Kennesaw State’s College of Computing and Software Engineering recently received a $50,000 grant to help prepare middle school students interested in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
According to KSU’s website, the grant is part of State Farm’s System Priority School 2018 Cohort, and it will help fund the college’s Readiness, Awareness and Diversity in Computing program.
The program introduces middle school students to the computing field and the possible career opportunities, according to the website. The program provides opportunities for students to participate in games-for-learning, hackathons and game jams at local schools, libraries and community centers.
KSU undergraduates also serve as mentors for middle school students as part of the program, and they provide reusable learning kits to teachers at local schools, according to the website.
“This grant allows students to take what they learned from Kennesaw State University and teach it to middle school students,” said College of Computing and Software Engineering Dean Jon Preston.
The grant is a continuation of the $36,000 grant provided to KSU by State Farm last year, which helped fund the creation of 300 reusable learning kits, according to KSU’s website. The grant also helped cover the costs for 12 student mentors and two faculty members during the first year of the program.
Preston explained that, now that the grant is renewed, the college can provide students with new electronics such as Raspberry Pi computers, an affordable computer that students can use to learn how to program, according to its website.
Preston said that the program primarily takes place in Georgia and is meant to broaden participation and access to computing, especially since many middle schools do not provide computing courses to students. The program is meant to help students be successful in fields such as business or public service.
Preston explained that the target age for the program is middle school students because they can start making decisions about what careers they might be interested in before entering high school.
In January, a team of eight students was brought into the program to brainstorm ideas on how to use resources to better teach students about computing and design before students head to high school. Senior Lecturer of Software Engineering Sandra Jones said that they reached out to approximately 250 different students.
The program members also recruited seven teachers to cover enrichment courses over the summer for middle school students where they were able to test different ideas on how to teach about computing. During the fall, four new teachers joined, making 12 in total.
Jones predicted that, by the end of the year, the program should reach 400 to 500 middle school students.
According to KSU’s website, the college is focused on recruiting female and underrepresented students into the program this year.
“As a College, we are on a mission to set and maintain high standards for student success, and we are extremely grateful for State Farm’s continued support in reaching that goal,” Preston said. “Our program is an excellent example of how KSU provides experiential learning, community service and career advancement opportunities beyond the classroom. It is truly a win-win-win for students, the community and our industry partners.”
