Merlin Coders
Introduction[edit]
Merlin Coders™ is a special program of Coder Merlin™ to bring recognition to dedicated and motivated students. Progress in the program requires demonstration of mastery in a topic that consists of one or more experiences.
As students demonstrate mastery of a topic, they're awarded "wands" that are rendered as right-pointing chevrons. When students earn a sufficient number of wands, they advance to the next level. After students earn a series of levels, they advance to a new sash color.
Requirements for Demonstrating Mastery[edit]
Demonstration of mastery in each subject occurs when a student successfully completes of a Merlin Mission with a score of 80% or greater. If that target score is not achieved, students may redo the Merlin Mission after no less than 14 calendar days have elapsed.
Digital Badges[edit]
A digital badge is a visual symbol of achievement. Students can collect and share digital credentials that validate their skills and accomplishments. They can send signals of success to networks that matter to them, such as Discord, Twitter, and Facebook.
For more information:
Sashmojis[edit]
Sashmojis are a concise shortcut for specifying sashes and levels using only two characters.
Sashes[edit]
⬜️🟨🟧🟩🟪🟦🟫🟥⬛️
Levels[edit]
0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣
White Sash[edit]
White Sash - Zero Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Entry Level Coder | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓⬜️0️⃣ |
Description: Expresses a commitment to master the skills of Computer Science
| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
|---|---|
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has expressed a commitment to invest the required effort necessary to master the skills of Computer Science.
Estimated time to earn credential: 0.0 hours
Tags:
White Sash - First Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Basic CLI Software Development Tools | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓⬜️1️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates knowledge and skills of basic software development tools using a command-line interface
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
|---|---|
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills of basic tools required for software development on Linux. This includes the basic use of the Bash command-line interface, the basic use of the Emacs text editor, and the use of the Merlin Mission Manager to provide feedback on challenges.
Estimated time to earn credential: 8.0 hours
Tags: 
bash emacs merlin mission manager
White Sash - Second Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Number Systems | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓⬜️2️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates knowledge and skills of using number systems in alternative bases
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills in using alternative base number systems and alternative base addition.
Estimated time to earn credential: 6.0 hours
Tags: number systems alternative base addition
White Sash - Third Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Boolean Algebra | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓⬜️3️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates knowledge and skills of using Boolean algebra
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills in using Boolean algebra, logic gates, bitwise operations, logic composition, and complex gates such as binary adders and an SR Latch.
Estimated time to earn credential: 12.0 hours
Tags: boolean algebra logic gates bitwise operations logic composition binary adders SR Latch
White Sash - Fourth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Computer History and Architecture | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓⬜️4️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates knowledge of computer history and architecture
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
|---|---|
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge of computer history and architecture.
Estimated time to earn credential: 3.0 hours
Tags: computer history computer architecture
White Sash - Fifth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Encoding and Data Types | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓⬜️5️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates knowledge and skills of basic data types and their storage
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
|---|---|
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills in using positive and negative integers, nil values, expressions and operators, and conversion between types.
Estimated time to earn credential: 20.0 hours
Tags: positive integers negative integers nil values data conversions
White Sash - Sixth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Introductory Programming | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓⬜️6️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of coding
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
|---|---|
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills in a very basic understanding of the concept of assembly language and writing "Hello, World!" programs in a variety of programming languages.
Estimated time to earn credential: 22.0 hours
Tags: assembly language hello world
White Sash - Seventh Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Non-sequential Coding | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓⬜️7️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of conditionals and loops
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills of nonsequential execution including branching structures such as conditionals and loops.
Estimated time to earn credential: 10.0 hours
Tags: non-sequential execution loops conditionals
White Sash - Eighth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Scope Basics | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓⬜️8️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of variable, function, and block scope
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills of variable, function, and block scope.
Estimated time to earn credential: 10.0 hours
Tags: variable scope function scope block scope
Yellow Sash[edit]
Yellow Sash - First Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Basic Karel Algorithms | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟨1️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of Karel algorithms
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code algorithms for the following:
- Orienting Karel appropriate to the task at hand
- Navigating Karel around obstacles
- Determining permissible boundaries for Karel movement
- Picking up and dropping off beepers
Estimated time to earn credential: 20.0 hours
Tags: karel orientation karel navigation karel tasks
Yellow Sash - Second Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Basic Numeric Algorithms | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟨2️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of common algorithms
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code algorithms for the following:
- Finding the largest integer of three
- Finding the greatest common divisor of two integers
- Determining whether a number is prime
- Finding the next prime given an arbitrary integer
Estimated time to earn credential: 12.0 hours
Tags: algorithm largest of three algorithm greatest common divisor algorithm finding primes
Yellow Sash - Third Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Intermediate Numeric Algorithms | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟨3️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates intermediate knowledge and skills of common algorithms
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
|---|---|
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code algorithms for the following:
- Converting a string of characters, including nondigits, to a decimal integer
- Converting a series of decimal integers, up to 99,999 to their equivalent English names
- Determining the optimal denominations to use when making change
Estimated time to earn credential: 30.0 hours
Tags: string to decimal integer decimal integer to English name denominations for making change
Yellow Sash - Fourth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Using Random Numbers | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟨4️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge of using random numbers
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code algorithms for using random numbers to determine the value of .
Estimated time to earn credential: 6.0 hours
Tags: using random numbers
Yellow Sash - Fifth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Best Coding Practices | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟨5️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge of best coding practices
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code using best practices, including the following:
- Proper use of assertions and preconditions
- Proper use of comments
- Proper use of whitespace
- Proper naming conventions for identifiers
- Proper names for functions, constants, and variables
Estimated time to earn credential: 10.0 hours
Tags: best coding practices
Yellow Sash - Sixth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Arrays | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟨6️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of using arrays
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code:
- Creation of Integer and String single-dimensional arrays
- Traversal of single-dimensional arrays
- Searching (linearly) through single-dimensional arrays
- Summary calculations on single-dimensional arrays
Estimated time to earn credential: 15.0 hours
Tags: single-dimensional arrays
Yellow Sash - Seventh Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Basic Sorting | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟨7️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of sorting arrays
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code:
- A swap function
- Bubble sort
Estimated time to earn credential: 10.0 hours
Tags: swapping variables bubble sort
Orange Sash[edit]
Orange Sash - First Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Basic Graphics | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟧1️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of utilizing classes and objects in a graphics environment
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
|---|---|
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code:
- Using classes and objects in a graphics environment
- Using graphic layers to render simple objects, including rectangles, circles, and ellipses
- Using standard colors and custom RGB colors
- Using event-driven programming as part of the render cycle
Estimated time to earn credential: 20.0 hours
Tags: graphics object-oriented programming event-driven programming
Orange Sash - Second Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Intermediate Graphics | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟧2️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates intermediate knowledge and skills of utilizing classes and objects in a graphics environment
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
|---|---|
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code:
- Using graphic paths and filled paths
- Using graphic images
- Cropping graphic images
- Scaling graphic images
Estimated time to earn credential: 12.0 hours
Tags: graphics graphic paths graphic images object-oriented programming event-driven programming
Orange Sash - Third Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Turtle Graphics | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟧3️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of utilizing turtle graphics
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code:
- Using the relative, polar-coordinate system of a turtle
- Rotating a turtle
- Moving a turtle
- Lifting a dropping a pen
- Using loops to simplify coding of turtle graphics
- Using colors with turtle graphics
Estimated time to earn credential: 16.0 hours
Tags: graphics turtle graphics loops in graphics
Orange Sash - Fourth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Patterns of Patterns | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟧4️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of replicating patterns
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code:
- Using cartesian coordinates
- Identifying patterns
- Replicating patterns
- Judiciously utilizing scope
- Using loops to simplify coding
- Using colors
Estimated time to earn credential: 12.0 hours
Tags: graphics patten identification loops in graphics
Orange Sash - Fifth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Basic Animation | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟧5️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of basic animation
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
|---|---|
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code:
- Events for both rendering and interaction
- Layers for background and interaction
- Moving objects by following the mouse
- Distorting object proportions to provide visual effects
- Moving objects each frame by using velocity
- Bounding rectangles and hit testing
Estimated time to earn credential: 12.0 hours
Tags: graphics events animation hit testing
Orange Sash - Sixth Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Animation and Interaction | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟧6️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of interacting with animated objects
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code:
- Event-driven development
- Object-oriented development
- Handling keyboard events
Estimated time to earn credential: 16.0 hours
Tags: graphics object-oriented development event-driven development animation
Orange Sash - Seventh Level[edit]
| Digital badge: Animation and Collision Detection | Sashmoji: MMM-🧑🎓🟧7️⃣ |
Description: Demonstrates basic knowledge and skills of detecting collisions in animation
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| Badge | Promotion Requirements for Mastery |
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Criteria: An earner of this credential has studied and demonstrated knowledge and skills, including the ability to independently code:
- Set theory and using sets and set operations
- Enumerated types
- Limiting motion to defined constraints
- Deflection of objects
- Scoring in animated games
Estimated time to earn credential: 18.0 hours
Tags: graphics set collection type set theory enumerated types
Green Sash[edit]
Purple Sash[edit]
Blue Sash[edit]
Brown Sash[edit]
Red Sash[edit]
Black Sash[edit]
(Restore from vandalism 14-Dec-2021)
