Increasing Iowa's Computing Power

UNI is leading the way to ensure Iowa students are prepared for the 21st-century workforce.

UNI is currently the only school to offer coursework to satisfy the state's newly created Computer Science Endorsement. This endorsement will help meet the goal of Senate File 274 passed in 2017, requiring that every elementary, middle and high school offer high-quality computer science courses by July 1, 2019.

To help meet this goal, three UNI professors of computer science, Sarah Diesburg, Philip East and Ben Schafer, applied for and were awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant. This was the largest NSF grant awarded to the UNI computer science department and will fund research-practitioner partnerships to facilitate computer science teacher professional development across Iowa. The professional development will help cover tuition costs for teachers to complete coursework leading to the Computer Science Endorsement. The first class will begin on Monday, June 18.

Computer science skills are a key to ensuring Iowa students are prepared for the 21st-century workforce. The NSF grant will allow UNI to continue to strengthen our efforts to support Iowa teachers, improve Iowa schools and better prepare students.