An online graduate certificate for K-12 teachers looking to expand their knowledge in computer science education is being offered for the first time in Fall 2018. The 9-credit K-12 Computer Science Education certificate is aimed at elementary and secondary teachers of all disciplines, and can serve as a pathway and credit toward the acclaimed fully online Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) program.
“More and more, we live in a world of computing,” said Professor Aman Yadav, director of MAET programs. “It is important to understand what the influences are, and teach young minds to be not just consumers, but creators and producers of technology.”
In late 2017, Yadav committed to instituting the certificate as part of Computer Science for All (#CSforAll), an initiative to expand computer science across the nation. It also ties into Yadav’s ongoing research and collaborations, including a nearly $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to implement curriculum changes in Michigan focusing on minority and/or economically disadvantaged students to encourage their learning of computer science ideas.
The certificate’s three courses “take a deep dive into big computer science ideas,” says Yadav, including creativity, computational thinking and programming tools.
“Students need to learn computer science, but in order to achieve that, we need to educate more teachers,” said Yadav, whose research focuses on educating teachers in computer science. “This certificate can fill that need.”
Learn more and apply to join the certificate program in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education.