Experts in the fields of education and computing gathered at the Super Bock Arena Auditorium to discuss the challenges associated with integrating computer science education into schools. José Nuno Oliveira, senior researcher at INESC TEC High-Assurance Software Laboratory (HASLab) attended the TNT | The New Trivium conference, which took place on June 3.
The recent revolution led by the massification of tools based on artificial intelligence (AI), like ChatGPT, motivated a reflection on the best way to introduce this type of technology, while preserving human’s work and influence, and considering ethical issues.
Based on this notion, ENSICO – Association for the Teaching of Computing, gathered several experts who analysed the integration of computer education in schools, as a facilitating tool for learning – and a potential way to launch of a new era of human-machine interaction.
Moreover, ENSICO has been developing relevant work in this area over the past three years. Since its foundation, the association promoted a set of initiatives aimed at the introduction of computational thinking in compulsory education in Portugal, providing young people with more tools to face the challenges and opportunities of today’s world.
Over the last three years, more than 2.500 elementary school students — between the first and ninth grades — have had the opportunity to learn more about computing through a project that is currently being streamlined at the schools in the regions of Porto, Douro and Cascais. The goal is to extend this project at all schools, through a programme proposed by ENSICO, in collaboration with the University of Minho, INESC TEC and FEUP, which includes curricular goals focused on digital literacy and ethics, based on Computer Sciences.
The conference also included testimonies from schools’ deans, teachers and students’ associations regarding computer literacy, and their experiences with computer sciences classes.
Considering the investment made by ENSICO in recent years (and future plans), the goal is to make computing reach a level of importance equivalent to Mathematics and Portuguese language, two major subjects, and to make Portugal a world reference in the teaching of K-12 level computing — two topics also explored during the TNT | The New Triviumevent.
The researcher mentioned in this news piece is associated with INESC TEC and U.Minho.
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