The computer literacy and programming workshops spanned a period of five months from December 3rd, 2021 until May 6th, 2022. These workshops were delivered on a weekly basis every Friday from 1:00 PM until 2:30 PM with a 30-minute break in the middle inside one of the computer labs at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
Khaddit Beirut Education team in partnership with some USAID students, and the Computer Science department at AUB have curated a welcoming and supportive space for students in 2 of the public partner schools: ثانوية دولة الرئيس رياض الصلح الرسمية المختلطة and ثانوية الدكتورة أمان كبارة شعراني الرسمية للبنات in this mission of equipping and improving the students’ computer literacy. The goal was providing the students with higher chances of being accepted in universities, excelling in their school programs, and most importantly, gaining a competitive edge in the job market, along with being fluid in using applications, and enhancing their critical thinking skills.
Our team consists of Dr. Wassim El Haj who guided and supervised some interested USAID students into creating all the material needed to be delivered, Celine AlNemer as the coordinator of the program, Elie Rizk as the primary instructor of the programming and web development workshops, Fatima Houjeij as the primary instructor of the computer literacy workshops, Joseph Chaaban as the secondary instructor, and occasionally undergraduate students from the Computer Science department at AUB who volunteer to help during the lab sessions. Additionally, many members from the Computer Science department were of great help and support whenever needed during preparations or when facing any technicalities.
26 girls participated in this program who were brought by bus to AUB for every session, where they spent time in the labs studying, learning new information, and enjoying a break on campus. The program and material that were prepared were then delivered by computer science students who volunteered their time to coach these 27 girls and support their empowering learning journey.
The computer literacy and programming workshops spanned a period of five months from December 3rd, 2021 until May 6th, 2022. These workshops were delivered on a weekly basis every Friday from 1:00 PM until 2:30 PM with a 30-minute break in the middle inside one of the computer labs at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
Khaddit Beirut Education team in partnership with some USAID students, and the Computer Science department at AUB have curated a welcoming and supportive space for students in 2 of the public partner schools: ثانوية دولة الرئيس رياض الصلح الرسمية المختلطة and ثانوية الدكتورة أمان كبارة شعراني الرسمية للبنات in this mission of equipping and improving the students’ computer literacy. The goal was providing the students with higher chances of being accepted in universities, excelling in their school programs, and most importantly, gaining a competitive edge in the job market, along with being fluid in using applications, and enhancing their critical thinking skills.
Our team consists of Dr. Wassim El Haj who guided and supervised some interested USAID students into creating all the material needed to be delivered, Celine AlNemer as the coordinator of the program, Elie Rizk as the primary instructor of the programming and web development workshops, Fatima Houjeij as the primary instructor of the computer literacy workshops, Joseph Chaaban as the secondary instructor, and occasionally undergraduate students from the Computer Science department at AUB who volunteer to help during the lab sessions. Additionally, many members from the Computer Science department were of great help and support whenever needed during preparations or when facing any technicalities.
26 girls participated in this program who were brought by bus to AUB for every session, where they spent time in the labs studying, learning new information, and enjoying a break on campus. The program and material that were prepared were then delivered by computer science students who volunteered their time to coach these 27 girls and support their empowering learning journey.
This training program helped the students build a strong foundation in basic computer literacy, including the use of Email, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs and Sheets, Canva, Poster Maker, Microsoft Excel, LinkedIn, Number Systems, Boolean Algebra, Memory Analysis, and Computer Networking. These basic concepts were covered in the first month of the training. During the second, third, and fourth months of the workshop, the students learnt Python programming, including important programming concepts such as conditional statements, input & output, branch loops, types of variables, functions, etc…These students were coached to use the Turtle module to apply the concepts learnt, which gave them a visual representation of the output of their code. In the last month, the program covered basic Web Development with HTML and CSS, which concluded with students presenting their website portfolio.
Throughout the workshops there was a strong emphasis on the practical side of the concepts learnt. This was achieved by continuously including lab sessions where the students were urged to practice what is taught on their individual computer, followed by customized feedback from the instructors.
This training program helped the students build a strong foundation in basic computer literacy, including the use of Email, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Docs and Sheets, Canva, Poster Maker, Microsoft Excel, LinkedIn, Number Systems, Boolean Algebra, Memory Analysis, and Computer Networking. These basic concepts were covered in the first month of the training. During the second, third, and fourth months of the workshop, the students learnt Python programming, including important programming concepts such as conditional statements, input & output, branch loops, types of variables, functions, etc…These students were coached to use the Turtle module to apply the concepts learnt, which gave them a visual representation of the output of their code. In the last month, the program covered basic Web Development with HTML and CSS, which concluded with students presenting their website portfolio.
Throughout the workshops there was a strong emphasis on the practical side of the concepts learnt. This was achieved by continuously including lab sessions where the students were urged to practice what is taught on their individual computer, followed by customized feedback from the instructors.
