UNI provides computer science professional development for hundreds of Iowa educators
The University of Northern Iowa is known for helping teachers, not just at the pre-service level but at the in-service level as well. As part of this commitment, UNI will welcome 300 educators from across the state to Computer Science Professional Development Week (CS PD Week) June 12-16. The week-long conference will offer professional development, training opportunities and the chance to get up to speed on the latest developments in computer science education.
“I always want teachers to remember that UNI is here and that UNI is a place that they can come to for support in their careers, whether they got their original degree here or not,” said Ben Schafer, professor in the Department of Computer Science and program coordinator for the Computer Science Education program at UNI.
One of the many ways UNI offers support to teachers is by giving them an opportunity to earn endorsements, including a 5-12 computer science endorsement, director of special education endorsement, Iowa reading K-8 endorsement and many others. UNI is one of only two universities in the state to offer a full pathway to the secondary computer science endorsement and is working on a way to expand the endorsement to the elementary track as well.
There will be nearly 30 classes during CS PD Week on a wide variety of topics including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and coding. There’s something for educators working with every grade level. While some trainings are just a day long, others continue for the whole week. Some of the classes will also require follow-up activities in the fall, and teachers have the option of earning credits.
The week is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education and organized, in partnership, by Iowa's area education agencies, NewBoCo K-12 Education and UNI. Courses are facilitated by organizations that have produced the curriculum for the trainings, including Code.org, BootUp, CodeJoy and Carnegie Mellon University.