URSULINE ACADEMY

An independent Catholic school for young women in grades 7-12

Technology & I.D.E.a Hub

Our Innovation Lab

Ursuline’s Innovation lab offers creative space for all things students can imagine!

The I.D.E.A. Hub offers students a space to Innovate, Design, Engage, and Apply themselves as they grow into creative problem solvers and empowered digital citizens. Using tools and technologies such as laser cutters, 3D printers, virtual reality equipment, and a range of photography and video gear, students practice generating ideas and bringing them to life while mastering new technologies.

The assets in the iHub are integrated across the curriculum so that all students have access to the space. From providing French students the experience of walking down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées using virtual reality to Visual Art and Design students transferring their designs onto wood and stone with the laser cutter, the I.D.E.A. Hub has quickly become a center of creative activity on campus!

Curriculum

The overarching goal of the technology curriculum is to provide the students with a basic understanding of technology and engineering design for educational and social usage. Technology curricula are always evolving to remain current with technological changes and trends. Upper level courses earn a math credit.

Through our computer science and technology curriculum, students have the opportunity to engage with coding and robotics in the lower grades and can continue to advance to more complex levels, including participating in Ursuline’s competitive robotics team, Robots in Plaid. 7th and 8th grade students build foundational coding and electrical engineering skills in an approachable, hands-on introductory course, designed to develop students’ confidence, and curiosity, as they gain technical skills.

Computer Science Discoveries

Computer Science Discoveries is an introductory computer science course for 7th and 8th grade students that is mapped to Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) standards. The course takes a wide lens on computer science by covering topics such as problem solving, programming, physical computing, user centered design, and data. Students engage in a variety of projects, including: coding their own games, apps, animations, and physical computing systems. The curriculum includes a variety of student-centered, inquiry-based activities, which allow for creative exploration of coding, electronics and mechanical engineering. Students in this course will build on their coding skills progressively during 7th and 8th grade, and have opportunities to use fabrication equipment, including laser cutters and 3D printers, as they bring their ideas to life. (Grades 7 & 8)

The AP Computer Science Principles course is designed to be equivalent to a first- semester introductory college computing course. In this course, students develop computational thinking skills vital for success across all disciplines, such as using computational tools to analyze and study data and working with large data sets to analyze, visualize, and draw conclusions from trends. The course engages students in the creative aspects of the field by allowing them to develop computational artifacts based on their interests. Students will also develop effective communication and collaboration skills by working individually and collaboratively to solve problems, and will discuss and write about the impacts these solutions could have on their community, society, and the world.

AP Computer Science A is an introductory college-level computer science course through which students learn Java, an object-oriented programming language widely used in industry today. Students cultivate their understanding of coding through analyzing, writing, and testing code as they explore concepts like modularity, variables, and control structures. Computational Thinking Practices are distinct skills associated with this course that will be practiced throughout the year.

Programming in Python introduces students to the Python programming language, a versatile, beginner-friendly, general-purpose programming language designed to be used in a range of applications. Often used to build websites and software, automate tasks, and conduct data analysis, Python is one of the most widely used programming languages today. As students gain understanding of the programming constructs that comprise Python, they also further develop their analytical and computational thinking skills, which will serve them well in anything they pursue in the future.

Robotics programming is an important aspect of Ursuline Academy’s technology curriculum. Students are introduced to programming in the lower grades and can continue to advance to more complex levels to include robotics competition. Students in 7th and 8th grade can join the Junior Robotics Club, the Junior Plaids, and high school students participate in Robotics Club, also known as the Robots in Plaid.