Informatics for All: the Strategy

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Informatics for All: the Strategy Informatics for All The strategy ACM Europe & Informatics Europe February 2018 Report Authors Michael E. Caspersen It-vest – networking universities Judith Gal-Ezer The Open University of Israel Andrew McGettrick University of Strathclyde Enrico Nardelli Sponsoring Organizations University of Roma “Tor Vergata” Informatics Europe represents the academic and research com- munity in Informatics in Europe. Bringing together university departments and research laboratories, it creates a strong com- mon voice to safeguard and shape quality research and education in Informatics in Europe. With over 120 member institutions across 30 countries, Informatics Europe promotes common positions and acts on common priorities. The ACM Europe Council aims to increase the level and visibility of Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) activities across Europe. The Council comprises European computer scientists committed to fostering the visibility and relevance of ACM in Eu- rope, and is focused on a wide range of European ACM activities, including organizing and hosting high-quality ACM conferences, expanding ACM chapters, improving computer science education, and encouraging greater participation of Europeans in all dimen- sions of ACM. Informatics for All Committee Michael E. Caspersen It-vest – networking universities Judith Gal-Ezer The Open University of Israel Dame Wendy Hall (chair) University of Southampton Andrew McGettrick University of Strathclyde Enrico Nardelli University of Roma “Tor Vergata” Bobby Schnabel University of Colorado Boulder Endorsements This paper has been endorsed by the Informatics Europe Board, the ACM Europe Council, and CEPIS. 2 | European Recommendations on Machine-Learned Automated Decision Making Contents Executive Summary 1. Introduction ............................................. 3 1.1 The Committee on European Computing Education ................ 3 1.2 Case Studies ............................................ 4 1.2.1 Initiatives in the US .......................... 4 1.2.2 Initiatives in the UK ......................... 4 2. Informatics for All ................................... 5 2.1 Initiative Statement .................................. 5 2.2 Two-tier strategy at all educational levels .... 5 2.2.1 Specialisation ................................. 6 2.2.2 Integration ..................................... 6 2.3 A Grand Educational Challenge ................. 6 3. Curriculum matters ................................. 7 3.1 Findings from CECE report ........................ 7 3.2 Curriculum considerations ........................ 7 3.3 Comments on Digital Literacy ................... 8 4. Teachers .................................................... 9 4.1 Availability of teachers ............................. 9 4.2 Preparing teachers ................................... 9 5. Research ..................................................10 5.1 Curriculum ............................................10 5.2 Teaching methods and tools ...................10 5.3 Teaching the teachers ............................ 11 6. Towards Implementation .................... 11 Acknowledgements .................................. 12 Informatics for All: The Strategy | 1 lighted the serious need for an initiative to ensure Executive Summary that Informatics is properly recognised within the educational systems so that Europe is well placed to Informatics for All is an initiative devised jointly by compete globally in reaping the benefits that flow ACM Europe and Informatics Europe. Its purpose from Informatics. is to give due recognition to Informatics as an This paper highlights the need for a two-tier essential foundational discipline for education in strategy for Informatics education at all levels. First the twenty-first century. Informatics is the science and foremost, the first tier takes the form of Infor- underpinning the development of the digital world, matics as a specialisation, i.e. a fundamental and and it is having a profound effect on all aspects of independent school subject. The second tier would modern society. The discipline has fundamental be the integration of Informatics with other school conceptual and practical facets. The considerable subjects. To achieve this goal, in both tiers research economic impact of its technological develop- is needed to address what and how to teach (cur- ments, as well as its role in empowering research riculum, methods and tools), and how to educate and development across all sectors, has created an teachers. imperative to address educational issues. To address this grand challenge important The initiative is based on the long-term recom- recommendations on Informatics are provided in mendations of the report “Informatics Education in Section 3.2, on Teacher issues in Section 4.2. and on Europe: Are We All In The Same Boat?” which pre- Research in Section 5.3. sented the state of relevant education, and related teacher training, across Europe. Its conclusions high- 2 | Informatics for All: The Strategy the opportunity has been taken to present a more 1. Introduction updated perspective and strategy on Informatics education. The digital society that has developed over the past 20-30 years (with the personal computer, the inter- 1.1 The Committee on European net, and the world-wide web) was only the begin- Computing Education (CECE) ning of a new era. Dramatic changes now challenge Informatics Europe and the ACM Europe Council set and impact all professions, disciplines, and school up and funded in 2013 a Committee on European subjects. Computing Education (CECE) to undertake a study Informatics is the science underpinning this that would capture the state of Informatics educa- development, a rigorous scholarly discipline distinct tion across the countries of Europe. This was seen from, but on an equal footing with, other disciplines. to parallel the highly influential US study “Running Through its scientific methods and technological on Empty” 1. It gathered data from 55 administra- developments, Informatics has brought about trans- tive units (countries, nations, and regions) of Europe formational changes across a range of sectors, and it (plus Israel) with autonomous educational systems, plays a vital role in many aspects of current research, using questionnaires and a wide network of reliable innovation and development. It is important to pave contacts and official sources. the way to the future, properly educating the cur- A report on that work was published in 2017, rent and future generations of students and citizens. with an unprecedented level of detail and informa- This paper argues the importance for Europe tion2. While the report confirmed that across Europe of widespread Informatics education. This is based there is a growing awareness of the importance of on the essential role Informatics plays in the devel- offering young students the opportunity of sound opment of Europe’s economic prosperity and high- education in Informatics, it also showed a highly lights the fact that the increasing shortage of skilled variable level of effort and achievement across personnel is creating difficulties in the industry and countries and education autonomous regions. impeding Europe’s ability to fully realise its potential In particular, the report showed that in several for innovation. Informatics education initiatives have countries/regions, students can graduate from sec- flourished worldwide, where generally the term ondary schools without having ever been exposed used is “computer science”. Europe has to recognize even to the basic principles of Informatics. On the the importance an appropriate Informatics educa- basis of this and other findings, the first and fore- tion has to enable its competitiveness. most recommendation was that all students must An initiative, Informatics for All (described below), have access to ongoing education in Informatics in has been launched to take forward and further the school system. Informatics teaching should start develop the recommendations that had appeared in primary school. in the report of the Committee on European Com- puting Education which described the status up to 2016 of Informatics education in Europe. In doing so, 1. Running on Empty: the Failure to Teach K-12 Computer Science in the Digital Age, published by ACM and CSTA, 2010 2. J. Vahrenhold, E. Nardelli, C. Pereira, G. Berry, M. E. Caspersen, J. Gal-Ezer, M. Kölling, A. McGettrick, and M. Westermeier. 2017. Informatics Education in Europe: Are We All In The Same Boat? As- sociation for Computing Machinery / Informatics Europe, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1145/3106077. (2017) Informatics for All: The Strategy | 3 The CECE report identified that the provision 1.2.2 Initiatives in the UK of Informatics education was quite uneven across The UK Royal Society published in January 2012 Europe: only in 22 out of 50 educational regions a widely known report (Shut down or restart? The was Informatics available to all pupils; in a further way forward for computing in UK schools) arguing 10 regions it was available to just some students; that it was essential for all school pupils to gain in several noticeable cases no Informatics teach- some familiarity with the science underlying digital ing was available at all. When students could elect systems. It called for the recognition of the great for Informatics there was evidence of poor uptake, importance to the future careers of many pupils of often as low as 10%. teaching computer science in schools. On this basis, the
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