Mesa Community College to expand Apple coding classes
Aug 24, 2018, 4:35 AM
(Pixabay photo)
(Pixabay photo)
PHOENIX — Apple chose Mesa Community College as one of six community colleges in the U.S. last year to offer its Everyone Can Code program.
Now, after producing 16 graduates, the school plans to expand the number of coding classes available.
MCC offered its first eight-week coding class last August, as well as second- and third-level classes when students finished the introductory course.
“We projected our first students to get some apps, maybe apps in the App Store, would be by the end of the project, when they would get their micro certification,” Dr. Linda D. Collins, chair of MCC’s business and information systems department, said. “And we found that about four, five weeks into class we had students already creating apps and doing some exciting things.”
Sixteen students finished the courses in May with micro certificates in iOS app development, which can bolster resumes for those looking to pursue app developing careers. Those graduates are part of over 100 students who have taken or are currently taking the classes.
Collins said that a wide variety of students took the class, ranging from high school to retirement age, but they all had an interest for technology and coding in common. She also pointed out that the project was spearheaded by three women, further adding to the diversity of the program.
One student owned a small business that needed an app, she said. The student looked into hiring an app developer but was told it would cost about $6,000. He decided to take the class and learn the skills himself instead.
The success of the coding classes is feeding into the development of MCC’s IT Institute, Collins said. This new program is located at MCC’s downtown Mesa location.
Besides the Everyone Can Code classes, the Institute will offer classes in blockchain technology, data analytics and fundamental computing this fall.
Spots for the next round of online and in-person coding classes are still available, now spanning nine classes with three levels of rigor. The classes cost $85 per credit for in-state tuition plus a $15 registration fee.
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ashley Flood contributed to this report.
