Computer Science as a Leaving Cert Subject

Computer Science for Leaving Cert students is finally here! Students from 40 schools across Ireland will be the first to take part in the pilot Computer Science Leaving Certificate curriculum, due to be examined for the first time in 2020. 

The program will be the first of its kind, allowing students to learn computational thinking, to read and write in various computer languages, to design web pages, animations and games, and to learn about the role of technology in society. 

In making the announcement, Minister for Education Richard Burton commented that  “this is a very exciting time for education in Ireland. There is a digital revolution taking place which is having a transformative effect on our economy, workplace, and lifestyle.

“The introduction of this new subject will teach our young people flexible, solution orientated thinking. It will teach them to be creative, adaptable learners”.

Having engaged with the Department of Education during consultation events last year, we are extremely excited to be seeing the work done by all those involved coming to fruition. We’re looking forward in particular to hearing from our colleagues in the 40 pilot schools who are already hard at work preparing to deliver the new course. 

For our part, we look forward to getting involved more directly in the wider rollout in 2020, and look forward to adding Leaving Cert Computer Science classes to our growing roster of evening, weekend and in-school coding and technology classes.

As always, our goal in all of this is to introduce kids to the endless possibilities of a life of IT literacy. Not only are coding and advanced IT literacy growing necessities for professional careers, but they are also a deeply fun and satisfying set of skills to develop. The wider integration of these skills within the context of mainstream schooling represents part of a hugely positive shift for future generations. Indeed, this announcement is a timely and vital support for Ireland’s position as the prominent technology hub in Europe, a position which has already earned us huge economic windfalls through the presence of major multinationals such as Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Facebook.

While the overall thrust of this announcement is hugely positive, there are challenges to be overcome yet. Resourcing schools and teachers to keep at the forefront of technological advancements will be a major challenge for the Department of Education, while sourcing appropriately skilled teachers in the first place will not be easy.

Another concern which has surfaced is around the possibility that this intervention could do more harm than good when it comes to driving more students to study computer science at third level. This has been the experience in other countries, and is a concern which we shouldn’t dismiss lightly. Dr Mike Brady, the Director of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning in Trinity’s School of Computer Science and Statistics, expressed fears to the college’s University Times newspaper that the subject would become a prerequisite for college-level courses. “I would really dislike a situation where we were turning away really good students who didn’t do computer science. Someone with very good maths or physics or numeracy in general who, for one reason or another, perhaps because it wasn’t available, didn’t choose computer science.” 

While we still await the publication of the finalised curriculum, there is much to be excited about. This announcement marks the latest step in a long-awaited development in Ireland’s education system, and we look forward to seeing where it brings us next.

Happy coding!
 

Leaving Cert Computer Science - One Step Closer

It's been a long time coming, but with the publication by the NCCA earlier this month of a draft curriculum (PDF) it seems as if Leaving Certificate Computer Science might finally be close to becoming a reality. The current "fast track" timetable puts the first exam appearance by the subject in June 2020, meaning it will be available for those entering 4th year this coming September (or those sitting the Junior Cert this coming June and skipping Transition Year). 

From our perspective, there's a lot to like about the proposal. The focus on practical applications is promising, and the 30% of marks allocated to coursework seems appropriate. There appears to be plenty of technical depth in the proposed curriculum, including study of CPU hardware, character sets, algorithmic complexity and sorting and searching algorithms. The course also includes a broader study of computers' impact on society, including sustainable development (this last part seems a little incongruous at first, but as part of a broader approach to including sustainability in all curricular strands it makes perfect sense).

There are also some areas we believe can be improved or need further work. Two in particular jump out at us from this draft of the curriculum proposal. The first is the heavy reliance on group work, which forms the backbone of the practical portion of the curriculum. It is envisaged that in this portion of the course “[s]tudents assume different responsibilities in each project, rotating between the roles of team leader, project manager, communications manager, and programmer”.

There are of course real benefits to group work, but it is our opinion that in the context of introducing computer programming to students for the first time it is counterproductive to give some students an “opt-out” from the coding portion of the assignment. Indeed it appears from the description that only a quarter of students will actually be coding during each 6 week project block. Even with rotation between the roles for each project, it is not at all clear to us that this approach will yield better educational outcomes than individual projects, and certainly not when that is measured in terms of computer science learning outcomes.

The second area in need of attention is not one which is within the scope of this recently published document, but it is an area which will ultimately the determine the success or otherwise of this initiative, and that is the actual delivery of this curriculum. It has long been our concern, backed by frequent communication with a wide range of schools, that most principals intend to either a) not offer the course at all, or b) press their physics/maths/technology teacher into service as a computer science educator. It is our strong view that neither solution is satisfactory.

The latter in particular could do serious damage to the reputation of the course, resulting in teachers delivering the course who, through no fault of their own, are neither skilled nor qualified to do so, and learning outcomes suffering accordingly.

We look forward to hearing what proposals will be brought forward to address this, and engaging with the NCCA and the Department of Education in developing solutions to address this problem.

Overall, with those small caveats out of the way, we are beyond excited that this step has finally been taken. It represents the culmination of literally decades of lobbying effort (for which the lobbyists in question are owed a debt of gratitude from us all), and a major leap forward for our education system. Getting student studying computer science at Leaving Cert level will inevitably broaden the range of individuals applying to proceed to third level education, as well as those who carry the skills of computer science into a wide range of other career tracks.

We look forward to being part of this bold new frontier in Irish education.