IU Northwest awarded $600K to boost K-12 computer science
GARY, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – An Indiana University Northwest initiative aims to accelerate and expand K-12 computer science education capacity in the Hoosier state. IndianaComputes! has been awarded a state contract of over $600,000 to accelerate and deepen computer science capacity in Indiana.
The university says the contract will fund IndianaComputes! services such as workshops, coursework and resource development.
The initiative will be offered online and is supported by more than a dozen collaborating universities and colleges around the state. IU Northwest says all services will be provided free of charge to Indiana educators and participating teachers from public and charter schools will be awarded a stipend upon completion.
According to Bhaskara Kopparty, chair of the Department of Computer Information Systems and IndianaComputes! program coordinator at IU Northwest, the initiative is for all K-12 stakeholders in Indiana to develop foundational computer science skills, including content knowledge and best-practice teaching skills for K-12 computing standards.
“IndianaComputes! offers an unprecedented opportunity to help build computer science education capacity and we are excited to take part in this important endeavor,” said Kopparty.
Computer science background knowledge beyond the K-8 standards will be available for high school computer science teachers, STEM, and curriculum specialists. The university says the coursework is being developed especially for teachers and uses differentiated learning strategies and problem-based contexts to support novice and experienced teachers alike.
The IndianaComputes! program has been specifically designed to help address the gap among educators and computer science knowledge, which the univeristy says intersects all subjects now.
The university says registration is open now, and the program is expected to launch soon.
You can find more information by clicking here.