BCS Academy of Computing

Prof Liz Bacon

BCS Deputy President & Chair of Academy of Computing

Overview

• Initiatives around the School curriculum

• Student Engagement Project

• Eqanie - European Quality Assurance Network for

Informatics Education

• Awards Committee

• Research Committee

• Education Committee

• Academy website

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School Curriculum

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January 2011:

DfE intend to withdraw ICT as a distinct subject

January 2013:

DfE announce statutory Computing curriculum

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August 2012:

DfE ask BCS and Royal Academy of Engineering to

develop new statutory Computing curriculum

• Computer Science at heart of new curriculum

• Schoolchildren from age 5 to be taught programing

• Still includes digital literacy as major component

• Feb 2013 draft published for consultation

https://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/n/national%20curriculum%20consultation%20-%20framework%20document.pdf

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January 2013 DfE announce Computer Science

added as the fourth science in EBacc school

performance measure – but had to prove it was a

rigorous science

http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a00221085/ebacccompsci

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September 2012:

• Teaching Agency removes allocation

of ICT only teacher training places

• Replaces them with Computer Science

teacher training places, which can also

include ICT

• New guidance for teacher, subject

knowledge requirements based on

CAS curriculum

Teaching Agency

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• October 2012, Michael Gove announces new £20k

scholarships for trainee computer science teachers

• Run by BCS

• Up to 100 scholarships per year

• For graduates with first or upper second (in any subject)

• Integrated into new Network of Teaching Excellence for

Computer Science

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University

(<40)

Schools

Master

Teacher

CPD

First three months, 250 teachers on CPD courses

Network of Excellence

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600 schools,

120 lead schools

70 universities,

18/24 Russell Group

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Anglia Ruskin; Aston; Bath; Bedfordshire; Birkbeck; Birmingham; Bournemouth; Bradford; Brighton; Bristol; Brunel; Cambridge; Cardiff; Cardiff Metropolitan; Chester; Coventry; Durham; Edge Hill; Edinburgh; Edinburgh Napier; Glasgow; Gloucestershire; Glyndwr; Greenwich; Hertfordshire; Imperial; Institute of Education; KCL; Keele; Kent; Lancaster; Leeds; Lincoln; Liverpool; Liverpool John Moores; London Metropolitan; London South Bank; Loughborough; Manchester; Manchester Metropolitan; Newcastle; Newman University College; Newport; Northumbria; Nottingham; Nottingham Trent; OU; Oxford; Oxford Brookes; Portsmouth; QMUL; Reading; Roehampton; Royal Holloway; Sheffield Hallam; Southampton; Staffordshire; Sunderland; Surrey; Sussex; Swansea; Swansea Metropolitan; Teesside; UCL; UEA; University of Central Lancashire; UWE; Warwick; Westminster; Worcester; York

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Royal Society of Edinburgh and BCS Exemplification

Exemplification materials for standard grade (GCSE

equivalent), phase 1, are complete

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Endorsed by Scottish Government

http://www.rse.org.uk/1034_ComputingScience.html

Money being raised for phase 2 exemplification materials

for Scottish Highers

Student Engagement Project

• Theme of Roger Marshall’s presidential year

• Average age of BCS member dropped from 47 to 41 in the last few years.

• Students are the future professionals however many drop their membership on

graduation

• Pilot in 13-14 to start in Sept

• The purpose is to explore the different ways in which BCS engages with the student

community and to propose how engagement may be improved.

• Involve:

– BCS Academy Board

– Professionalism Board (leads on recognition for the IT profession)

– Member Groups – Branches and Specialist groups

• Development of Student Chapters

• Pilot project will involve: document existing best practice, consider how good

practice can be extended and/or what new initiatives are needed, how to roll out on

a larger scale.

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Eqanie

• European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education

• BCS Academy in process of seeking approval to award Euro-Inf

Quality Label to degree programmes alongside accreditation for

CITP, CEng, CSci

Why?

• Objectives of the Euro-Inf Quality Label are:

– “To enhance quality and transparency of educational programmes in

informatics;

– To provide information on study programmes across Europe through

an appropriate label for accredited educational programmes in

informatics;

– To facilitate mutual transnational recognition of qualifications

– To increase mobility of students”

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Awards Committee

Needham Award

• Made annually for a distinguished research contribution in computer

science by a UK based researcher who has completed up to 10 years of

post-doctoral research.

• Sponsored by Microsoft Research

• 2013 Winner: Dr Boris Motik

Lovelace Medal

• Presented to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to

the understanding or advancement of Computing.

• 2013 Winner: Professor Samson Abramsky FRS

• Lovelace lecture for 2012 Winner Grady Booch, 27th June 2013

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Research Committee

• Responses to consultations e.g. on open access publishing

• Input to the Computer Journal

• BCS Academy Symposium 2014 – scheduled for

Loughborough

• Women in Computing Research group reports to the

committee - organise a number of events e.g. London

Hopper Colloquium and the annual 3rd Karen Spärck Jones

Lecture

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Education Committee

• Schedule of work for the next 18 months in a blog on the Academy website

http://academy.bcs.org/blogs/agenda-education-committee-next-18-months

• Covers e.g.

• Impact of CS teaching at schools on FE and HE admission, courses and

curricula

• Relationship of FE & HE courses to Apprenticeship / Higher

Apprenticeship

• Support for National Placement scheme, or coordination of local

placement schemes

• Support for CPD training, and teacher training, at all levels

• Requirements for graduate employment training v. Postgraduate

qualifications

• Coordination of activities with specialist groups, funding bodies, public

bodies and NGOs

• Relationships with other organisations

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Website

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Website

• Free to read - everything on the site is in the public domain. There are no parts

of the site hidden for specific groups or permission sets.

• Register to write e.g. blog

– BCS members can log-in using their BCS website log-in credentials.

• Anyone with an ac.uk email address can register for an account to use the site.

– Registration is automated – will get an email that includes a verification link.

• Once logged-in users can:

– Post a blog (community blog section) – appears immediately

– Post a news item (community news section) – appears immediately

– Submit an event for inclusion in the events calendar - sign off typically within

24 hours

– Participate in a discussion thread or suggest discussion thread – will be attributed

if accepted

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Blogs

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News

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Events

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Discussion Forum

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Questions?

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