PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - Florida State University Panama City is now teaching a "Girls Who Code" program, which focuses on teaching computer coding to female students in grades 6-12.
The Panama City News Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1SeiBSu) this is the university's first year to offer the program, which aims to close the gender gap in technology by inspiring girls to pursue computer science. The program is free of charge.
FSU Panama City Science, Technology, Engineering and Math director John Smith says that of 40 girls who replied to recruitment, 26 are regular attendees. The classes are taught by computer science seniors. The girls get assignments and are helped by the student instructors.
The Girls Who Code website says in 1984, 37 percent of all computer science graduates were women. Today, that number is 18 percent.
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Information from: The (Panama City, Fla.) News Herald, http://www.newsherald.com
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