British Computer Society Debate
| When | Apr 24, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Where | London |
From the invitation:
There is a lot of debate at the moment about the content of IT/ICT/IS/Computing for 16-19 year olds. The focus of consideration recently has been in the teaching of ICT embedded within the curriculum, followed by the importance of a choice for pupils of the subject of IT/Computing at GCSE level and then 16-19 level.
But research shows that many pupils aged 14 or so regard ICT/Computing as akin to a typing skill. Often ICT/Computing comes over as a boring subject as many teachers find it hard to keep up and to make their subject exciting. The image of a job in the profession of IT does not capture pupils’ imaginations and has little street cred. The numbers of pupils entering colleges and universities to study the subject is seriously below the nation’s requirements.
What exactly are we trying to achieve in the courses for 16-19 year olds, is the present set appropriate and what kinds of courses should they be offered? What would the universities like to see? What is E-skills UK planning to provide?
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