Capacity for, Access to, and Participation in Computer Science Education in Ireland

Ireland is working to become a digital leader at the heart of European and global digital developments. Digital skills and a flourishing Computer Science education ecosystem are essential to this transformation. The recently published Digital Ireland Framework sets out a roadmap for the ongoing digital transformation of the economy and the need to strengthen the centrality of education, research and innovation.

However, to grow our digital economy, Ireland needs a digitally advanced workforce ready to take advantage of the opportunities the transformation will bring. This new research led by the School of Education at the University of Galway, Capacity for, Access to, and Participation in Computer Science Education in Ireland, looks at what is holding back Ireland’s digital education, and what can be done to address the challenges.

What is the intersectionality of gender, race, and socio-economic background of CS students?

Do students and teachers have the opportunity to study CS in primary, post-primary and in teacher education?

Evaluate the availability of resources –teachers, policy and schools.

Computer Science (CS) is the study of computer technology, including how coding, programming and computational thinking can be used to solve problems, and how computing technology impacts the world around us. The knowledge, ways of thinking, problem-solving and creativity involved in the diverse field of CS are invaluable skills for the 21st century, and can bring the benefits of innovation and digital transformation to national and global economies alike.

In recent years, the Irish education system has embraced CS as a new curriculum at post-primary by introducing Coding as a Junior Cycle Short Course and CS as a stand-alone Leaving Certificate subject. However, a key finding of this report is that we are a long way off making this important 21st century

subject accessible to all students, with just 15.6% of schools offering it at Leaving Certificate level. The research found a low level of understanding of the importance of the subject among both students and teachers, with other areas of the curriculum such as Wellbeing pushing Coding and CS off the timetable.

There is a clear need for developing a consolidated and shared understanding of CS and its relationship with 21st century education. There is a communication and awareness challenge in that all stakeholders –the research community, policy makers, educational authorities and decision makers, school leaders, teachers, teacher unions, families, educational organisations, and enterprises – prioritise and are fully aware of the necessity to champion the development of, access to and participation in CS education.

Making digital education a priority

Participation in CS Education

Access to CS Education

Capacity for CS Education

CAPE model, adapted from Fletcher & Warner (2021)

Digital education as a core part of the curriculum

To enhance Ireland’s skills and competences for the digital era, opportunities to learn basic digital skills must be provided from an early age. These include computing education, along with comprehensive knowledge and understanding of data-intensive technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). CS curricula are being introduced in education systems throughout the world, offering young people the opportunity to move away from being passive users of computers to becoming designers and to developing a deep understanding of how technology works.

While young people are often assumed to be ‘digital natives’ who can pick up computer skills with ease, our research indicates this is not the case. While students have a high level of access to smart technologies, teachers report that their technical use and understanding of computers is much lower, with

This research shows:

students struggling to even turn on a computer or use a mouse. To address this, teachers say that digital education needs to be introduced at an earlier age. The research also raises questions in relation to equity of access, with male-female ratio of 78:22 among students who studied CS for Leaving Certificate in 2022.

CS needs to be integrated across all levels in our formal education system. We need to articulate and implement a strategy for the integration of CS through the continuum from primary school to Senior Cycle. We need to make space in the curriculum to include foundational CS concepts in order to develop these key skills, and provide the resources to develop a curriculum that prepares students fully for the digital future.

While young people have good smart technology knowledge, their technical use and understanding of computers is much lower

Only 15.6% of Irish Schools offer Computer Science at Leaving Certificate level

Of this, only 22% of girls studied CS at Leaving Certificate level in 2022

One of the main barriers is the lack of qualified teachers with 34 recorded in August 2022 compared to over 3,000 PE teachers

“When some students come into the class, they’re touching the screen, expecting to swipe, and they don’t know how to switch on a computer.”

(Teacher)

The shortage of teachers with digital and CS skills

Ireland is experiencing a significant shortage of teachers, with Maths, Engineering and other STEM subjects among the hardest vacancies to fill. This research has found that one of the main barriers to expanding CS education in Ireland is a lack of qualified teachers.

An accredited CS teacher must have at least 60 ECTS credits of CS at honours degree level, as well as a recognised teacher education qualification, such as the two-year Professional Masters in Education (PME). Universities offer this as a full-time course, including a school-placement component, which limits students’ ability to work during this two-year period, potentially inhibiting the ability of experienced CS graduates to qualify as teachers.

Recommendations

This research highlights a range of emergent issues and challenges for the effective integration of computing skills and practices within formal education in Ireland across the primary and post-primary sector. In acknowledging and tackling the tightly intertwined issues of gender balance, equity and inclusion, there is a necessity for all students attending primary and

As of August 2022 there were 34 accredited CS teachers registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland. Of the total of 140 teachers currently teaching Leaving Certificate CS, the vast majority of those are doing so without Teaching Council accreditation for the subject. A key finding in this research is that the lack of qualified teachers is a critical barrier to making the Coding Short Course and Leaving Certificate CS available in schools.

To ensure the integration of CS across formal education, computing education thinking must be embedded within all initial teacher education programmes and through continued investment in in-service continuous professional development programmes for teachers.

post-primary school to have equal opportunity to develop basic CS understanding and skills, including computational thinking and coding. In our analysis and in proposing the four key recommendations below we demonstrate that there is an imperative for change in educational policy required.

“To get a CS teacher that’s actually qualified is very hard … we have a CS teacher at the minute but he may or may not be here next September.”

(Principal)

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Consolidated Understanding Support for Policy Systemic Rollout

Comprehensive Integration

Consolidated Understanding

We need to develop a shared understanding of CS and strengthen the acceptance of CS as a foundational competence for all, enabling young people to become active participants in a digital economy and society. We need to help school decision-makers to recognise and understand the importance of CS for all students, building systemic knowledge to support good decision-making, and helping them find ways to balance competing academic expectations. Additionally, we need to actively engage parents and students by informing them of the importance of CS education to future success and help them become partners and advocates in making the needed systemic improvements.

Systemic Rollout

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We need a holistic approach to the introduction of computing competencies in formal education and to create a learning pathway from preschool, through primary and into post-primary school. We need to scale CS education throughout the education system to ensure that all students may participate in this learning regardless of gender, race, school location and socioeconomic status.

Acknowledgements

Support for Policy

Much has been accomplished in Ireland to date with this relatively new academic discipline in schools, but far more needs to be done to ensure that CS education is available and accessible to all students. Broad engagement is needed with key stakeholders across the education system to highlight and optimise the benefits of CS as a key digital competency for all.

Comprehensive Integration

To ensure this learning pathway across the formal education system, CS, along with digital and computational competencies, must be truly embedded within all initial teacher education programmes and through continued investment in inservice programmes for teachers. Ensuring that new teachers exit from teacher preparation programs prepared to teach appropriate CS content at their respective levels will build greater capacity across the entire education system.

The authors wish to acknowledge the teachers, school leaders, students and education stakeholders who participated in this research and provided insight into their computing education experience. The authors also wish to acknowledge the funding from Google to support this research.

For more information contact: Dr. Cornelia Connolly, Associate Professor, School of Education, College of Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies, University of Galway. cornelia.connolly@universityofgalway.ie