EL PASO Computes

105

Schools impacted

288

Teachers Trained

7

Teachers certified in cOMPUTER SCIENCE

Building capacity of K-12 educators in computational thinking and computer science education

Overview

With funding from the City of El Paso, UTEP’s El Paso Computes: K-12 Impact initiative aims to increase computing competencies of El Paso students by building capacity in foundational computing among teachers in El Paso’s K-12 public schools.

Core activities include:

Increasing the number of Computer Science-certified teachers through training for current teachers and a post-bac CS residency pathway for aspiring teachers
Adding a “Computational Thinking for Educators” course into all B.S. in Education degree plans for education majors (elementary and middle grades certification)
Providing professional development workshops in computational thinking, AI, and computer science for K-12 teachers in El Paso schools
Providing professional development workshops in foundational computing and AI to EPCC and UTEP teacher preparation faculty
Offering cybersecurity and AI training for middle and high school students across the El Paso region

As part of this initiative, UTEP is leveraging region-wide partnerships with school districts and EPCC through a collective impact approach aimed at strengthening the K–20+ computer science pipeline across El Paso.

K-12 TEACHER TRAINING IN COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION

As part of El Paso Computes, UTEP is offering professional development for K-12 teachers in computational thinking, AI, and computer science education. UTEP now provides a Computational Thinking for Educators course for all education majors. Through El Paso Computes, UTEP Computer Science and Education faculty also offer quarterly workshops to K-8 educators in computational thinking and AI and to secondary educators in advanced computing, AI, and programming.

TEACHER CERTIFICATION IN 8-12 COMPUTER SCIENCE

Through El Paso Computes, UTEP offers training toward certification in 8-12 Computer Science. UTEP’s Alternative Certification Program (ACP) involves an immersive, paid, year-long residency experience in a Computer Science classroom alongside a master mentor teacher. See here for more information about UTEP’s ACP.

Master's program in ai

Are you enjoying the El Paso Computes workshop experience? Take your passion for teaching and technology to the next level with UTEP’s new Master’s in Education with a Focus in Artificial Intelligence. Designed for primary and secondary educators, this program will equip you with the tools to lead the future of AI-driven instruction in your classroom and beyond. Join a growing community of innovative educators shaping tomorrow’s learners—right here at UTEP!

Learn More!