This Fall professors Kafi Kumasi and Tim Bowman will be teaching programming classes designed for library needs.

• LIS 7850 CRN 16359 - Topic: Teaching Coding in School and Public Libraries with Youth with Dr. Kafi Kumasi
• LIS 8410 CRN 16503 - Topic: Introduction to Programming with Dr. Tim Bowman

Computer science jobs are growing rapidly in the United States and early exposure to computer science education positions students to be active in the culture of creation that these tech jobs afford. Yet, future school and youth services librarians lack teaching skills and pedagogical expertise to engage with children and teens through programs and experiences that foster computational thinking.

This course will serve as an advanced technology elective for students in School Library Media (SLM) endorsement program AND for students in the Public Library Services for Children and Young Adults (PLSCYA) certificate program. Currently, there is no technology-based elective that is geared towards helping future school and public librarians work with youth in library settings to teach coding and computational thinking concepts that leverage free web-based programs like those offered now through Google Education.

LIS 7850 will require students to use web-based tools for coding and computational thinking in designing programming and curricular activities with K12 students and youth library patrons. This course does not require any technical knowledge beyond the content covered in LIS 6080.