Hopper-Dean Center of Excellence for K-12 CS Education

The UTEP College of Education is grateful to the Hopper Dean Family Foundation for their generous endowment to establish the Hopper-Dean Center of Excellence for K-12 Computer Science Education. This endowment would not have been possible without the tireless work of CSforAll to find donors to establish similar centers/institutes in other Colleges of Education to advance computer science education.

Leadership Update

We wish to convey our sincere appreciation to Dr. Villa for her exemplary service, while simultaneously extending a warm welcome to Dr. Johannes Strobel as the new Executive Director of the Hopper Dean Center.

Grant Initiatives

“Paso del Norte Texas Computer Science Teaching Fellows;” National Science Foundation, $1,184,729; 2022-2028. Principal Investigators are Elsa Villa, Salamah Salamah, Sanga Kim, and Erika Mein. This grant recruits CS degree holders who receive a master’s degree in education and CS teacher certification over one year followed by teaching four years in a high-need school district.
“Building Capacity in Computer Science Education at The University of Texas at El Paso;” The U.S. Department of Education, $734,992; 2022-2025. Principal Investigators are Elsa Villa, Salamah Salamah, Joyce A. Cashman, Justice Walker, and Kristopher Yeager. This grant establishes a new degree program in the UTEP Department of Computer Science with a concentration in CS education; new courses will be developed, and graduates would receive CS teacher certification.

Contact Information

Pilar Gonzalez, M.A. Ed., Senior Coordinator

| pgonzalez27@utep.edu |

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The University of Texas at El Paso

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