Prime Highlights-
- Purdue and LEGO Education launch AI, coding and robotics training for Indiana middle school teachers.
- Program pairs a hands-on campus workshop with expert videos on AI competency and career pathways.
Key Facts-
- Workshop targets Indiana STEM educators teaching grades 6 through 8.
- Videos feature Purdue professors Andres Bejarano, Zachary Kingston and Rohan Paleja.
Background-
Purdue University and LEGO Education have partnered to bring Indiana middle school teachers hands-on training in AI, coding and robotics, combining classroom-ready activities with online videos on AI competency and student readiness for the future.
The partnership brought educators to Purdue’s West Lafayette campus for “Brick by Brick: Bringing AI to the Classroom,” a professional development workshop led by faculty and staff from the university’s College of Science alongside LEGO Education facilitators.
The session targeted Indiana STEM educators teaching grades 6 through 8, centering on lessons teachers could bring directly into their classrooms by blending artificial intelligence with coding and robotics activities.
Lucy Flesch, Frederick L. Hovde Dean of Purdue’s College of Science, said early exposure helps shape how students see their own role in computer science, noting that when educators introduce students to computer science and AI early, students begin to see themselves as problem-solvers and creators.
Purdue has also released a series of expert videos through the program website, extending the material beyond the workshop. The videos cover how AI and robotics connect to K-12 education, research and future careers, featuring Assistant Teaching Professor Andres Bejarano on AI competency, Assistant Professor Zachary Kingston on pathways into robotics, and Assistant Professor Rohan Paleja on AI, robotics and research.
The collaboration draws on Purdue’s wider computer science outreach, led by Jessica Brewer, alongside LEGO Education’s professional learning work led by Leanna Prater. LEGO Education’s Nermeen Dashoush called the partnership an example of universities and industry working together to support educators and expand their impact.
