TSU, Apple coding course gives alumni, community a chance to retool amid pandemic

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is giving its alumni and others affected by the coronavirus an opportunity to retool. The University is partnering with Apple to help those individuals learn how to code and design apps.

The “Everyone Can Code and Create” course will be offered online in the fall through TSU’s National Center for Smart Technology Innovations, which is supported by the tech giant. Scholarship applicants must show how they have been impacted by COVID-19.

Michael Davis Jr. and his wife, Keyosha, to attend coding class in the fall

Dr. Robbie Melton, the center’s director, says many people have lost their jobs or been furloughed as a result of the virus. The course gives them an opportunity to retool or gain a new skill so that they can get back into the workforce and be even more competitive, says Melton.

“TSU is the only institution that is taking what I call a comprehensive approach to help all of our stakeholders of alumni, faculty, students, staff and community,” she says. “We’re not leaving anyone out, due to the fact that COVID-19 hasn’t left anyone out.”

Michael Davis, Jr., a science teacher with Metro Nashville Public Schools, says he and his wife plan to take the class in the fall. In addition to improving his own skill set, Davis says he wants to pass what he learns on to his students.

“This is so beneficial for me as an educator because I can share this with my students,” says Davis. “It’s so important that they learn this.”

His wife, Keyosha, is a stay-at-home mother with their seven children, three of  whom have special needs.

“When my husband told me about this opportunity, I thought, this could help me finish my degree where I can be at home with my kids, and I can also teach them,” says Keyosha, who currently has an associate’s and is planning to get her bachelor’s at TSU. “I can teach my 8-year-old, who loves STEM.”

TSU and Apple launched the “Everyone Can Code and Create” initiative last year through the university’s National Center for Smart Technology Innovations. Another initiative offered by the Center is a dual enrollment program with three major school districts in Tennessee that offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn college credits while enrolled in high school.

Dr. Robbie Melton, director of TSU's National Center for Smart Technology Innovations, assists youth learning to code. (TSU Media Relations)

“We are positioned to provide coding and creativity on site and online, for high school students to have a pathway to our computer science and “Everyone Can Code and Create” curriculums at TSU,” says Melton.

Here’s a list of some online programs at TSU for Fall 2020, beginning with the coding courses:

PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-DEVELOPMENT

Apple Part I: ‘Everyone Can Code & Everyone Can Create’ – App Design and          Prototype Development

Apple Part II: ‘Everyone Can Code & Everyone Can Create’ – Advanced App Prototype Design

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UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Bachelor of Science (BS) in Criminal Justice

BS in Health Information Management

BS in Interdisciplinary Studies

GRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

Graduate Certificate in Applied Geospatial Information Systems

Graduate Certificate in Educational Technology

Graduate Certificate in Health Administration and Planning

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership with concentrations in: Higher Education Leadership and Pre K-12 Administration

Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Instructional Leadership with concentrations in: Licensure and Non-Licensure

Executive Master of Business Administration (Hybrid)

For information about more programs, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/online/.

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