Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University’s popular summer coding camps return to APSU’s Clarksville campus this year after the pandemic forced officials to cancel last year’s camps.
And anyone who wants to attend the camps can sign up at a steep discount. The first half of campers who sign up will get a 90% discount off the normal $99.00 price. All other campers will get a 60% discount. The discount codes are on the coding camp website.
“We secured a $40,000 grant from Google to fund these camps, and we want to make sure that anyone who wants to go to these camps can go at a substantial discount,” said Dr. James Church, associate professor in APSU’s Department of Computer Science and Information Technology. “So, literally, it’s 10 bucks to sign up for a weeklong camp.”
Austin Peay also has added two new offerings to the summer coding camps – Minecraft camps for both middle and high school students and girls-preferred camps.
“The students in the Minecraft camps will get a free year of Minecraft (education edition) that they can take home with them,” Church said. “But the camp is not going to be just playing Minecraft, it’s going to be the basics to programming in Minecraft.”
Church also hopes the girls-preferred camps will give girls and young women a more comfortable space to attend the normally male-dominated camps.
This summer, Austin Peay State University is offering 10 camps – including the popular “Make Your Own Website” and “Make Your Own Video Games” camps. All camps are half-day and Monday-Friday.
Middle School Camps
For those entering sixth, seventh or eighth grades.
- Make Your Own Websites, Camp A.
- Registration deadline: May 25.
- Camp times: 9 a.m.-noon, May 31-June 4.
- Make Your Own Video Games, Camp B.
- Registration deadline: May 25.
- Camp times: 1:30-4:30 p.m., May 31-June 4.
- Make Your Own Websites, Camp C.
- Registration deadline: June 1.
- Camp times: 9 a.m.-noon, June 7-11.
- Make Your Own Video Games, Camp D.
- Registration deadline: June 1.
- Camp times: 1:30-4:30 p.m., June 7-11.
- Make Your Own Websites, Camp E.
- Registration deadline: June 8.
- Camp times: 9 a.m.-noon, June 14-18.
- Learn Programming with Minecraft, Camp F.
- Registration deadline: June 8.
- Camp times: 1:30-4:30 p.m., June 14-18.
High School Camps
For those entering ninth, 10th, 11th or 12th grades and those entering their first year of college.
- Make Your Own Websites, Camp G.
- Registration deadline: June 15.
- Camp times: 9 a.m.-noon, June 21-25.
- Make Your Own Video Games, Camp H.
- Registration deadline: June 15.
- Camp times: 1:30-4:30 p.m., June 21-25.
- Learn Programming with Minecraft (girls preferred), Camp I.
- Registration deadline: June 22.
- Camp times: 9 a.m.-noon, June 28-July 2.
- Make Your Own Video Games (girls preferred), Camp J.
- Registration deadline: June 22.
- Camp times: 1:30-4:30 p.m., June 22-July 2.
The camps will be at APSU’s state-of-the-art computer labs in the Maynard Mathematics and Computer Science Building and the College of STEM Technology Building.
All the camps are led by Austin Peay State University bachelor’s or master’s degree students (currently Nicholas Fox, Johnathan Dickson, Timothy Jordan, and Tanner Jones). Dr. Church designed the course curriculum.
Masks are required, and instructors will enforce social distancing. The labs also will be at half-capacity to follow Austin Peay COVID-19 guidelines.
For more information, visit www.apsu.edu/csci/camp.
Sponsored by Google
The summer coding camps are heavily funded by a competitive grant from Google. Austin Peay also recently received Google community grants to support a new makerspace at the APSU GIS Center and Operation: STEM Success, which offers free Algebra I and chemistry tutoring to local high school students.
