About this Course

The purpose of this course is to support your efforts, as a computer science teacher or related stakeholder, to develop the insight, resources, and skills necessary to move computer science education into the forefront of your school and communities' priorities. Teachers will gain the insight, skills, and strategies to create equitable computer science programs, inside and out of the traditional classroom, as a stepping stone to achieving social justice.
Completing this course will give you the understanding and methodology necessary to evolve your computer science teaching, both content and pedagogy, and to be equitable and inclusive for all students - regardless of their ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or gender preferences. In addition, you will gain an understanding of the factors influencing how and why we must reach the students that need computer science the most.

Since the content addresses sensitive topics on equity, diversity, inclusion, prejudice, and social justice, the course makes use of a combination of online content and activities, interactive discussion boards, and supplemental live meetings (in person or online) with your own Professional Learning Cohort. This creates opportunities to share thoughts, feedback, and constructive criticism in a format that is most comfortable for you. Further, the course uses "in the field" activities, such as classroom observation and practical implementation, to enhance the learning experience and ensure your ability to apply the concepts and techniques throughout the course. Each participant will complete the course by producing a working action plan as culmination of the learning experience.

What You'll Learn

• How to define equity and the related issues that impact its realization
• How to develop the skills to advocate for computer science
• How to use computer science and computational thinking as a vehicle for exploring issues of personal relevance and social justice
• How to explore and understand our own unconscious biases, beliefs, and stereotypes that can influence our teaching, student recruiting, and interactions with other stakeholders
• How to navigate program and material selection, while using specific strategies to establish equity and self-esteem among different populations