Scalable Game Design Institute

The summer institute is part of CU's "iDreams" project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation to teach computational thinking skills in middle school through video game design.

The project team includes researchers from CU's computer science department, the School of Education, software partner AgentSheets Inc., and the Science Discovery and Upward Bound outreach programs.

The iDreams project, which is in its final year, was originally projected to reach 1,200 students through their teachers. But it's now on track to reach more than 5,000 students, according to CU. About 56 percent of the students participating in the iDreams project are minorities.

Teachers from school districts throughout the state -- and country -- are learning the Scalable Game Design curriculum, developed at CU, and the software.

School districts involved range from those that are affluent and technology-rich to rural and Native American reservation schools.