The Mastery Coding Story (So Far)
Mastery Coding was born out of a passion for bridging the gap between technology and education. From its humble beginnings in a high school classroom to supporting schools and educators in more than 35 states, this is the story of how we’re helping students today to enter the workforce of tomorrow.
“As technology changes the way we communicate, connect, create, consume, and innovate, it is democratizing access to opportunity. Education is no exception.”
— Laura Andreessen
A Teacher With a Dream
The idea for Mastery Coding started in an English classroom. Before Alan Sitomer founded the company, he taught high school English in Lynwood, California. He also traveled the country as an educational speaker, wrote over 20 books, and was awarded the prestigious title of California’s Teacher of the Year.
Alan had years of experience in traditional K-12 education and saw first-hand the impact of emerging technologies on education and the workforce. In Mr. Sitomer's classroom, students lit up when discussing their favorite video games or the latest tech trends. Their enthusiasm revealed a hunger for learning that wasn’t being sufficiently met. 'What if we could channel this passion into real-world skills?' Alan wondered. That question would become the idea for Mastery Coding.
A Company is Born
In 2016, Mastery Coding was founded as EyeQVR. Virtual Reality (VR) was a cutting-edge technology that was great for inspiring students, even though hardware was difficult and costly to procure. The team knew coding and a solid understanding of technology were the universal skills that could open doors for students in any tech-driven industry and VR was the X-factor to grab their attention.
In less than a year, Alan had assembled a passionate team of colleagues intending to teach students to code applications for Virtual Reality devices like the Oculus. Countless schools, teachers, and admins saw the potential of Alan’s vision. However, the school boards stagnated in approving the procurement of necessary hardware while the VR industry itself was still in its infancy, making the development of an educational curriculum difficult. The team realized that a pivot had to be made.
Mastery Coding Emerges
In 2018, EyeQVR was renamed as Mastery Coding. The name was chosen as a self-evident representation of the company’s mission and goals: for students to achieve mastery of the subject of coding. With a new name and renewed focus, Mastery Coding set out to empower students with the technical skills and hands-on experience needed to succeed in a world changed by technology.
Turning Gamers Into Makers
Moving away from VR left the team with an important question to answer. How do we capture the students’ attention and maintain engagement? To Alan, the answer was simple: use the video games that they are so passionate about. After all, if you look ‘under the hood,’ each video game is just a giant STEM project, and every video game is made with code.
The first milestone release came in the form of Game Development I, a computer science course that teaches in-demand tools like Unity and C# as students code video games and attain industry-recognized certifications. Today, countless educators use Mastery Coding’s Game Development courses, like Andy in Oklahoma and Isaac in Texas.
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The Birth of Academic Esports
In late 2022, Mastery Coding joined forces with Rally Cry, esports veterans with decades of experience, to launch the United States Academic Esports League (USAEL). Poised to be America’s premier academic esports league, The USAEL was founded on the shared belief in a better future through gaming and a shared mission to empower students, schools, and educators with the best tools to create that future.
The USAEL pioneered Academic Esports to help channel students’ passion for video games into academic merits such as better grades, internships, scholarships, and lucrative career pathways in STEM.
Gamifying Standards-Based Math
In 2023, Mastery Coding reached a new milestone with the release of GamerMath™, a gamified approach to standards-based math instruction. GamerMath was developed in response to two significant challenges: the recent historic decline in math scores reported by the Nation's Report Card and the ongoing struggle to make math relevant to students. At the same time, data from Pew Research highlights that students’ interest in video games is at an all-time high. Mastery Coding’s innovative approach bridges this gap.
“The biggest challenge math teachers face today is the practical element of math for the students. Unfortunately, most of my students do not see the importance of learning math or how to apply math in the real world. With Gamer Math, students immediately see how math matters – and the better they are at math, the better they will be at the video games they love.” - Helen Papadopoulos, CA Teacher of the Year Award Winner
Empowering Educators Through AI
In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, Mastery Coding once again demonstrated its commitment to supporting educators with the release of Artificial Intelligence Essentials for Educators (AIEE) in early 2024. This self-paced course provides teachers with foundational Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy, equipping them with the tools to navigate, integrate, and teach artificial intelligence responsibly and effectively.
As part of this initiative, Mastery Coding has partnered with Knowledge Pillars, a leader in industry-based certification, to deliver the AI Essentials for Educators Certification Exam. This collaboration ensures that educators who complete the course can validate their expertise through an industry-recognized certification, providing a tangible credential that underscores their AI literacy.
An Award-winning Team With Passion
Through the ups and downs of establishing and running an education technology company, our ambitious team of educators, coders, and creators has persevered. Since the start, we have worked tirelessly to create new content, keep our courses up-to-date, and support educators & learners across the nation.
We are honored to have been recognized on several occasions.
2021 Trendsetter Winner for the Edtech Awards
2021 Top Distance and Remote Learning Solution Provider by Education Technology Insights
2021 Cool Tool Finalist for the EdTech Awards
2022 Top STEM Solution Provider by Education Technology Insights
2023 Trendsetter Finalist for the EdTech Awards
2024 Trendsetter Finalist for the EdTech Awards
2024 Cool Tool Finalist for the EdTech Awards
2024 Editor's Most Innovative Math Choice Award by STEMfinity
2024 Standout Solution for SmartBrief Innovation Awards in AI
We’re proud of the journey so far, but this is just the beginning. Join us as we continue to support schools and educators across the nation. Request a free demo to explore our programs and see how Mastery Coding can make an impact in your classroom!
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