Marghitu brings computer science courses to Opelika Middle School

Marghitu

Daniela Marghitu, faculty member in Auburn University’s Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering and the university’s AccessComputing coordinator, has received grants from Microsoft Fuse Research and the AccessComputing Alliance to develop and implement two introductory computer science courses at Opelika Middle School this fall – the first of their kind to be taught in an Alabama middle school.

The courses will be taught to seventh and eighth grade students using Computer Science Unplugged, a project that teaches principles of computer science without using computers, as well as the game-creating program Microsoft Kodu and computer programming tool Alice by Carnegie Mellon University. AccessComputing has also offered funding for internships that will allow two Auburn undergraduate students in computer science and software engineering to help develop and teach the courses.