In a push to bolster computer science education, Apple this week announced a new “set of tools” for teaching coding to students across the country. As well as enhancing the Develop in Swift and Everyone Can Code curricula, Cupertino will now offer a free professional learning course for Develop in Swift.
The course, according to Apple, is designed to “supplement the need for computer science educators” and help instructors of all skill levels “build foundational knowledge to teach app development with Swift.”
The Swift programming language—developed by Apple for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Linux—was introduced at the 2014 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Swift “makes it easy to write software that is incredibly fast and safe by design,” and serves as a jumping-off point for many students, according to the officiale website.
“As part of our commitment to help expand access to computer science education, we are thrilled to be adding a new professional learning course to help more educators, regardless of their experience, have the opportunity to learn coding and teach the next generation of developers and designers,” Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Markets, Apps, and Services, said in a statement.
Alongside its new gratis classes, Cupertino is launching a free online professional learning course for educators of all abilities, available July 13 through the Canvas Learning Management System. The company also promised a fresh series of Develop in Swift and Everyone Can Code curricula, available at no cost from Apple Books, as well as the remote learning resource “A Quick Start to Code,” featuring 10 challenges for learners ages 10 and up on iPad or Mac.
“Apple has worked alongside educators for 40 years, and we’re especially proud to see how Develop in Swift and Everyone Can Code have been instrumental in helping teachers and students make an impact in their communities,” Prescott said. “We’ve seen community college students build food security apps for their campus and watched middle school educators host virtual coding clubs over summer break.”
