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Teacher training workshops at Strathmore University, Kenya

Teaching computer science at the high school level presents diverse challenges throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. For example, in Africa, teachers have limited access to training and curriculum resources. In the U.K. or Germany, CS educators sometimes struggle to keep up with fast changing technology or have difficulty demonstrating that computer science can be a rewarding and “cool” career choice.

To help teachers address these challenges, the Google CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) grant program provides funding to universities throughout the region to work in tandem with local high schools and middle schools to educate and inspire the next generation of computer scientists, primarily through teacher training workshops.

Robotics training at TU Munich, Germany

In 2011, Google funded nearly $400,000 towards 21 projects across 13 countries. These projects collectively impacted thousands of teachers and enabled some very exciting projects. For example, workshops run by Strathmore University in Nairobi became a nation-wide training program for teachers in Kenya. The Technical University of Munich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) used the funding to run robotics workshops, with EPFL further focusing on how to engage female students.

If you belong to a university interested in applying for 2012, please visit www.cs4hs.com to get more details about the types of programs we are looking to fund. You will also find curriculum modules from past workshops provided for you to use or adapt, as well as examples of a successful past projects and an exemplary application.

Thank you to all of our 2011 participants for bringing computer science education to thousands of more students throughout EMEA!

Posted by Elaine Neumaier, EMEA University Programs