“The student has become the master.” That’s not just a well-known proverb, it also describes Ken Balderrama’s journey at Sac State’s College of Continuing Education [CCE]. 

Ken is not only a faculty member of CCE’s Computer Science Supplementary Authorization [CSSA] program, but he’s also a former student of the program, as well. 

“I started the Computer Science Supplemental Authorization program at another university, UC Riverside. After completing two of the courses, I got busy and did not finish [the program],” Ken said, adding that his wife told him about grants that would make the tuition free. “So, I decided to finish up the program. I signed up for Sacramento State because they were part of the grant.”

CSSA is a collaboration among the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the College of Education, along with the College of Continuing Education, which administers the program. Credentialed teachers who complete the fully online program can apply for a “supplementary authorization” allowing them to teach computer science in K-12 settings even if their undergraduate degree was not in the field.

“Because I already had prior content knowledge, I was always helping my fellow teachers in the program. Every breakout session, I would be helping others, and I would have all of my work completed,” Ken said. “At the end of the second course, Professor [Anna] Baynes made a comment that I should be teaching the course. I at first thought she was simply making a light-hearted comment. But, upon reflection, I decided to email her, and we set up a meeting where she offered for me to teach one of the courses.”

The CSSA program is designed to offer flexibility to full-time K-12 teachers for whom attending classes while working can be challenging. Because the program is 100% online, Ken – who is in his third year teaching the program – said there have been some challenges. But the students are just like him, teachers, too.

“I have tried to always make it as engaging as possible and interactive as possible,” Ken said. “As a teacher, 90% of the challenge is engagement, and it has been a real joy to teach teachers who want to learn this material. I have especially enjoyed working with teachers of K-6 as their perspective is much different than my own, and they always ask great questions.”

He credits his success with the program to multiple people at Sac State and CCE – Professor Baynes and program analyst Madeleine Vadenais. 

“Professor Anna Baynes has been super helpful. As a student, I saw her philosophy of education firsthand as she interacted with us as students, and she has been very encouraging and always helpful with any questions I had. She not only gave me the opportunity to do this but also made the logistics of the experience and transition smooth and easy,” Ken said. “Also, Madeleine Vadenais has always been super responsive and helpful in all the logistics. She has made my experiences as a student at Sac State and as a Lecturer easy to manage and allowed me to focus on simply teaching the students.”

Before he arrived on campus, Ken did a little bit of everything. He started teaching middle school in the 1990s, but soon after changed careers to enter the world of Hi-TECH. He then transitioned to non-profit industries for a few years and completed his Master’s Degree in Intellectual Leadership.

“Fifteen years ago, I was called back into teaching. I have been teaching computer science classes at the high school level for the past six years at Liberty High, where I teach five different courses ranging from an intro class called Exploring Computer Science to three different AP classes, AP CSA, AP CSP, and AP Networking,” Ken said.

For more information on the CSSA program, which is accepting applications through the end of May, visit the program’s webpage.