Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
by a university that has a STEM teacher preparation program and it provides its
graduates an additional profession—high school STEM teachers—that they will be
able to use if, when and where they choose to switch to education. In what follows
we focus on the computer science graduates who chose to study in the computer
science education track.
15.3.1
Program Description and Rationale
The program invites all the university's graduates back to the university to study
toward an additional bachelor's degree in one of a STEM education study tracks,
one of which is the computer science education track. The graduates who enroll in
the program receive full study scholarships from the university for 2 years. Since
the number of credits required to complete this degree is similar to that which is
required for an MBA, the study program is organized similarly: The students attend
classes 1 full day or 2 half-days a week for 2 years, and can continue working as
scientists/engineers in the industry in parallel to their studies.
Although the students enrolled in the program receive full study scholarships for
two years, they are not required to commit to teaching in the education system. This
decision was made for the following reasons:
1. Teaching should not be done only because one made a commitment to do so.
2. The knowledge gained in the program—mainly learning and teaching pro-
cesses—is useful also in the hi-tech industry when coping with new knowledge
and technological developments. Thus, even if the students decide not to switch
to education, they will still use the knowledge they gained in their studies and
contribute to the country's prosperity, but in a different way.
3. The exposure of students during their studies to schools, to high school students,
and to teaching and learning processes will continue to affect them throughout
their entire life. Thus, even if they did not originally consider becoming STEM
high school teachers, they may consider this option at some future time, either
in parallel to their work in the industry or if they ever decide to switch careers to
STEM teaching.
4. Those who work in the hi-tech industry can contribute to the educational system
in parallel to their work in different ways: part time job (e.g., teaching one class),
writing learning material, mentoring high school pupils who develop projects,
and more.
15.3.2
The Computer Science Education Track of the Program
The computer science education track of the program is open to students and gradu-
ates of the faculties of Computer Science, Information Systems, and Computer En-
gineering. The program consists of 36 credits as listed below:
Search WWH ::




Custom Search