The College of Lifetime Learning at Georgia Tech is partnering with Google to launch a new online teacher training program in computer science that will be made available across the United States. The curriculum for the pilot program will build on the Student-Centered Computing Course - AP Computer Science Principles developed by the college’s Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). Georgia Tech Professional Education, another unit within the college, is a partner in the project, coordinating the online teacher professional development workshops. The support from Google will also fund a hybrid component specifically for Georgia teachers. 

“Support from Google combined with the creation of the new College of Lifetime Learning is paving the way for expanding our programming at a national level,” said Roxanne Moore, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering’s principal research engineer and founding director of the college’s K-12 InVenture Prize program.  “We are committed to bringing the highest quality curriculum and professional development opportunities to teachers, in Georgia and now way beyond.” 

The initiative showcases the collaborative work of Tech’s new College of Lifetime Learning, which was recently launched in early September. The seventh college and the first to be established in over thirty years, the College of Lifetime Learning seeks to elevate the academic study of learning and transform how individuals and organizations understand and practice learning at all levels and ages.  

“By establishing a college dedicated to a broader vision of lifetime learning, Georgia Tech is reaffirming its commitment to provide accessible, affordable, and achievable education for all ages and stages of career and life development,” said Nelson Baker, inaugural interim dean of the College of Lifetime Learning. “Teachers, as working professionals, are just as impacted as any other industry by the rapid advancement of technology.  Creating professional development options for them is even more critical as their reskilling and upskilling to integrate new digital learning tools also benefits the next generation of the workforce they are educating.” 

Student-Centered Computing (SCC), a suite of curricula developed by CEISMC researchers, received Advanced Placement (AP) endorsement for its Computer Science Principles course from the College Board in May, a first for Georgia Tech. The curricula, which promotes inclusivity through a student-centered pedagogical approach and year-long projects, enables middle school and high school students to develop digital technology and programming skills as they research and design solutions for problems of their own choice.  

“We have long been positioned at the intersection of industry and higher education as a connection point for business, the workforce, research, and faculty expertise,” said Stephen Ruffin, interim executive director and associate dean of academic affairs at Georgia Tech Professional Education.  “This program is a perfect example of harnessing our collective resources to deliver innovative educational solutions that provide the workforce the technical skills needed to compete and win in a competitive, global marketplace.” 

—Randy Trammell, CEISMC Communications