt Disney Company.”

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FAQ

Both are two-week academies for ages 13–18. AI Academy: Vibe Coding & App Development with AI Agents is about building apps: teens use an AI agent as a creative partner, mixing vibe coding with their own code to build a polished app. NVIDIA® Academy: AI and Machine Learning is about machine learning: teens code in Python and Linux to train image recognition models on NVIDIA® hardware they take home. Choose AI Academy for app development, or NVIDIA for machine learning and hardware.

iD Tech Academies offer intensive, assignment-driven programming workshops in various course topics including machine learning, game development, robotics, and more. Programs are designed to be a rigorous, pre-college experience that provides industry insights for teens interested in pursuing STEM fields in college or as a career.

All graduates will leave their academy with a portfolio tailored to their course topic - which is invaluable for college applications, internships, and jobs - along with their iD Tech Diploma. 

Teens direct an AI agent to build applications, mixing vibe coding with code they write themselves. They start by examining how code is structured, so they can read what their agent builds and know where to step in. Instructors guide them to write and troubleshoot code with AI assistance, including how to use tokens efficiently with prompt engineering, and how to use AI responsibly and ethically.

Teens practice developing applications with industry-standard coding languages and AI, team collaboration with GitHub, prompt engineering and responsible AI use. They come away with a portfolio of digital products they designed, built and refined, which can help boost college and internship applications.

Yes, this course is designed for beginner to advanced students. Our small class size ensures that each student receives individual attention and has the freedom to learn at their own pace.

Yes! Every iD Tech experience contributes toward leveling up along the iD Tech Pathway. This course is worth 4,667 XP— learn more about the iD Tech Pathway here.

Teens collaborate with fellow builders using GitHub version control and prototype projects in an AI hackathon, working to meet a hypothetical client's demands under time constraints. They design user interfaces, then debug like a professional dev team: refining prompts, reading console logs, and deciding when to fix the logic themselves or delegate to their agent. Finally, they polish a capstone into a fully working app, such as a daily planner or entertainment app.

Yes! You can register today for as little as $460 per student, and pay the balance in convenient monthly installments. 

You can also save by registering for multiple sessions (save $50 when you buy a second course in another topic or for a sibling), or by inviting friends to join at camp (earn a $25 credit for each new referral; your friends save $25 too). 

With our weeklong summer camps, teens can strike the perfect balance between STEM skill development and summer fun, experiencing collegiate life and learning on-campus at a prestigious university. (Overnight options available at select locations.)

Additionally, with online programs including private lessons and virtual camps, there is a program that fits your teen’s interests, skill level, goals, and importantly, schedule. Learn more.

Our Program Specialists are here to provide you with the best experience. Looking for a personalized course recommendation? Need help signing up? We’ve got you covered. Call us at 1-888-709-8324 or email hello@idtech.com. 

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