EECS Faculty, Students Bring Hour of Code to Local Elementary Schools

University of Arkansas faculty and students spent early December introducing local elementary school students to computer science through Hour of Code activities held at multiple schools across Northwest Arkansas.

The outreach effort took place from Dec. 3-12 and involved visits to Butterfield Trail, Happy Hollow and Vandergriff elementary schools. Organized by the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the program paired university student volunteers with children from kindergarten through fourth grade to complete hands-on coding activities.

Hour of Code activities focus on teaching students how to break problems into smaller steps and create algorithmic solutions using basic instructions. While the exercises introduce children to the foundations of computer programming, organizers say the broader goal is to strengthen problem-solving skills and spark interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

"I hope that by engaging children of diverse ages and backgrounds in an Hour of Code, we are able to stimulate their interest in not only programming but also STEM in general, and to make them better problem solvers," said Matthew Patitz, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science.

Patitz said the department saw strong participation from both faculty and students. This year, faculty members Alejandro Martin Gomez and Trent Rogers joined him in organizing the effort, and five additional EECS faculty members helped support the program, which included over 170 student volunteers.

"We enjoy working with the local schools because it helps to build a stronger community between us and gives the children a positive educational experience associated with the university," Patitz said.

For university students, the experience offered a chance to engage with younger learners and share their interest in coding. Christian Sandoval, an EECS student volunteer, said, "I heard some of my friends were doing it, and I'm really involved in the coding community, so I wanted to be a part of it."

Sandoval said he was struck by how early students are now being introduced to coding concepts.

"I didn't really do any block-based coding until eighth grade," he said. "The fact that schools are doing this really early and getting students aware of coding is actually really cool."

He added that some students quickly grasped the concepts and surprised him with their confidence.

"There were certain kids that surprised me, because I'm just comparing myself at their age," Sandoval said. "It's crazy to me that they're already getting into that mindset."

Patitz said feedback from participating schools was overwhelmingly positive. "I was quite happy with the level of participation from our faculty and the number of student volunteers that showed up to work with the kids," he said. "Even more impressive was the feedback that we received from every school, telling us that our students were very polite, engaged and helpful."

The Hour of Code is a global movement that reaches tens of millions of students in more than 180 countries. Anyone can organize an Hour of Code event or participate in one-hour coding tutorials, which are available in more than 45 languages.