By Tiffany Whitfield

More high school students in Virginia are pursuing dual enrollment courses – a 54% increase since 2012, according to – and a need has emerged in a leading field of study: computer science. The Bureau of Labor Statistics that STEM jobs will grow by almost 11% by 2031, almost twice as fast as all other fields.

With this increased demand, there is a need for more high school teachers qualified to teach dual enrollment computer science courses. 

In the fall of 2020, Lesley Frew, a math teacher at McLean High School in Fairfax, saw this need firsthand and investigated what it would take to earn her qualifications.

That led her to 鶹ý and Assistant Chair and Professor of Computer Science Michele Weigle, Ph.D. Frew already had her master’s degree in teaching but needed six graduate courses in computer science for the dual enrollment certification.

Together, Frew and Dr. Weigle created the Computer Science for Teachers Graduate Certificate to give her access to the courses she needed. In 2022, Frew graduated from this first-of-its-kind program.

“Once I heard that no other university in Virginia offered this program for teachers, I knew it was something 鶹ý had to do, especially since we already offered all of the needed courses in an online format,” said Dr. Weigle. “Great teachers are usually also great students, so we’re excited to have more high school teachers taking our graduate courses.”

鶹ý is partnering with the Virginia Department of Education to offer scholarships for teachers interested in enrolling in the certificate program.

By offering asynchronous, online courses, Frew was able to complete the program while teaching full time.

“I researched every public university in Virginia, and 鶹ý’s materials were just very welcoming towards people that work full time and who are military, and both of those factors seemed to be their specialty,” she said. “I knew immediately that 鶹ý is definitely the place where I’m going to go to get these classes done.” 

Frew also feels proud to represent female teachers in computer science.

“One of the major issues that I had as an undergrad was there weren't any female computer science professors, and we were really underrepresented,” she said. “And when I took my first course with Dr. Weigle I was like, ‘Oh, it's a female computer science professor. This is so cool,’ and I know that's how my students feel too.” 

Frew also appreciated how 鶹ý faculty members worked with her busy schedule and the demands of being a full-time teacher. In a data science course with Sampath Jayarathna, Ph.D., she remembered how he wrote, “I know some of you work full time, I'm going to work with you” on his syllabus. 

While completing the program, Frew worked with her school district to get dual enrollment computer science courses added to her students’ schedules by the fall of 2022. 

“I don’t want to be the only teacher that does this,” Frew said. 

Her advice to other Virginia high school teachers seeking the non-degree seeking certificate: “Have a plan and know that the professors here at 鶹ý are really accommodating of students that work full-time, and they have high expectations of you. Everyone wants you to be successful and just make sure you have a good support system back at your base school or county as well.” 

鶹ý will officially offer the new Computer Science for Teachers Graduate Certificate this fall. It is an 18-credit certificate which counts toward a Master of Science degree in computer science, leaving only 13 additional credits to earn the full degree.

Frew ended up staying at 鶹ý to complete her M.S. degree in 2024 and is now pursuing her Ph.D. in Computer Science.

Reflecting on her journey, Frew said she is grateful the program helped her give her students a leg up on their education journey.

“I did it for my students, and that's really what it comes back to – I wanted them to be able to take these additional classes and get their credits,” Frew said. “My first group of students knew they were at the only high school in Fairfax County that even offered (and still offers) these classes, and they were grateful for them.”