Educators
When you become part of the iDEW educational initiative, you have the support of Indiana University as you teach and mentor students. iDEW classes help teens to visualize and realize their futures in college and IT-related jobs.
Working with iDEW industry partners who provide counsel on today’s technology and IT workforce needs, IUPUI faculty have developed a project-based curriculum that challenges and motivates high school students to solve real problems in real contexts. We offer support and training for high school instructors who teach iDEW learning modules.
Our iDEW curriculum:
- Aligns with Indiana Department of Education’s academic standards per 2018’s Senate Enrolled Act SEA 172.
- Satisfies the Indiana Department of Education Employability Skills component of the graduation pathways that go into effect for the class of 2023.
- Has proven its effective results over three years.
- Allows students to learn what’s expected of them in the working world through our industry-focused project modules.
We encourage schools to explore forging partnerships with industry to enhance the iDEW experience. By spending quality time with industry experts through class visits, project showcases, and field trips, students learn what’s expected of them in the working world.
What’s unique about iDEW classes is students learn to solve relevant technology problems. The process takes them far beyond just learning how to code. Coding is only a step in the big picture of finding a solution.
Jim Lyst, faculty, School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI
Furthering the educational journey
As schools offer iDEW classes, they can recognize and seize opportunities to mentor and help students succeed. For example, in 2018 a College Application Night at Providence Cristo Rey High School walked iDEW students through the process of applying to colleges.
“I was afraid of—and didn’t know how to start—my college application process,” said Providence Cristo Rey High School senior Kayla Massy-Charles. “After hearing the information and speaking to people at the IUPUI College Application Night, my confidence increased and I began applying to schools. I was so excited when I began getting acceptance letters!”
Students who take iDEW classes can be eligible for college scholarships. For example, 13 iDEW students earned LiFT Scholarships to attend IUPUI in 2017 and 2018.
