Computer Science K-12 Outreach
Why Programming?
We are passionate about programming & problem solving techniques! We strongly believe that it is possible to introduce Computer Programming to all school students in an enjoyable way and enable them to consider higher education & career in STEM fields. There are several age-appropriate FREE tools out there that can help to learn programming at almost any age! We believe, with wonderful tools like Logo and Scratch, a typical 3rd grader should be able to start the journey!
Latest surveys and news reports indicate that the US will continue to see a serious shortage of software professionals for the foreseeable future. So, computer programming is expected to be a high-paying & marketable skill for years to come. Even if you decide to pursue a career in another field, it is very likely that you will use a computer on the job! Basic programming skills can enable you to be more efficient in your job & try something new!! Almost every one can learn to program if they are willing to think and try. Yet, we see significant % of middle & high school students making career choices, without knowing the meaning of the term “computer programming!” Ok, how can you assess your interest level? How to check whether you have the mindset to enjoy programming? There is one simple way to find out – Jump in there, write a few programs and see for yourself!
Our Workshops
We have been conducting several workshops in various programming languages (Alice, JavaScript, Java, C++, and Python) in various school breaks from 2012. Additionally, we conduct programming competitions every semester and several summer camps too. While our workshops & camps have been primarily geared towards middle & high school students, we expanded our workshops to cover everyone (Kindergarten to working professionals) in 2013! Here is the suggested sequence for all.
| Suggested Sequence | Level | Workshop | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Level 0: Early starters (grades 1-2) | Explore Coding Tools | Drag & drop programming (touch-screen) |
| 2 | Level 1: Starting point for grades 3-5 | 2D Animations & Games Using Scratch | Drag & drop programming (simple concepts) |
| 3 | Level 2: Level 1 graduates; middle and high school students | 3D Animations & Games Using Alice | Drag & drop programming (complex concepts) |
| 4 | Level 2: Level 1 graduates; middle and high school students | Fancy Drawing Using KhanAcademy JavaScript | Free-form typing & dealing with syntax errors |
| 5 | Level 3: Level 2 graduates | C++, Java, Python and More….Serious Stuff | Gain proficiency with popular languages |
| 6 | Level 4: Level 3 graduates | Apps, Games, Contests and More | College-level advanced programming |
Review all the tabs in this page to see the upcoming events. If you live far away & you want us to come to your location (school, workplace, coaching center, etc.) and conduct one day workshop or week-long summer camp? Write about your needs to csk12@utdallas.edu & we will work with you to make it happen! Also, let us know if you want a faculty to come and do a few presentations – we will be happy to do it!!
Why do we run these events?
- We want the school students, teachers and community to realize that learning to program can be enjoyable! We hope a lot of school students will become passionate about programming and select STEM fields for college degrees and careers. Since school students start to gravitate towards specific careers as early as middle school, we want to expose them to Computer Programming early and enable them to make “informed” choices.
- We want to strengthen the programming skills of UTD students so that they can excel in their programming projects in their coursework and beyond. We also want to help them become industry-ready & enable them to get internships during school years and better jobs when they graduate.
- We want working professionals to use us as a resource to update their skill sets so that they can do their jobs more efficiently and progress in their careers.
Summer camps
Summer camps are primarily targeted towards school students, even though every one including college students, school teachers and parents are welcome to register and attend! Based on the recent years’ experience, we have decided to limit each session 1 to 1.5 hours in duration – now most of our camps run for 2 weeks & advanced level camps run for 4 weeks – UTD does offer lots of camps in Summer: Visit the summer camps page to see the full line-up!
Each camp will be jointly run by well-trained & experienced UTD students with guidance from UTD faculty. You can expect the difficulty level to vary a lot from one camp to another. Review the camp description carefully before your register. If you are not sure, send an email to csk12@utdallas.edu to get clarifications. Please do not rush the school students through advanced camps – we do not want them to get overwhelmed and loose interest in programming. We want them to enjoy the learning process and progress in their own pace.
The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to providing an educational, living and working environment that is welcoming, respectful and inclusive of all members of the university community. The University prohibits unlawful discrimination against a person because of their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. Participation in our Coding Camps/Workshops/Webinars is open to all interested parties.
The University of Texas at Dallas is an Equal Opportunity University.
Thanks to our corporate sponsors for enabling us to serve low income neighborhoods in Greater Dallas area with FREE coding clubs & discounts for low income families:
