Microsoft, WhiteHat Jr partner to offer game-based learning experiences

Microsoft India and WhiteHat Jr on Thursday announced a collaboration to provide students and teachers access to personalised and immersive learning experiences with Minecraft.

Under the partnership, Whitehat Jr will offer a Code with Minecraft course for students on its platform, a statement said.

The Code with Minecraft programme will provide students an opportunity to master important coding concepts through a highly curated curriculum based on Minecraft, it added.

As part of this collaboration, Microsoft will also help upskill WhiteHat Jr educators through special workshops delivered by the Minecraft Education Edition Teacher Academy.

Minecraft is a sandbox game, which has a virtual land where users can create their own worlds and experiences, using Lego-like building blocks. In 2014, Microsoft had bought Minecraft for USD 2.5 billion.

The Code with Minecraft course is available in multiple packages for students aged 6-14 years. Students start with game-based learning on Minecraft where they can build their own game heroes, game worlds, and play multiplayer games within Minecraft's environment while learning foundational coding concepts such as commands, sequences, variables, loops, and conditionals.

As students progress through the curriculum, they will learn advanced coding concepts and languages, the statement said.

"Young learners experience the joy of creating with technology through our coding courses. Students love our classes as they work on live projects and develop new skills with the support of a live teacher. For years, Minecraft has fascinated children across the world," WhiteHat Jr Chief Executive Officer Trupti Mukker said.

WhiteHat Jr is very excited to be able to collaborate with Microsoft India and bring such an engaging learning experience to children, she added.

The skills of the future will look very different from the skills that exist today. Platforms like Minecraft are ensuring students have deep, immersive learning experiences that unlock both creativity and critical thinking."

"Our partnership with WhiteHat Jr is a strong step in making learning engaging and preparing young adults with the skills they need to thrive in a digital economy, Navtez Bal, Executive Director (Public Sector) at Microsoft India, said.