Facebook launches programme to boost coding skills of students

Facebook has launched in the US free online education programme CodeFWD to increase the numbers of underrepresented and female students interested in pursuing computer programming.

"We're working on a number of initiatives like CodeFWD to widen the pipeline of diverse talent studying computer science so the next generation of tech innovators reflects and incorporates diverse perspectives, building a future that benefits us all," Lauryn Ogbechie, Education Partnerships Director at Facebook, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Created in partnership with connected toys maker Sphero, CodeFWD by Facebook, has been designed for both English and Spanish speakers.

To help educators inspire students to pursue computer programming, today we’re introducing CodeFWD by Facebook. CodeFWD is a free online education program created in partnership with Sphero to increase the amount of underrepresented and female students interested in studying computer science.

Schools and learning communities are among the most important communities that we all belong to. At Facebook, we’re creating the programs, tools, and products to build diverse education communities that bring the world closer together. We’re working on a number of initiatives like CodeFWD to widen the pipeline of diverse talent studying computer science so the next generation of tech innovators reflects and incorporates diverse perspectives, building a future that benefits us all.

How CodeFWD Works

[Updated on September 25, 2018 at 10:10AM PT to clarify program’s scope.]

CodeFWD by Facebook – launching in the U.S. and designed for both English and Spanish speakers – is a three-step program where educators and organizations introduce computer programming to 4th through 8th grade students:

• I do: educators learning. CodeFWD prepares educators to introduce the basics of computer programming to their students, even as they may be discovering the concepts themselves.
• We do: educators and students learn together. The next set of online activities is designed for educators to use to introduce students to computer programming.
• You do: students practice their new skills. During this last set of activities, educators are supporting their students as they take what they’ve learned and apply it to block-based coding exercises.

After completing these three steps, educators who want to continue developing their students’ coding skills using a tangible, hands-on product can apply to earn a free classroom set of programmable robots from our partners at Sphero.

Educators and educational organizations are essential to expose more underrepresented and female students to computer programming and to create the next generation of diverse tech innovators. We hope CodeFWD by Facebook will help support educators and organizations as they introduce and inspire underrepresented students to study computer science.