Computer Science for K-12 Educators | UC San Diego Online
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Computer Science for K-12 Educators

Learn to teach Computer Science in K-12

About This Program

Want to prepare to teach Computer Science in K-12? Want a flexible program you can complete on your own schedule? Don't need university credit? This four course program is for you! Our courses are specifically designed for teachers and integrate technical content with pedagogy and equity activities. You'll learn from materials you can use with your students and gain insights from an expert in computing education. Learn best practices for teaching computing and do activities that directly prepare you for the classroom. Our courses are designed for the needs of computer science teachers, not software engineers.

Course Overview

Completing this program confers a statement of accomplishment , but not university credit.

Looking for a program that does provide university credit? See our Supplementary Authorization in Computer Science program! It's based on the same materials, but with 2 key differences: First, it provides 16 graduate quarter units and, second, it provides a graded final project experience in each class.

Frequently Asked Questions

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You have until the session end date to complete each course - the session end date is August 31st, the year after the course started. In general, select the session that has already started, unless you know you won't complete by August of next year, then select an upcoming session.
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No, you can take whatever meets your needs now; you can learn from any class in any order. But our recommended ordering is (1) Teaching Impacts of Technology (2) Computational Thinking and Block-Based Programming (3) Learn to Teach Java, and (4) Teaching Methods in Computer Science last.
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No, it does not because it doesn't confer university credit. Those looking to apply for a supplementary authorization should choose this program. If you are not yet sure if you want a supplementary authorization, you can upgrade later.
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Yes! Please follow the instructions here to start the process.
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No, you can choose to do so (easier if you are paying by purchase order), but you can also just pay for each course one-at-a-time, at $300 per course.
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No. Teachers with no prior computer science background enjoy and succeed in our program.
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Yes, as these courses were designed specifically with teachers in mind, they differ quite a bit from courses for computing majors. Check out details about each course here.

  • Average Length
    10 weeks per course
  • Effort
    2-20 hours per week, per course
  • Number of Courses
    4 courses in program
  • Price (USD)
    $1200 for entire program

Courses in the Statement of Accomplishment

Instructors

Beth Simon
Teaching Professor
University of California, San Diego
Beth Simon
Teaching Professor, University of California, San Diego
Dr. Simon has 20+ years experience teaching and improving student outcomes through best practices in introductory programming. She has been involved in K-12 efforts in CS for over 10 years serving as an inaugural piloter of the APCS Principles course, leading the development of California's CS Standards, and offering courses for in-service and pre-service teachers seeking to teach computing in K-12.