Montclair State Launches Online Certificate in K-12 Computer Science Teaching

 The College of Education and Human Services at Montclair State University will launch an online graduate certificate program in K-12 Computer Science Teaching for the upcoming spring 2021 semester.

The online offering continues Montclair State’s commitment to responding to New Jersey’s educational needs and providing educators with immediately actionable knowledge, skills and strategies to enhance instruction and affect student learning.

Designed for equity-oriented teachers seeking to meet demand for high-quality computer science (CS) education, the 15-credit, five-course program will offer coursework in computer science content including coding, programming, problem-solving through computational thinking (CT), equity and diversity in computer science fields, and research-based methods of teaching computer science.

The program has been developed as a response to New Jersey’s “Computer Science for All” initiative to advance K-12 STEM Education. Created by Governor Phil Murphy in 2018, the program provides a plan to bring technology and programming-focused classes to schools across New Jersey.

Dr. Yune Tran, associate dean of The College of Education and Human Services, is helping to develop the comprehensive state plan for CS as a higher education member of the New Jersey CS Advisory Board.

“By offering the certificate in K-12 Computer Science Teaching, difference between computer science and computer engineering State is playing a key role in advocating for high-quality computer science learning so that K-12 students have access to CS and CT content to succeed in the global economy,” Tran explains.