In recent years, school districts and the Alberta Government have increased access to dual-credit trades programs in response to widespread tradespeople shortages.

Now, Rundle College is doing something similar with computer science.

As part of their CSE3590 computing science course for Grade 11 and 12 students, Calgary’s Rundle College has partnered with Smart Technology to give students hands-on experience with Lumio in coding and developing components of interactive education tools.

For the past month-or-so, students have been designing games and simulations for classroom settings through Lumio. The experience has included developing code, debugging and working with artificial intelligence. Students have had in-person visits to the Smart Headquarters in Calgary as well as online meetings with mentors.

Sue Mylde, the innovation, design, entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence and skills (IDEAS) coordinator and a computer science teacher at Rundle College, said the five-week program has given students a rare look into the tech industry.

“We want to prepare our students for what is a rapidly changing world of work and to inform them of you know where their careers are going,” she told LWC.

“I was looking for an opportunity across Calgary for students to take part in a program related to the curriculum and we found a partner in Smart.”

On Friday, May 8, the students, who have been broken up into five groups, will be given 10 minutes to present their work to classmates and representatives from Smart.

“Each team has built, what I would say is their own flavour of game. Their mentors have told them to create something that would be of interest to you as a student and because there’s that student perspective, there is a competitive edge to it in a certain way,” Mylde said.

“As these games get uploaded, the Lumio team have shown them that there’s actually back end data, so you can see how much it’s actually being used by teachers. So they think ‘Ooh, is my game going to be the one that’s used more.’”

Previous connections resurfacing

Representatives from the tech company had previously come to the school for a career talk event, Mylde said, where students were made aware of post-secondary internship opportunities with Smart.

“I explored the idea that if you want to have these students as interns when they’re in university, well what about in the years beforehand, how about we actually give them real life experiences,” she said.

“One of the amazing parts of this is that we’re both taking a chance on exploring what such an opportunity will look like, because the students are a little bit younger, they’re not university students, but they are in a program which allows for exploration and that is what we’re both doing.”

The students participating in the course are considered advanced level, meaning they’ve previously taken three-to-six years of Computer Science courses. Ahead of their presentations, Mugdha Jain, the director of engineering at Smart, said things are looking exceptional.

“I did get a preview and I’m super excited,” she told LWC.

Jain said that for Smart, the opportunity with Rundle was a no-brainer.

“We wanted to create an opportunity for students to create something that could be lasting, that could help them in their career further,” she said.

“For these students who are interested in computer science, this could be something that they present in university applications, or in job interviews, because they gain some actual industry experience in a short time, good industry experience.”

This is the first time that the school and company have collaborated on this partnership. Both parties agreed that the experience has been invaluable.

“This is the first time we have done this with Rundle College specifically but we have done other partnerships with the Calgary Board of Education and other schools in the region,” Jain said.

“With this one, this was exciting for us, as well as the students and I really, really enjoyed the journey, so I hope it continues.”

Communication easing career questions

Mylde said that both personally and professionally, she’s heard lots of worry about the future of the widespread job market with the rise of AI, something this partnership has helped calm.

“There’s been a little bit of career anxiety, especially in this particular field of computer engineering software. What is really important about something like this is the value of mentorship, the value of personal connection, the value of ushering the new generation into the workforce,” she said.

“This opportunity has opened my eyes up to how people in the profession, like Mugdha and her team, are excited about these younger engineers being in the workforce and that is priceless.”

Many of her high school students, who are around 18 years old, are still finding their path, Mylde said. Connecting with people in-industry can make the future seem less scary.

“If we’re able to forge more of these opportunities across our industry, it demystifies what software and computer engineering looks like and allows the younger generation to have a feel for it, even before they go to university,” she said.

“This is that chance for those who are in the profession to welcome, nurture and invite the next generation.”