DigitalXtraCodingClubs is a partnership between West College Scotland and local high schools. It involves WCS computing students serving as STEM ambassadors who lead after-school coding clubs for 1st and 2nd year high school students using Microbits and Touchdevelop. The goals are to encourage more students, especially girls, to choose computing courses and gain practical coding experience. Teachers also participate in CPD sessions to learn coding skills. The student ambassadors receive training and support through regular contact and shared lesson plans. Future plans include a final hackathon and developing resources for schools to continue the clubs independently.

1. DigitalXtraCoding
Clubs
Amanda Ford – Lecturer
David Renton – Curriculum Quality Leader

2. DigitalXtra
CodingClubs
 Partnership between West College Scotland and Renfrewshire
High Schools
 Student STEM ambassadors leading the clubs with mentorship
fromWCS staff who have experience of running computing clubs
and working with Secondary Schools.
 CPD Sessions for teachers to learn more about coding

3. Why?
 To encourage pupils in 1st and 2nd year of high school to consider
choosing computing in their 3rd year at school.
 To encourage more girls into taking computing.
 Also to give them more experience of computing in school using
different tools.
 To give teachers some practical coding experience

4. Why?
 To give our students the
chance to lead clubs and help
boost their CV
 To get our students to
encourage and motivate
school pupils

5. Why?
 Share our experience & knowledge of
running clubs and engaging with schools to
gain enthusiasm for the subject.

6. Getting
Started with
clubs
 Sought interest from HNC/HNC Games students who wanted to
participate
 Signed them up to be STEM ambassadors
 Student mentors were also training
 Found schools interested in setting up a club

7. How?
 Sessions in using Micro:bit &Touchdevelop planned over a 12
week period
 Covers introduction to what the Micro:bit can do and then
progress onto usingTouchdevelop to create games and apps
 Leading on to school pupils creating their own project over the last
4 weeks

8. How?
 The first 2 weeks of each club was attended by either one of us
along with students.
 Students then take turns each week going out to clubs

9. What are we doing
at the clubs?
 3 clubs run every week at different
High schools with the students
delivering Microbit andTouchdevelop
sessions

10. What are we
doing at the
clubs?

11. What are we
doing at the
clubs?

12. Supporting the
mentors
 Student mentors have a Facebook group where we keep regular
contact with them.
 Student mentors have access to a OneNote with weekly notes and
plans for running the sessions - useful for them leaving notes
about where clubs are at and for scheduling when they are
attending.

13. Supporting the
teachers
 Over the course of 3 months
we ran 3 CPD sessions
covering the use of Micro:bit
andTouchdevelop to help
build teacher confidence
 Each session was well
attended by local primary and
secondary teachers
 Each session developed on the
previous session and were
spaced so that teachers had
time to try out the materials in
class and then feedback to us
at the next session

14. Supporting the
teachers

15. Future plans
 Final gamejam / hackathon at college in June with all the
schoolchildren coming in.
 Looking for schools to keep up with the clubs once the initial 12
weeks are finished
 Encourage students to keep in touch with schools and clubs where
possible
 Develop pack that schools can use to deliver the sessions
themselves

16. Reflections
 BBC Microbit with new PXT (Javascript) block based language is a
great introduction to programming
 Hands on devices like the Microbit really engage schoolchildren
especially younger kids in primary.
 Kahoot is great – use it!!!
 More training with STEM Ambassadors doing some teacher
training, perhaps mock lessons etc.

17. What do the
children think?

18. Thanks
AnyQuestions?
@aford78
@drenton72