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Prodigy Learning launches award-winning computer science credential program in Australia

Announcement posted by Prodigy Learning 19 Aug 2021

First of its kind computer science curriculum, assessment and credential product immerses students in Minecraft: Education Edition to develop and prove coding skills.
SYDNEY, 18 August 2021 – Prodigy Learning, a global education technology company, is proud to announce the launch of its award-winning ‘Coding in Minecraft’ computer science credential program to the Australian market.

Recently awarded Best Formative Assessment product by the e-Assessment Association, ‘Coding in Minecraft’ is set to put coding skills at every educator’s and child’s fingertips. The innovative SaaS solution gives educators from all backgrounds the confidence and tools to engage young and diverse learners (ages 7 to 16) in coding – even if educators are not proficient in coding themselves.

Engaging students in computer science from an early age is a growing challenge worldwide, reflected in global shortages of digitally skilled graduates. Minecraft is one of the most popular video games in history and promotes creativity, collaboration and problem-solving in an immersive environment. It transcends all platforms and appeals to players regardless of age, gender, demographics, or geography.

By pairing the world’s leading game-based learning product with a structured curriculum supported by assessments, every educator can now provide students an engaging learning experience and validate their learning upon completion. Leveraging the power of Microsoft’s Minecraft: Education Edition and Prodigy Learning’s Azure-hosted online assessment platform ‘skillify’, ‘Coding in Minecraft’ has the potential to set millions of young Australian learners on the path to a rewarding digital career.

“Our vision for ‘Coding in Minecraft’ is to break down the barriers for students and educators to increase uptake of computer science in schools,” said Andrew Flood, CEO of Prodigy Learning. “By immersing the curriculum and assessment in Minecraft: Education Edition, we capture the imagination of young learners through one of the most popular games in the world and support them to learn to code, design and problem solve. Building on our huge success overseas, we are excited to now bring this fun educational product to Australian students and educators.”

Tiffany Wright, Education Director at Microsoft Australia said “We are excited to see our partner Prodigy Learning bring ‘Coding in Minecraft’ to Australian classrooms. This innovative solution builds on the power of Minecraft: Education Edition to make coding skills more accessible than ever and help us make greater strides toward closing the digital skills gap. At Microsoft, we are committed to ensuring that everyone can access the opportunities presented by the digital economy, and that starts with inspiring school aged children.”

Launched in 2019 in the United States, ‘Coding in Minecraft’ is already transforming computer science assessment in US schools with many large US states and districts adopting the product to provide a standards-aligned, immersive computer science curriculum leading to industry-recognised credentials.

The product is already inspiring students to learn computer science. Martyn Silizen, a Strategy Officer from Rhondda Cynon Taf Education Authority in Wales, UK where the first students achieved their skills credentials through ‘Coding in Minecraft’, commented: “97% of students who have completed a Coding in Minecraft’ credential expressed an interest in going on to study computer science at a higher level as their next step on their learning journey.”

‘Coding in Minecraft’ is aligned to teaching and computer science standards and will support the delivery of the Digital Technologies curriculum in Australia.

For access to a free demo and to learn more about ‘Coding in Minecraft’ visit: