Curriculum Guide

February 2024
Develop in Swift
Develop in Swift is a comprehensive coding offering intended for
students ages 14 and up. The curriculum prepares students for
college or a career in app development using the Swift programming
language, and is complemented with free online professional learning
for educators. Swift is designed for Mac — which supports all major
programming languages — making it the ideal device for teaching
and learning code.

As students move from Develop in Swift Explorations or AP®

CS Principles to more advanced concepts in Fundamentals and
Data Collections, they ll explore designing and building a fully
functioning app of their own — and can even earn AP® credit
or an industry-recognized certification. And for out-of-school
coding, the App Design Workbook, App Showcase Guide,
and Swift Coding Club help students design, prototype,
and celebrate their app ideas.
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 High School Pathway

Explorations or AP® CS Principles Fundamentals Data Collections

180 hours 180 hours 180 hours

Students learn key computing concepts, building Students build fundamental iOS app development Students expand on the knowledge and skills
a solid foundation in programming with Swift. skills with Swift. They ll master the core concepts they developed in Fundamentals by extending
They ll learn about the impact of computing and and practices that Swift programmers use daily, their work in iOS app development, creating
apps on society, economies, and cultures while and build a basic fluency in Xcode source and UI more complex and capable apps. They ll work
exploring iOS app development. The AP® CS editors. Students will be able to create iOS apps with data from a server and explore new iOS
Principles course extends Develop in Swift that adhere to standard practices, including the APIs that allow for much richer app experiences —
Explorations to prepare students for the AP® use of stock UI elements, layout techniques, and including displaying large collections of data in
Computer Science Principles exam. common navigation interfaces. multiple formats.

Unit 1: Values Unit 1: Getting Started with App Development Unit 1: Tables and Persistence
Episode 1: The TV Club Unit 2: Introduction to UIKit Unit 2: Working with the Web
Unit 2: Algorithms Unit 3: Navigation and Workflows Unit 3: Advanced Data Display
Episode 2: The Viewing Party
Unit 3: Organizing Data
Episode 3: Sharing Photos
Unit 4: Building Apps

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Higher Education Pathway

Explorations Fundamentals Data Collections

One semester One semester One semester

Students learn key computing concepts, Students build fundamental iOS app development Students expand on the knowledge and skills
building a solid foundation in programming skills with Swift. They ll master the core concepts they developed in Fundamentals by extending
with Swift. They ll learn about the impact of and practices that Swift programmers use daily, their work in iOS app development, creating
computing and apps on society, economies, and build a basic fluency in Xcode source and UI more complex and capable apps. They ll
and cultures while exploring iOS app editors. Students will be able to create iOS apps work with data from a server and explore
development. that adhere to standard practices, including the new iOS APIs that allow for much richer app
use of stock UI elements, layout techniques, and experiences — including displaying large
common navigation interfaces. collections of data in multiple formats.

Unit 1: Values Unit 1: Getting Started with App Development Unit 1: Tables and Persistence
Episode 1: The TV Club Unit 2: Introduction to UIKit Unit 2: Working with the Web
Unit 2: Algorithms Unit 3: Navigation and Workflows Unit 3: Advanced Data Display
Episode 2: The Viewing Party
Unit 3: Organizing Data
Episode 3: Sharing Photos
Unit 4: Building Apps

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Key Features
Xcode playgrounds. Students learn programming concepts as they Step-by-step instructions. Detailed instructions with images and
write code in playgrounds — interactive coding environments that let videos guide students through all the steps of building an app in Xcode.
them experiment with code and see results immediately.

Guided app projects. Using the included project files, students can try
out certain parts of code without having to build an app from scratch.
Supporting images and videos challenge them to apply their knowledge.

*Available in Develop in Swift AP® CS Principles and Develop in Swift Explorations courses only.

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 Develop in Swift Explorations and AP® CS Principles
Apple s app development curriculum starts with the Develop in Swift Explorations and AP CS Principles books to help
students learn key computing concepts, building a solid foundation in programming with Swift. They ll learn about the
impact of computing and apps on society, economies, and cultures while exploring iOS app development. Lessons
take students through the app design process: brainstorming, planning, prototyping, and evaluating an app design of
their own. While they may still be developing skills to convert prototypes into full apps, designing an app is a critical
skill and encourages students to learn to code.

As a College Board–endorsed provider for the 2023–2024 school year, Apple expanded the Explorations course to
create AP® CS Principles, including material to prepare students for the AP® Computer Science Principles exam.

Download: apple.co/developinswiftexplorations
Download: apple.co/developinswiftapcsp

Unit 1: Values. Students learn about the fundamental units of Swift — the Unit 3: Organizing Data. Students explore how to create custom types
values that flow through their code, including text and numbers. They using structs, group large quantities of items into arrays, and process them
explore how to associate names with values using variables. The unit using loops. They also learn how enums represent a set of related values,
culminates in an app project to display a photo. and in the app project at the end of the unit, they build an interactive game
with colorful shapes.
Episode 1: The TV Club. Students follow members of a TV club as they
anticipate the new season of their favorite show. They learn how searching Episode 3: Sharing Photos. The TV club concludes as its members
on the web and signing up for accounts relates to their personal information, share pictures of the viewing party on social media. Students learn about
as well as how to think about their privacy while using apps. digitizing analog data and parallel computing, and they explore some
consequences of sharing data online.
Unit 2: Algorithms. Students learn how to structure their code using
functions to encapsulate repetitive tasks, use if/else statements to represent Unit 4: Building Apps. Students deepen their skills in Xcode and Interface
decisions, and explore how Swift uses types to distinguish different kinds of Builder in guided projects to build apps from the ground up. They learn how
data. The culminating project is a QuestionBot app that responds to user to add user interface elements to a screen, connect those elements to their
input from the keyboard. code, and respond to the events generated by user interaction. They use
the incremental development process to build their apps one piece at a
Episode 2: The Viewing Party. The TV club story continues as its members time, testing as they go. The culmination of the unit is a study app with
stream the episode while texting each other. Students explore how data is flash card and quiz modes.
represented inside their devices at the lowest level and how it flows across
the internet. They also learn more about security and privacy of data.

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Develop in Swift Fundamentals
In this course, students build fundamental iOS app development skills. They ll master the core concepts and practices
of the Swift programming language that developers use daily and build a basic fluency in Xcode s source and UI editors.
Students will dive into the UIKit framework to create iOS apps that adhere to standard practices, including use of stock
UI elements and layout techniques, and common navigation interfaces. Three guided app projects help students
build an app in Xcode from the ground up with step-by-step instructions. Xcode playgrounds help students learn key
programming concepts in an interactive coding environment that lets them experiment with code and see the results
immediately. They ll also embark on an app design journey, using the App Design Workbook to define, prototype, and
test their own app idea. Download: apple.co/developinswiftfundamentals

Unit 1: Getting Started with App Development. Students find out

about the basics of data, operators, and control flow in Swift, as well
as documentation, debugging, Xcode, building and running an app, and
Interface Builder. They then apply this knowledge to a guided project
called Light in which they create a simple flashlight app.

Unit 2: Introduction to UIKit. Students explore Swift strings, functions,

structures, collections, and loops. They also learn about UIKit — the system
views and controls that make up a user interface — and how to display data
using Auto Layout and stack views. They put this knowledge to practice in a
guided project called Apple Pie, where they build a word-guessing game app.

Unit 3: Navigation and Workflows. Students discover how to

build simple workflows and navigation hierarchies using navigation
controllers, tab bar controllers, and segues. They also examine two
powerful tools in Swift: optionals and enumerations. They put this
knowledge into practice with a guided project called Personality
Quiz — a personalized survey that reveals a fun response to the user.

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Develop in Swift Data Collections
Students expand on the knowledge and skills they developed in Develop in Swift Fundamentals by extending their
work in iOS app development, creating more complex and capable apps. They ll work with data from a server and
explore new iOS APIs that allow for much richer app experiences — including displaying large collections of data in
multiple formats. Three guided app projects help students build an app in Xcode from the ground up with step-by-step
instructions. Xcode playgrounds help students learn key programming concepts in an interactive coding environment
that lets them experiment with code and see the results immediately. Download: apple.co/developinswiftdatacollections

Unit 1: Tables and Persistence. Students learn scroll views, table views,
and building complex input screens. They also explore how to save data,
share data to other apps, and work with images in a user s photo library.
They use their new skills in a guided project called List, a task-tracking app
that allows the user to add, edit, and delete items in a familiar table-based
interface.

Unit 2: Working with the Web. Students learn about animations,

concurrency, and working with the web. They apply what they ve learned
in a guided project called Restaurant — a customizable menu app that
displays a restaurant s available dishes and allows the user to submit
an order. The app uses a web service that lets students set up the menu
with their own menu items and photos.

Unit 3: Advanced Data Display. Students learn how to use collection

views to display data in a highly customizable, two-dimensional layout.
They also discover the power of Swift generics and bring all their
skills together in an app that manages a complex data set and presents
a customizable interface.

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Teaching Code with Apple
When you teach code, you re not only teaching the language of technology. You're also teaching new ways to think and bring ideas
to life. And Apple has free resources to help you bring code into your classroom, whether you re just starting or ready to get your
students certified in Swift. The Everyone Can Code curriculum introduces students to coding through a world of interactive puzzles
and playful characters with the Swift Playgrounds app. The Develop in Swift curriculum introduces students to the world of app
development by making it easy for them to design and build a fully functioning app of their own design. And Apple supports educators
with professional learning offerings to help you get started bringing Everyone Can Code and Develop in Swift offerings to students.

Free Self-Paced Online Professional Learning

The Develop in Swift Explorations and AP® CS Principles course is
available through Canvas by Instructure. Participants will learn the
foundational knowledge they need to teach Swift and Xcode directly
from Apple education experts, making this the ideal introductory
course for teaching Develop in Swift in any educational environment.
Learn more at apple.co/developinswiftexplorationspl.

Bring an Apple Professional Learning Specialist

to your school
For educators interested in going further, Apple Professional Learning
Specialists organize multiple-day training engagements designed to
provide hands-on, immersive learning experiences to help faculty
develop innovative instructional practices that engage students.

To learn more about Apple Professional Learning,

email [email protected].

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App Development with Swift Certifications
Educators who are teaching app development with Swift can help their students prepare for a career in the app economy by earning
an industry-recognized certification. App Development with Swift certifications recognize foundational knowledge of Swift, Xcode,
and app development tools covered by the free Develop in Swift Explorations and Develop in Swift Fundamentals courses. After
successfully completing an App Development with Swift exam students will earn a digital badge they can add to a resume, portfolio,
email, or share with professional and social media networks. Learn more: certiport.com/apple

WITH SWIFT WITH SWIFT

Associate Certified User

App Development with Swift Associate App Development with Swift Certified User
High school or higher education students who successfully complete the Higher education students who successfully complete the App
App Development with Swift Associate exam demonstrate knowledge of Development with Swift Certified User exam demonstrate fundamental
the impact of computing and apps on society, economies, and cultures iOS app development skills with Swift. They have knowledge of core
while exploring iOS app development. This certification is aligned with concepts and practices that professional Swift programmers use daily.
Develop in Swift Explorations course. This certification is aligned with Develop in Swift Fundamentals course.

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Additional Resources

App Design Workbook App Showcase Guide Swift Coding Club

The App Design Workbook uses a design Celebrate student ingenuity by encouraging Swift Coding Clubs are a fun way to design
thinking framework to teach students app students to share their coding achievements apps. Activities are built on learning Swift
design — a fundamental skill of iOS app with community events, such as project programming concepts in Xcode playgrounds
development. They ll explore the relationship demonstration events or app showcases. on Mac. Students collaborate with peers to
between app design and coding in Swift The App Showcase Guide provides practical prototype apps and think about how code can
through each stage of the app design cycle support to help you host an in-person or make a difference in the world around them.
to bring their app ideas to life. Download: virtual app showcase event. Download: Download: apple.co/swiftcodingclubxcode
apple.co/developinswiftappdesignworkbook apple.co/developinswiftappshowcaseguide

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 AP is a registered trademark of the College Board and is used with permission. Features are subject to change. Some features may not be available in all regions or all languages. © 2024 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, MacBook Air, Swift, the Swift Logo, Swift Playgrounds, and Xcode are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple, Inc., registered in
the U.S. and other countries. IOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of
theirCurriculum
Develop in Swift respective companies. Product specifications
Guide | December 2021 are subject to change without notice. This material is provided for information purposes only; Apple assumes no liability related to its use. February 2024 12