Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education

PD 2: Applications for Computer Science and AI Prompt Engineering

Term 1:

Fall 2026, Mondays, 4:30-7:30 pm

Dates and Format:

Nov. 9, in-person; Nov. 16, virtual; Nov. 23, virtual; Nov. 30, in-person; Dec. 7, in-person

Term 2:

Winter 2027, Mondays, 4:30-7:30 pm

Dates and Format:

Feb. 15, in-person; Feb. 22, virtual; Mar. 1, virtual; Mar. 8, virtual; Mar. 15, in-person

Term 4:

Summer 2027, Wednesdays, 4:30-7:30 pm

Jun. 2, in-person; Jun. 9, virtual; Jun. 16, virtual; Jun. 23, virtual; Jun. 30, in-person

In This 5-day PD Module, Participants Will Explore:

Basics of coding in Scratch (visual) and Python (text)

• Variables and functions
• Conditionals, loops, and arrays
• Physical computing approach centered around the micro:bit platform to promote conceptual understanding of programming and hands-on engagement
• AI Prompt Engineering

Tentative Schedule

Week 1: Scratch/block-based Refresher + Core Concepts

• Scratch mini-project
• Introduce Variables, Conditionals, and Loops

Week 2: Transition to Python

• Syntax basics
• Translate Scratch → Python
• Simple programs

Week 3: Deeper Programming

• Functions
• Arrays/lists
• Small project

Week 4: Physical Computing (micro:bit)

• Sensors + input/output
• Simple programs controlling devices

Week 5: AI Prompt Engineering + Integration

• What is prompting
• Good vs poor prompts
• Classroom examples