BOSSIER CITY, La. — Bossier Parish Community College has partnered with the Louisiana Department of Education on a two-year pilot program aimed at expanding computer programming instruction and strengthening educator capacity across Louisiana.
The initiative focuses on supporting teachers and students as schools introduce more computer programming coursework statewide. According to the organizations, many participating educators are teaching programming for the first time, while students are also new to the subject matter.
To support the rollout, the state education department partnered with an AI-powered platform provider to develop a Louisiana standards-aligned Python programming course designed for statewide implementation. The browser-based platform is intended to help educators deliver instruction while providing students with individualized academic support through AI-driven tools.
“Louisiana’s workforce demands more, and this partnership delivers,” BPCC Chancellor Rick Bateman Jr. said in a statement. “We are equipping educators with the tools to teach at a higher level and preparing students with the skills to step directly into today’s technology careers.”
The pilot includes AI-based tutoring, adaptive coding exercises, automated grading, targeted interventions and real-time feedback for students. Educators also can use AI content tools to create additional assignments and customize instruction.
Program organizers said the platform is designed to support both classroom instruction and learning outside of school hours while helping teachers, particularly those new to computer programming instruction, improve instructional confidence and fluency.
Professional development is a central component of the initiative. The program uses a train-the-trainer model that began with kickoff training on the curriculum and AI tools, followed by a 12-week engagement period during which educators complete the coursework themselves.
Teachers participating in the pilot also collaborate weekly with the platform’s curriculum support team and receive guidance from two BPCC instructors through one-on-one support sessions.
The pilot launched March 23 with 21 teachers representing 10 parishes across Louisiana, including five educators from the Bossier Parish School System. Participating teachers will be able to deploy the platform to an unlimited number of students within their parishes during the 2026-27 school year.
BPCC officials said the partnership is intended to expand access to information technology education and strengthen Career and Technical Education opportunities statewide.