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Dubai Computer Science Society

Chapter Guide

Everything you need to know about running a DCSS chapter — from your first session to your third hackathon.

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Getting Started

Starting a DCSS chapter means building a student-led CS community at your school. You'll run weekly sessions, host hackathons, and give students a space to build, learn, and compete — all backed by the full DCSS network.

Before You Apply

Make sure you have the following in place before reaching out:

  • A core team of 3-5 committed students who are ready to meet regularly and take ownership of running the chapter
  • A faculty advisor — any teacher or staff member willing to sponsor the chapter, provide a meeting space, and vouch for the group with school admin
  • School approval — confirm with your school that you can run a weekly club under the DCSS name. Most schools welcome this as an extracurricular
  • A weekly meeting slot — ideally 45-60 minutes, during lunch, after school, or a designated activity period

The Application Process

01
Reach out via LinkedIn — message the DCSS page with your school name, team names, faculty advisor, and a brief statement on what you'd focus on
02
Intro call with DCSS leadership — a short call to discuss your plans, answer questions, and confirm alignment with DCSS standards
03
Onboarding — you'll receive access to the Knowledge Library, branding kit, presentation templates, and this guide. We'll walk you through your first term
04
Launch — run your first session, announce to your school, and you're live. DCSS stays with you throughout
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Leadership Structure

Every chapter needs clear leadership. Here's the minimum structure DCSS requires:

Required Roles

  • Chapter Head (or Co-Heads) — the primary point of contact with DCSS. Responsible for overall direction, session planning, and quarterly reporting. Chapters can run with a single Head + VP, or two Co-Heads who share leadership equally
  • Vice President — supports the Chapter Head, steps in when needed, and co-manages sessions. Required if running a single-head structure; optional with Co-Heads
  • Events Coordinator — owns hackathon logistics: scheduling, promotion, platform setup, and results reporting
  • Faculty Advisor — a teacher or staff member who sponsors the chapter, provides meeting space, and ensures alignment with school policy

Handover Process

Leadership terms last one academic year. DCSS has a structured three-phase handover process — see the full Leadership Handover guide. In summary:

  • Phase 1 — Applications: Open essay-based applications to the whole chapter at least 6 weeks before end of year
  • Phase 2 — Interviews: Shortlist a healthy pool and conduct personal 1-on-1 interviews with each candidate
  • Phase 3 — Selection: Appoint the new Head (or Co-Heads), VP, and Events Coordinator. Transfer all credentials and introduce successors to DCSS leadership

Tip

Recruit Year 10-11 (Grade 9-10) students as Vice Leads early — they become next year's Chapter Leads with a full year of context.

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Running Weekly Sessions

Weekly sessions are the backbone of your chapter. This is non-negotiable — every chapter must hold at least one session per week during term time.

Session Format

A typical 50-minute session follows this structure:

5m
Welcome & Recap — quick recap of last session, any announcements, set context for today
20m
Core Content — present the main topic using the Knowledge Library or your own materials. Use slides, live coding, or whiteboard demos
20m
Hands-On Practice — coding challenge, group exercise, or project work time. This is where members apply what they just learned
5m
Wrap-Up — key takeaways, optional homework, and a teaser for next week

Content Sources

  • DCSS Knowledge Library — your primary resource. Covers OOP, DSA, Databases, Networks, OS, and Machine Learning with visual guides and interactive materials
  • Session Presentation Template — use the provided template to maintain consistent, professional slides across all sessions
  • Guest speakers — invite industry professionals, university students, or teachers from other departments for variety
  • Project-based sessions — dedicate some weeks to building real projects (web apps, CLI tools, data analysis scripts)
  • Competitive programming — run practice rounds using HackerRank, LeetCode, or Codeforces problems

Session Planning Tips

  • Plan at least 2-3 weeks of content in advance so you're never scrambling
  • Alternate between theory-heavy and hands-on sessions to keep engagement high
  • Track attendance every session — you'll need this for quarterly reports
  • Take photos at sessions for social media and school promotion
  • End each session with a clear "what's next" so members come back

Important

If your chapter cannot hold a session in a given week (holidays, exams, school events), that's fine — but consistent gaps without reason will trigger a review. Communicate with DCSS if you're hitting blockers.

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Running Hackathons

Each chapter must host 2-3 hackathons per academic year. These are open to all students at your school, regardless of experience level. Hackathons are how you create buzz, attract new members, and give students a real competitive experience.

Planning Timeline

4w
4 weeks before — pick a date, choose a theme (optional), and decide on format (individual vs team, timed vs multi-day). Confirm venue and equipment (laptops, WiFi, projector)
3w
3 weeks before — set up the HackerRank contest (see HackerRank guide below). Prepare problem sets or coordinate with DCSS for shared problems. Create promotional materials using DCSS poster templates
2w
2 weeks before — launch promotions: posters in school, announcements in assemblies, social media posts. Open registration (Google Form works fine). Brief your faculty advisor
1w
1 week before — send reminder emails/messages to registrants. Finalise logistics: seating, power strips, snacks if possible. Do a dry run of the HackerRank contest to catch issues
D
Day of — arrive early, test WiFi and projector, welcome participants, explain rules, start the contest. Have a team member monitoring the leaderboard and helping with technical issues
+1
After — announce results, take a group photo, share highlights on social media. Submit participation data and results to DCSS within one week

Hackathon Formats

  • Classic HackerRank Contest — timed competitive programming (60-120 minutes). Best for beginners and intermediate. Use easy-medium difficulty problems
  • Build Hackathon — teams build a project over 3-6 hours around a theme. Judged on creativity, functionality, and presentation. More complex to run but very engaging
  • Code Golf — solve problems in the fewest characters possible. Fun, quick, and great for experienced coders
  • Beginner Jam — a low-pressure event specifically for first-time coders. Pair them with experienced members as mentors

Tip

Your first hackathon doesn't need to be perfect. Start simple — a 60-minute HackerRank contest with 5 problems is a great first event. You can scale up later.

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HackerRank Setup Guide

HackerRank is the default platform for chapter hackathons. It's free, handles code submission and scoring, and provides a live leaderboard. Here's how to set up a contest from scratch.

Creating a Contest

01
Create a HackerRank account — go to hackerrank.com and sign up. You'll need an admin account to create contests
02
Go to Administration > Contests — click "Create Contest". Choose a name following the format: DCSS [School] — [Event Name] [Term/Year]
03
Set contest details — set start/end times, select languages (Python, Java, C++, JavaScript are standard). Enable "Public" access so anyone with the link can join
04
Add problems — you can use HackerRank's library of existing problems or create custom ones. For a typical contest, use 5-7 problems ordered by difficulty: 2 easy, 2-3 medium, 1-2 hard
05
Test the contest — share the link with your team first. Have someone attempt all problems to check for errors, unclear wording, or incorrect test cases
06
Share the link — distribute the contest URL to participants. They'll need to create a HackerRank account (free) to participate

Problem Selection Tips

  • Always include 1-2 easy problems that beginners can solve — this keeps everyone engaged
  • Use problems that test concepts your sessions have covered — it reinforces learning
  • For custom problems: write clear problem statements, provide 2-3 sample test cases, and include edge cases in hidden tests
  • Avoid problems that require obscure algorithms or niche language features
  • DCSS can provide problem sets — reach out if you need help sourcing problems

During the Contest

  • Project the leaderboard on a screen if possible — it drives competition
  • Have a team member available to answer clarification questions (but never give hints on solutions)
  • If a problem has a bug, announce it to all participants immediately and extend time if needed
  • Take screenshots of the final leaderboard for your records and social media

After the Contest

  • Export results from HackerRank (Administration > Contest > Leaderboard > Export)
  • Announce winners publicly and recognise participation
  • Run a brief solution walkthrough — go over the top 2-3 problems and explain optimal approaches
  • Submit results to DCSS within one week

Academic Integrity

Make it clear that plagiarism and code sharing during the contest are strictly prohibited. HackerRank has plagiarism detection built in — flag any suspicious submissions.

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Branding & Communications

Your chapter represents DCSS. All public-facing materials must use official branding and follow these guidelines.

Naming Convention

Your chapter name must follow this format everywhere — social media, posters, emails, school listings:

DCSS — [School Name]

Example: DCSS — Dubai College, DCSS — King's College London, DCSS — Singapore American School

What You Receive

  • Poster templates — customisable Canva templates for events, sessions, and general promotion
  • Presentation template — DCSS-branded slide deck for all weekly sessions
  • Social media guidelines — tone, style, and examples for Instagram and LinkedIn posts
  • Pitch deck — ready-to-use deck for pitching the chapter to school admin, teachers, or potential members

Communication Rules

  • All public communications must align with DCSS values: inclusive, educational, community-driven
  • Never enter partnerships or sponsorships without DCSS approval
  • Don't use unofficial logos, colours, or fonts in chapter materials
  • When posting on social media, tag @dubai_computer_science_society on Instagram and the DCSS LinkedIn page
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Growing Membership

A chapter is only as strong as its community. Here's how to attract and retain members.

Attracting Members

  • Assembly announcements — ask your school for 60 seconds in assembly at the start of each term
  • Posters — put up DCSS-branded posters in CS classrooms, common areas, and library notice boards
  • Taster sessions — run a one-off open session at the start of term with no commitment required. Make it hands-on and fun
  • Word of mouth — your best recruiting tool. If sessions are good, members will bring friends
  • Hackathons as entry points — promote hackathons to the whole school. Many attendees will become regular members
  • Cross-promote with other clubs — maths, physics, robotics, and design clubs have overlapping audiences

Retaining Members

  • Keep sessions engaging — the biggest retention lever. If sessions are boring, people stop coming
  • Give members ownership — let experienced members present, lead workshops, or co-run hackathons
  • Build a community, not just a class — have a group chat, celebrate wins, feature members on social media
  • Track progress — help members see their growth over the year (problems solved, projects built, skills learned)
  • Cater to all levels — have beginner-friendly content alongside advanced challenges so no one feels left out or unchallenged

Minimum Threshold

Chapters must maintain weekly active members attending sessions consistently. If attendance drops below this for an extended period, your chapter enters a one-term probation period with DCSS support to recover.

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Reporting & Accountability

Chapters submit a quarterly report to DCSS at the end of each term. This keeps both you and DCSS aligned on how things are going.

What to Report

  • Session log — dates, topics, and attendance for every session held that quarter
  • Hackathon summary — event details, participant count, results, and any issues
  • Key metrics — total members, average attendance, number of sessions, hackathons run
  • Highlights and challenges — what went well, what didn't, and what you learned
  • Goals for next quarter — 3-5 concrete goals for the upcoming term
  • Compliance checklist — confirm you met DCSS standards (branding, free events, weekly sessions)

Use the Quarterly Report Template provided in the Chapter Playbook — it covers all of this in a structured format.

Annual Review

At the end of the academic year, DCSS conducts a renewal review for every chapter. This considers:

  • Consistency of weekly sessions throughout the year
  • Hackathon completion (2-3 per year)
  • Membership health and growth
  • Compliance with branding and conduct standards
  • Quality and timeliness of quarterly reports

Chapters that meet standards are renewed automatically. Chapters that fall short enter probation with a structured recovery plan.

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Resources & Links

DCSS Resources

External Tools

  • HackerRank — hackerrank.com — contest platform for hackathons
  • Canva — canva.com — poster and social media design
  • Google Forms — forms.google.com — event registration and feedback
  • LinkedIn — primary channel for DCSS communication and networking

Contact DCSS

For questions, support, or anything else — reach out to DCSS leadership on LinkedIn.