Empower Your Students with Real-World Coding: Inside the JetBrains Course Creators Program

Welcome to the JetBrains Course Creators Program! This initiative is designed to bridge the gap between theoretical learning and practical coding experience. If you're an educator or course creator, this program lets you integrate hands-on practice directly into JetBrains IDEs, so your students can code in professional tools from day one. Below, we answer your most pressing questions about the program.

What is the JetBrains Course Creators Program?

The JetBrains Course Creators Program is an initiative that empowers independent educators and course creators to bring authentic coding practice into their online courses. Instead of relying on browser-based exercises or simplified environments, you can now use the JetBrains Academy plugin to give students real-world experience in industry-standard IDEs. Students write, run, and debug actual projects—not just snippets—while learning alongside AI tools. No complete course rebuild is needed; you simply move the practical parts of your existing curriculum into JetBrains IDEs. This approach ensures learners gain the developer skills they’ll use in internships and jobs, closing the gap between watching videos and coding professionally.

Empower Your Students with Real-World Coding: Inside the JetBrains Course Creators Program — Source: blog.jetbrains.com

Why was this program created?

Online programming education often leaves a major gap: students watch videos and complete quizzes, but rarely code in the professional tools they’ll use at work. With AI changing how people learn and code, practical skills like debugging, project understanding, and collaborating with AI are more critical than ever. JetBrains launched this program to help course creators provide that missing hands-on experience. By integrating with our IDEs, educators can ensure students don’t just learn concepts—they build confidence in real development environments. The goal is to prepare learners for internships and developer roles by making hands-on practice a seamless part of any online course.

Who can participate in the program?

The program is open to any educator or course creator who teaches programming, software development, or related technical topics. You qualify if you publish courses on popular platforms like Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Pluralsight, edX, or run your own educational website. Additionally, if you offer standalone tutorials or workshops, you’re welcome. The only requirement is that you want to provide students with real coding practice in a professional IDE. Whether you’re a solo instructor or part of an academy, the program helps you elevate your teaching by integrating JetBrains IDEs directly into your course workflow.

What are the key benefits of joining?

Joining the program offers several advantages beyond a technical integration. First, your students gain authentic experience in the same tools used by professionals worldwide. This builds their confidence and job readiness. Second, you can leverage the JetBrains Academy plugin without rebuilding your course from scratch—simply reposition practical exercises. Third, for platforms like Coursera, we already support direct integration with a single click, reducing student setup friction. Additionally, we provide a step-by-step guide for Coursera integration that syncs progress automatically. Finally, this program helps you stand out as an educator who delivers practical, modern training, which can increase student satisfaction and retention.

How does the integration work with platforms like Udemy?

We make integration simple. If you teach on Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, or similar, you don’t need to rebuild your existing content. You use the JetBrains Academy plugin to move the practical parts of your course—like coding exercises, projects, and debugging tasks—into the IDE. Students then access these exercises directly through your course platform. For example, on Coursera, we already support direct links: students click a button and open the project in their JetBrains IDE with no extra setup. We also offer a detailed guide for Coursera using the Apps (LTI) feature, which automates progress syncing. For other platforms, you can embed links or assignments that launch the IDE environment.

Already teaching on Coursera? Here’s how to get started.

Yes! We have a dedicated integration for Coursera educators. Using the Apps (LTI) feature, you can connect your Coursera course with JetBrains IDEs. Students click a single link to open a coding exercise in their IDE, and their progress syncs automatically back to Coursera. To help you set this up, we’ve prepared a step-by-step guide that covers creating the App, publishing exercises, and ensuring seamless syncing. This means your Coursera students get a professional coding environment without leaving the learning platform—a huge boost to their practical skills. If you’re interested, apply to the program and we’ll provide the guide.

How can I apply or learn more?

Applying is easy. Head to the JetBrains Course Creators Program page (the original article had an “Apply Now” button). You’ll find a form where you share details about your courses, platforms, and teaching experience. Once accepted, we’ll send you all the resources, including the integration guide, plugin setup instructions, and best practices. If you have questions before applying, feel free to reach out through our support channels. We’re excited to help you bring real-world coding to your students.