
Computer Science For All
The Friday Institute partners with educational leaders and policy makers from the school to national level to create opportunities for ALL students in North Carolina to explore Computer Science.
Updates
-
North Carolina’s Computer Science Professional Development Program Opens for Registration for Statewide Trainings
North Carolina’s Computer Science Professional Development Program provides free professional learning opportunities for North Carolina educators using Code.org’s computer science curriculum.
-
New NCDPI Grant Will Facilitate Training of 1,100 Educators to Teach Computer Science in Every Middle and High School in North Carolina
A three-year $1.8 million grant from NCDPI will give the Friday Institute the ability to expand its computer science teacher professional learning program so every middle school and high school in North Carolina has a highly qualified computer science teacher.
-
Wilson County Schools Partnership with Friday Institute to Provide More Opportunities for Students
Wilson County Schools has partnered with the Friday Institute to provide professional development for their instructors and help developing computer science courses for their middle and high school students.
Why Computer Science?
Computer science opens more doors for students than any other discipline in today’s world. Learning even the basics will help students in virtually any career — from architecture to zoology.
Just as we teach students how to dissect a frog or how electricity works, it’s important for every 21st century student to have a chance to design an app or an algorithm or learn how the Internet works.
The CS4NC Computing Education Summit held in 2017 examined CS in North Carolina and identified needs, barriers, and opportunities.
Read the North Carolina Preliminary Landscape Report.
Parent and Student Demand
- A 2015 Gallup poll found that 9 out of 10 parents in NC want schools to teach computer science so our children grow up not just using technology but learning how to create it. In fact, among low-income families, the majority of parents and teachers believe that computer science should be required for students to learn!
- A survey of high school students shows that computer science ranks among students’ favorite subjects, behind only graphic design and performing arts.
Career Opportunities
- In North Carolina, there are currently over 18,000 open computing jobs, but only:
18%
of schools in NC teach AP Computer Science
1,425
students in NC took the AP exam in 2016
1,200
students graduated with a computer science degree in NC in 2016
Selected Projects
-
A Sense of Awe: A Tool for Enhancing Science InstructionThis project will investigate whether the inclusion of awe into science instruction can increase students’ interests and motivation in science.
-
AAiM: Adapting to Affect in Multimodal Dialogue-Rich InteractionThis project will design, develop and iteratively refine an integrated affect and dialogue management model that adaptively responds to students’ affective states in the course of their learning interactions.
-
Code.org Professional Learning PartnershipThe Friday Institute has partnered with Code.org as a Professional Learning Partner, joining a nationwide network to support efforts to expand access to computer science in K-12 schools.
-
Code.org Summer 2020 Virtual Professional Learning ProgramDesigned to support the Code.org network of partners across the country, this collaboration represents our shared commitment to providing a viable, local alternative to in-person learning experiences this summer at a time of limited mobility and great uncertainty due to the impact of COVID-19.
-
Game-Changing Research Incentive Program (GRIP): Computer Science for All K-12 StudentsThis project will establish NC State as a national center addressing the critical need to provide pre-college students with foundational knowledge and skills in computational thinking.
-
Integrating Computer Science for All (iCS4ALL) Online Professional LearningThese two self-paced online professional learning modules are designed to get educators thinking about computer science and computational thinking strategies that apply to their content area and teaching practice.
-
PRIME: Engaging STEM Undergraduate Students in Computer Science with Intelligent Tutoring SystemsThe PRIME project has the overarching objective of transforming introductory computing for STEM majors by creating an intelligent tutoring system that provides individualized problem-solving and motivational support.
-
Teaching the Beauty and Joy of Computing Curriculum Online CourseThe Teaching the Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC) Curriculum online professional learning course will help you be successful in teaching the AP Computer Science Principles course, whether you are new or experienced at programming and at using project-based, student-inquiry approaches in your classroom.