McNeese Partners with Code.org

More than two-thirds of all new jobs in science, technology, engineering and math will be computing occupations by 2022, according to Code.org, a national non-profit organization focused on increasing access to computer science education in schools.     

McNeese State University is partnering with Code.org to serve as Louisiana’s only Code.org regional partner. This collaboration will promote computer science education to K-12 students – and their teachers – throughout Southwest Louisiana and around the state, according to Dr. Catherine Anderson, assistant professor of computer science and the McNeese-Code.org regional partner program manager.

Through the partnership, McNeese hosted a recent one-day workshop at the Calcasieu Parish Technology Training Center to provide quality professional development in computer science education for over 60 elementary teachers from 35 different schools from nine parishes – including Orleans Parish.

 “Participants learned how to teach computer science to elementary children using the Code.org curriculum, which features effective hands-on approaches in the classroom,” she said. Code.org provided the funding for the training workshop.

Anderson says that McNeese joins a nationwide network of regional partners that provides high-quality professional development to K-12 educators through local school district collaborations and works to build local communities of computer science educators statewide.

This summer, McNeese will offer two five-day workshops to train middle school and high school teachers and spots are still available. For more information, contact Anderson at 337-475-5800 or at canderson@mcneese.edu.    

“The goal of our partnership with Code.org is to establish McNeese as a regional hub for K-12 computer science in Louisiana,” said Anderson. “Technology is changing the workplace and we are committed to preparing the next generation for careers in computer science.”