Currently, WVCC is the largest coding club in the State with 130 student scholarships.
WVCC is headquartered in Charleston and operates out of the University of Charleston's Innovation Center. WVCC has a core staff of 5 educators and an Advisory Board of 10 members.
WVCC partners with Treehouse, a leading tech-ed company based in Portland, Oregon.
WVCC is in it's third year of operation and is funded this year through the Martha Gaines and Russell Wehrle Foundation and the Glotfelty Foundation.
WVCC has an active website which outlines it's mission, vision, values, and current organizational chart, as well as featuring multiple photographs of students "in action."
WVCC has built a scalable model of program delivery with the following advantages:
1. Speed and flexibility of implementation
2. Seamless adaptability between schools and businesses
3. State-of-the-art training in all facets of learning to code
4. On-going management data collection and distribution
5. Low cost: $173.00 per 12 month year per student or $14.42 per month.
6. Available 24/7 anytime, anywhere type of program
Here's how it works: There are two ways a school can implement our model.
1. They can form an after school club like any other club. The supervisor of the club does not have to be a teacher. What is needed is a motivated adult willing to oversee a group of students. WVCC staff will provide training and on-going guidance.
2. A regular class designated for coding can be offered. A teacher is not required to have any specialized training. Expertise is built into the program by utilizing the Treehouse platform which contains a plethora of world class teachers along with a worldwide community support system. WVCC staff provides initial and on-going guidance through on-site visits and teleconferencing. Also, available for students is a "custom track" designed for groups that breaks down complex sections into small steps to insure success. Once students become familiar with a computer language, they are encouraged to develop projects to gain real world programming experience. Efforts are made to reach out to area businesses for possible student projects. This offers the following benefits: a concrete relationship between school and business, opportunities for students to use newly acquired skills, encourage businesses growth, and an opportunity for businesses to, in-turn, give back any reward they think fair to the class or club. Lastly, WVCC believes that this project based experience accelerates learning and mirrors the way real world programmers work.