At its February meeting, the Mississippi Community College Board (MCCB) unanimously approved the initial adoption of the coding curriculum that has been developed by Base Camp Coding Academy in Water Valley. The partnership will allow the state’s 15 community colleges access to cutting-edge curriculum for computer coding programs. Previously, coding offerings were embedded in other computer-related programs and not a separate program.
This approval will allow community colleges to offer standalone computer coding curriculum that will lead to a Career or Technical Certificate or an Associate of Applied Science degree. Final approval of the curriculum will take place at the March MCCB meeting. The initiative was a result of Northwest Mississippi Community College working with Base Camp to help write curriculum that will give graduates exposure to the skills and training necessary to be successful coders.
“Middle-skills, which are those beyond a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree, are critical to the future of Mississippi’s economy,” said Dr. Andrea Mayfield, Executive Director of the MCCB. “A large number of the jobs both now and in the future will be computer and IT-related. As such, I am appreciative to Mr. Kagan Coughlin and his team at Base Camp for partnering with our agency and the community colleges to ensure the curriculum needed for the coding programs is relevant, needed by business and industry, and leads to high-paying jobs. I am also grateful to Northwest Mississippi Community College President Dr. Michael Heindl and Dr. David Campbell, Vice-President for Workforce Solutions and Career-Technical Education at Northwest, for their leadership and vision in helping to implement this cutting-edge program. This is a win-win for our students and our state.”
In January, Northwest Mississippi Community College began its computer-coding program in Senatobia and Water Valley. The program utilizes exit points for when students earn 30 hours, 45 hours, and 60 hours; thus, ensuring that students have the opportunity to leave the program with the credentials necessary to secure employment in IT related fields.
“Our partnership with Base Camp Coding Academy has been beneficial, not only in the content of the curriculum which meets the needs of industry, but also from the successful learning model employed by Base Camp which we have implemented in many of our Career and Technical Education programs at Northwest,” stated Dr. David Campbell, Vice President of Workforce Solutions and Career-Technical Education at Northwest Mississippi Community College. “We are excited to offer computer-coding. It will have an impact across all industries as they progress technologically.”
For the past three years, Sean Anthony, Executive Director, and Nate Clark, Senior Technical Director at Base Camp Coding Academy, have refined the coding curriculum based on feedback from companies such as CSpire, FedEx, Corelogic FNC, MTrade, Renasant Bank, and the University of Mississippi to ensure the courses that are offered include information that is critical to the success of coders across business and industry.
“The technology sector moves at an incredible pace,” stated Mr. Kagan Coughlin, Co-Founder of Base Camp. “This can be challenging for an education program to keep up with and intimidating to a student considering a new career. The collaborative effort at Base Camp has established an effective curriculum strategy, and a path to success for any student willing to take on the challenge. We are excited the Mississippi Community College Board is making this opportunity accessible to Mississippians across the state and thankful to Dr. David Campbell for helping make this possible.”
