Contact: Brock Turnipseed

STARKVILLE, Miss.—The Mississippi State University Center for Cyber Education, located at the university’s Research and Curriculum Unit, will conclude Computer Science Education Week by hosting an Hour of Code event Friday [Dec. 11].

Hour of Code sessions will be held on Zoom every hour beginning at 8 a.m. Teachers can receive more information by contacting Shelly Hollis, RCU assistant director for cyber education, by phone at 662-325-2510 or email at shelly.hollis@rcu.msstate.edu.

The Hour of Code event will focus on artificial intelligence, or AI. Teachers are encouraged to share the short videos found at www.code.org/ai#ai-videos to get students excited about the activity and learn more about AI.

Computer science teachers are encouraged to join the Zoom call and project the meeting to students, who can watch the introduction from C Spire and Basecamp Coding Academy and work at an individual pace through the activity. Hollis will be present on the Zoom sessions to provide assistance.

For classes unable to participate on Dec. 11, additional Hour of Code activities can be found at www.hourofcode.com/us/learn. Computer Science Education Week material can be found at www.csedweek.org.

The Center for Cyber Education was established in 2018 to further enhance computer science education through the Computer Science for Mississippi, orCS4MS initiative. Launched in 2016, CS4MS strives to bring computer science instruction to all K-12 schools in the state through curricula development, teacher training and increasing awareness and access to cyber education resources.

Because of CS4MS, computer science was implemented in 132 school districts and 1,600-plus teachers were trained to teach the curricula. Additionally, more than 65,000 Mississippi students have now taken a computer science course, K-12 standards and endorsements are in place for schools and teachers, and computer science now counts as a high school graduation credit because of the statewide initiative.

About MSU’s Research and Curriculum Unit

Founded in 1965, the RCU contributes to MSU’s mission as a land-grant institution to better the lives of Mississippians with a focus on improving education. In particular, the RCU benefits K-12 and higher education by developing curricula and assessments, providing training and learning opportunities for educators, researching and evaluating programs, supporting and promoting career and technical education, and leading education innovations. For more information about the RCU, visit rcu.msstate.edu or follow the organization on Facebook (facebook.com/rcumsu), Twitter (twitter.com/rcumsu) and Instagram (instagram.com/rcumsu).

MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.