Prodigy Learning, which is headquartered in Ireland, has landed a significant deal for their eLearning collaboration 'Coding in Minecraft' in the US.
The education technology company has been awarded a contract by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) which provides for collaboration with Microsoft and the NCDPI in bringing Prodigy Learning’s award-winning ‘Coding in Minecraft’ computer science credential program to all middle school students across the state of North Carolina over a three-year period.
The contract will allow Prodigy Learning to reach 350,000 students and 14,000 middle school teachers across the state.
Prodigy Learning CEO, Andrew Flood, said: "Our vision for ‘Coding in Minecraft’ is to break down the barriers for students and educators to increase uptake of computer science in schools. We are excited that NCDPI has chosen our ‘Coding in Minecraft’ product to meet the objectives of their K-12 Computer Science initiative, offering all middle-school students the opportunity to gain industry-recognised computer science skills.”
Recently awarded Best Formative Assessment product by the e-Assessment Association, ‘Coding in Minecraft’ is a computer science credential program with supporting curriculum, delivered through Minecraft: Education Edition.
In Association with
The program comprises four courses that immerse students in a Minecraft world to develop and prove their coding skills using MakeCode and JavaScript or Python.
The highly popular Minecraft video game promotes durable skills such as creativity, collaboration and problem-solving in an immersive environment.
Minecraft: Education Edition reaches millions of educators and students around the world with standards-based curriculum and game-based learning, including in Computer Science.
The deployment of the program in North Carolina will start with providing access to up to 8,000 students and 200 middle school teachers during year one and exposure for every student by year three. In all, the program has the potential to reach nearly 340,000 students and more than 14,000 educators.
North Carolina State Superintendent, Catherine Truitt added "The partnership with Microsoft and Prodigy Learning provides students with opportunities to learn durable and tactical skills in an engaging and adaptable way for middle school students. Exposing students to computer science experiences early in their academic journeys is critical in preparing them for post-graduate success."
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