Brief History of K-12 Computer Science Education in Ireland

Abstract

This paper brings together the history of Computer Science Education in Ireland. It aims to plot Ireland's road-map leading to the implementation of formal Computer Science Education in schools. This road map starts with the first notions of introducing secondary school children to computing in the 1970s up to the roll out of a nationwide Computer Science curriculum in secondary school at the Senior Cycle level in 2018. This story is only available in disparate publications and reports, and piecing together the entire story is often difficult especially if you are from another jurisdiction and unfamiliar with the Irish education system. This paper collates the available literature as well as the authors local knowledge of the process, into one usable form that may be of interest locally and of value to other jurisdictions that are beginning their planning of national or regional curricula. This paper describes the development and the current situation of the formal curricula and standards in Computer Science at second level. The current landscape of Computing Education at primary level, which is currently in the planning stages in Ireland, will also be described. Additionally, an investigation into the current landscape of Computing Education in schools in the international jurisdictions that directly influenced the Irish roll out takes place, to evaluate their progress and summarize any lessons learned that might provide insights for Ireland going forward