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An INSPIRED game programming academy for high school students

The demand for computing professionals is growing, but the number of college freshmen selecting computing majors has declined in recent years. Many organizations host academies that attempt to engage students in computing at an early age by exposing them to fun applications. Lamar University's Increasing Student Participation in Computing Program has developed a high school computing academy that uses game programming as an engaging hands-on approach to teach kids computing concepts. The game programming platform is freely downloaded and so is easily accessible to teachers and students. A formal assessment of the 2011 academy found that the high school participants experienced a significant increase in knowledge and interest in computing. This paper describes how the academy is organized, taught and assessed. The paper also has pointers to a website from which the instructional and assessment materials for the academy can be freely downloaded. The intent of the paper is to provide all of the information that is needed for others to host such academies and further promote the effort to increase participation in computing.