Informatics for All Strategy Discussed with the European Commission in Brussels
Informatics Europe and the ACM Europe Council have joined forces to develop, “Informatics for All: The Strategy,”
a comprehensive and ambitious plan to establish Informatics as an essential discipline for students in Europe at all levels throughout the educational system.
Learning Informatics will enable all students to understand, participate in, influence and contribute to the development of the digital world in general, and will provide a significantly improved opportunity for recruiting and educating the large number of IT specialists Europe needs to maintain and improve its position in the digital world economy.
“Informatics for All: The Strategy” builds on an earlier report jointly developed by the ACM Europe Council and Informatics Europe, “Informatics Education in Europe: Are We All in the Same Boat?” which presented the state of relevant education and related teacher training across Europe. Its conclusions highlighted the serious need for an initiative to ensure that Informatics is properly recognised within the educational systems so that Europe is well placed to compete globally in reaping the benefits that flow from Informatics.
“Informatics for All: The Strategy,” was the focus of a panel discussion of leading Informatics educators, computer scientists and European Commission leaders at the Brussels Marriott Hotel Grand Place on March 15, 2018. Panelists, who discussed the initiative, its implementation and the near-term future of Informatics education in Europe, were:
- Dame Wendy Hall (Moderator), Regius Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, England
- Michael E. Caspersen, Managing Director of It-vest - networking universities, and Honorary Professor of Computer Science at Aarhus University, Informatics Europe Board Member
- Georgi Dimitrov, Deputy Head of Unit Innovation and EIT, EU Commission DG Education
- Judith Gal-Ezer, Professor Emerita of The Open University of Israel, ACM Europe Council Vice Chair
- Enrico Nardelli, Professor of Informatics at the Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Informatics Europe President
- Alexander Riedl, Head of Unit Digital Economy and Skills, EU Commission DG CONNECT
 |
|
Alexander Riedl, Georgi Dimitrov, Judith Gal-Ezer, Enrico Nardelli, Michael E.Caspersen, Wendy Hall (from left to right) at the panel discussion in Brussels |
“Informatics for All: The strategy” is guided by two key precepts: (1) Informatics must be introduced as a specialized and independent subject in school from the early years onwards; and (2) Informatics must also be integrated into the teaching of all school subjects. The paper asserts that teaching Informatics to all will require a fresh approach and outlines the vital need to develop fine-grained curricula that progressively build appropriate knowledge and skills; well-educated teachers at all levels; and additional research to understand exactly what to teach, how to teach it, and when to teach it.
Recognizing the diverse and decentralized nature of Europe, implementation of Informatics education will fall to each country and its relevant educational authority. However, the paper notes that, within each country, experts from the ACM Europe Council, Informatics Europe, professional societies, and industry will come together and provide advice on the way forward.
If you have questions about the paper and its recommendations and what you can do to help them to reach your national education policy makers please contact Enrico Nardelli (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), member of the Informatics Europe Education Working Group and the Informatics for All Initiative.
|
About Informatics Europe Informatics Europe represents the academic and research community in Informatics in Europe and neighbouring countries. It brings together university departments and research laboratories, creating a strong common voice to promote, shape and stimulate quality research, education, and knowledge transfer in Informatics in Europe. Informatics Europe is a non-profit membership association based in Zurich, Switzerland, with over 120 member institutions across 30 countries. |
 |
|
About the ACM Europe Council 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 Europe, 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 dimensions of ACM. |
 |