I don't really see why this would be better than the traditional format with lectures that go through the theory with some examples, and then homework tasks you solve yourself. As long as those tasks are appropriate, it's an excellent method that closely mirrors the realities of being a developer. I learned iOS development from the Stanford course and I can't imagine a better way.
We propose that bringing the process of writing code closer to the teaching materials will make more students likely to write more code. We also think making it easier to share your code within a context, without setting up a matching environment online or that the group teacher has to copy it locally, will make it easier to get quality feedback. And we will introduce this feedback loop as a part of the courses where students give feedback on each others code. We think that will give more people access to learning to code, and we can bring it even closer to the realities of being a developer.