Each of our courses has a corresponding Professional Development course to prepare you to teach our course in the classroom. No prior computer science experience is required to take our PD courses. Our PD courses are specifically designed to correspond to our student courses, and are not recommended for teachers who will be using another curriculum in the classroom.
You'll find a link to the PD courses at the top of your Project STEM dashboard, and you'll also find the courses by scrolling down below your student courses in your Project STEM dashboard:
The PD courses associated with CS Python Fundamentals, AP CS Principles, and AP CSA are 40-hour, asynchronous, self-paced courses that you can begin at any time. They'll introduce you to the structure of the student course and the Canvas course environment, as well as providing strategies for implementing the course in your classroom. Each PD course will give you a deeper dive into the course materials to ensure you feel prepared to guide your students through the course. You can read more about the PD courses here:
The PD courses for our CS Explorations courses are 10-15 hours, asynchronous, and self-paced. They provide a comprehensive overview of the CS Explorations curricular and instructional materials, including lessons, projects, assessments, and teacher resources. You can read more about the PD courses here:
At the completion of your Professional Development course, you will receive a certificate that you can provide to your school or district administration to show that you have completed the course. PD certificates are issued on a rolling basis, and there is no due date for completing the course. Please note that PD requirements are different for different districts and different states, and you will need to work with your specific district / state to determine whether our PD course will fulfill their Professional Development requirements.
Access to the PD courses is ongoing as long as you continue your participation with Project STEM. IF you choose not to continue with our courses, your PD course access will expire on June 30 of the current school year.