HALLS of Learning Jamaica (HOL) has announced that, starting this school year, it will be facilitating a variety of online courses in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to help supplement in-school learning while providing Jamaican students with useful skills and exposing them to opportunities within these fields.
The education services company is utilising online resources and events from technology giants Amazon and IBM to give students access to global opportunities.
“We are leveraging existing learning platforms that teach skill sets beyond our face-to-face courses and for an older demographic,” said Marvin Hall, founder of Halls of Learning.
The online courses on offer include: robotics, computer science, coding, math, reading, and typing for primary and secondary level students.
One course, AP Computer Science Principles, for eleventh and twelfth grade students will provide college credits for universities in North America, if completed successfully.
This course, along with another, Introduction to Computer Science, will give students access to Amazon Web Services Educate which is the educational arm of Amazon Web Services — a platform which apps like Netflix run on. It is usually only accessible from a United States brick and mortar school so it is an especially unique opportunity for Jamaican students to learn cloud computing and similar skills.
Along with the courses, HOL is encouraging participation in several virtual challenges and competitions.
Source: The Jamaica Observer