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Program Overview

Fulfilling a Critical Need

Very few educators are licensed to teach computer science in Vermont, yet the majority of principals say that computer science is equally or more important than required core classes.

¶¶Òõ̽̽'s Graduate Certificate in Computer Science Education (GCCSE) is designed for educators interested in teaching computer science (grades 7-12) as well as others who work in non-school settings. 

Our goal is to educate the next generation of computer science teachers who will encourage and support diverse groups of students to become computer science literate and consider computer science careers.

The certificate includes five online courses (18 graduate credits) as outlined under the Curriculum section of this page. 

Upon completion of the certificate, previously licensed Vermont educators will be eligible for a teaching licensure endorsement in Computer Science Education through the Vermont Agency of Education.

Scholarship Support

Generous scholarship support is available through the National Science Foundation's EPSCoR SOCKS Project. The grant will provide full tuition supportfor eligible teachers. Only those teachers enrolled in the GCCSE will be eligible for tuition support through the EPSCoR grant.

The first cohort ofteachers will enroll in the program beginning in Fall 2024. Teachers will enroll in the online GCCSE program on a part-time basis, taking one course each semester over two years including one summer session course offering. The second cohort will enroll in the program beginning Fall 2026.

Enrollment is also open to other candidates interested in applying to the program or taking specific courses as needed. EPSCoR funding will only be available for those teachers enrolled in the GCCSE.

Contact

Email Gillian.Homsted@uvm.edu if you are interested or have questions.

Core Faculty

• Regina Toolin, Department of Education
• Lisa Dion, Department of Computer Science

Curriculum

The breadth of the five courses cover the range of Vermont Agency of Education Computer Science endorsement standards. Each course is a deep dive into a subset of the competencies that are required for licensure in computer science. 

Courses also provide the opportunity to develop curricula related to the topic with opportunities to peer-teach related lessons and activities. Students thinking about, practice, and receiving feedback about best pedagogical strategies and curriculum development in computer science.

Required coursework includes 18 graduate credits in the following sequential order of course progression.

EDCI 5001: Python Programming for Educators (4 credits) - Fall 2024: Intermediate programming concepts including common data structures, algorithms, style, design, documentation, testing and debugging techniques, and an introduction to object-oriented programming.

EDCI 5002: Java Programming for Educators (4 credits) - Spring 2025: This course provides an overview of computer programming in the Java language. Concepts include common data structures, algorithms, design, documentation, testing and debugging techniques, and an introduction to object-oriented programming. Learning will focus not only on learning the Java programming paradigm but also exploring methods of teaching it. The course will highlight the Advanced Placement Computer Science standards as well as good practices for effective teaching.

EDCI 5003: Interactive Web Design for Educators (4 credits) - Summer 2025: This course provides a strong foundation in HTML, working with images, beginning PHP programming, beginning database and web design so that the student can create a functional interactive website. Students will learning gain an understanding the underlying structure on which all web sites are built. In the last quarter, students will discover computer programming and pull information from the database for the content on the website.

EDCI 5004: Computer Organization for Educators (3 credits) - Fall 2025: Introduction to computer system organization including performance, assembly language, machine-level  data representation, arithmetic for computers, processor datapath control, memory, and input/output.

EDCI 5005: Data Science for Educators (3 credits) - Spring 2026: Extracting meaning from data remains one of the most important tasks of research and industry. The modern age of computers and the Internet has made vast amounts of data available, making it more important than ever to understand how to collect, process, and analyze these data.  This course is an introduction to the field of Data Science for students with no experience in computer coding and no experience in statistics.

Admissions

Candidates will be required to hold a teaching license in middle or secondary education in any approved subject area endorsed by the Vermont Agency of Education (or other state agencies of education). A minimum 2.75 overall and content GPA will be required for admission to the GCCSE.

In addition, candidates will need to provide two letters of recommendation, an application essay/statement of purpose, undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts, and a stated commitment to teaching computer science to students in grades 7-12.