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BSC professors present unique classroom coding strategies at NY conference

Published: Oct 06 2020
BSC professors present unique classroom coding strategies at NY conference - Photo
Bismarck State College professors Dr. Karen M. Arlien and Dr. Lynette Borjeson Painter were recently invited to present at the Association of Career and Technical Education (ACTE) & Business Teachers Association of New York State (BTANYS) virtual conference this fall.

More than 100 New York state middle school and secondary teachers as well as work-based learning coordinators attended Arlien and Painter’s virtual session “Get on Board with Coding (computers not required)” which presented coding strategies for the classroom without the use of computers.

“'Get on Board with Coding' was a unique approach for introducing, developing and practicing the skill sets that students generally use in a computer science class,” BTANYS President Francine Martella said of the BSC professors’ presentation. “During this session, Dr. Arlien and Dr. Borjeson Painter began with the basics, using tools and activities that are familiar to teachers and a lot of fun for students. Presenting the topic in this way was a welcomed and fresh perspective for those educators that weren't confident in an area with ever increasing demand. Having taken away the barrier of fear, it changed the dynamic and opened up new possibilities for teachers to take back to their classrooms.”

Arlien is the BSC Computers & Office Technology department chair and professor of computer science. She is a Microsoft Technology Education and Literacy in Schools (TEALS) volunteer for rural North Dakota high schools. She also serves as leadership for the Advanced Placement Computer Science exam grading. Arlien holds a doctorate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education from the University of North Dakota.

Painter is a professor of Computers & Office Technology at BSC. She is serving a second term as BSC Faculty Senate president, has served as the North Dakota Business Education Association (NDBEA) president twice, and is a graduate of Leadership Bismarck-Mandan. Painter holds a doctorate in Education with a specialization in E-Learning from Northcentral University.

Arlien and Painter previously presented “Get on Board with Coding (computers not required)” at the National Business Education Association (NBEA) virtual conference in April 2020. They presented “Cyber’s First Line of Defense: Preparing Our Students for the Workplace” at the 2019 NBEA conference.