Project GUTS' Online Professional Development Course

Project GUTS CS4HS provides eight weeks of free online instruction to educators who are interested in embedding computer science within regular school day science classes through the integration of computer modeling and simulation. The course will begin the week of November 24, 2014 and run eight consecutive weeks, ending on January 16, 2015. Course materials will be posted online at the start of the course to enable teachers to progress through the coursework at their own pace. Weekly webinars and chats will be used to host guest presentations and to conduct live review and reflection sessions.

The target audience for the course includes middle and high school teachers interested in learning how to situate computer science concepts and practices within the context of earth, life, and physical science classes. There are no prerequisites for the course and no prior programming experience is required. The course was designed as professional development for secondary science teachers and thus teaching approaches and best practices to increase student learning will be included. Additionally, university faculty and school administrators may benefit from gaining an understanding of modern scientific practice using computer models and simulation in the context of scientific inquiry.

The course mirrors the Code.org Project GUTS “Computer Science in Science” professional development program piloted in Broward County, FL, Chicago, IL and Charles County, MD in 2014, and builds on the Project GUTS’ professional development program offered in New Mexico since 2007 (developed with funding by the National Science Foundation - NSF award #0639637). A certificate of completion will be provided for those who complete the course.

For more information and to register, please go to: https://guts-cs4hs.appspot.com