Abstract For the last 25 years computing has been a significant element of the wider curriculum in Scottish schools. Through numerous iterations of the curriculum and changes in the purpose and nomenclature of the subject, there has been a consistent emphasis on the importance of what academics would class as citizenship education. This presentation will explore the rational for including citizenship topics within the curriculum and the continued justification for maintaining its presence. It will also explore the blurring of the lines between the subjects of Computing and ICT; the relative importance of one over the other and the danger these pose in relation to the importance and relevance of citizenship education in the wider curriculum.

1. The place of citizenship in the
Scottish computing curriculum
Kenneth McLaughlin - University Teacher
PGDE(S) Computing Tutor

2. Citizenship
• Citizenship education gives people the
knowledge and skills to understand,
challenge and engage with the main pillars of
our democracy: politics, the economy and the
law. (www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk, 2012)
• To help pupils make sense of the world they
live in and the part that can play in it.

3. Subject
Nomenclature
• Computer Studies (SG 1988 - 2013)
• Computing (Higher 1988 - 2013)
• Information & Communications
Technology (5-14 primary, 2000 - 2011)
• Computer Science (CfE, 2011- )

4. Rational
• Standard Grade Computer Studies
....young people should have an
understanding of the nature and social
purpose of computers... the syllabus also
provides a suitable basis for further study of
the subject and the opportunity to develop
the attitudes necessary for responding to the
challenges of a technological society. (SQA,
2006, p2)

5. Detailed Content
• Computer Applications, Industrial
applications, Commercial data
processing
– Implications
– Social
– Technical
– Security & Privacy
– Economic

6. National 5 Computing
Science
• develop an understanding of the role and
impact of computing science in changing
• and influencing our environment and society.
(SQA, 2013, p4)
• understanding of the legal implications and
environmental impact of contemporary
information system technologies. (SQA, 2013,
p7)

7. Information System
Design and
Development
2. Consider the factors involved in the design
and implementation of an information
system by describing its:
1. Purpose, range and types of users
2. Implementation (hardware and software
requirements, storage and connectivity)
3. Security risks and precautions
4. Legal implications
5. Impact on the environment

8. Science
• How computers work
• Programming (Software Development)
• Computational thinking
• Problem Solving Skills
• Computer Architecture
• Algorithms

9. Studies (ICT)
• What computers can do
• Functions
• Uses
• Applications
• Skills
• Impact/implications

10. Teaching approaches
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Manual vs electronic
• Trends and changing technology
• Function and form

11. New challenges
• Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google,
condemns British education system
– Schmidt criticises division between science
and arts and says UK 'should look back to
glory days of Victorian era' (Guardian
2011)
• School ICT to be replaced by computer
science programme (BBC News 2012)

12. ICT and Computer
Science in UK
schools
ICT Computer Science
The study of computer systems and how they are used The study of how computer systems are built
Human need is central to the subject Computation is central to the subject
Concerned with the design, development and evaluation of
systems, with particular emphasis on the data, functional and
usability requirements of end users
Concerned with algorithmic thinking, and the ways in which a real-
world problem can be decomposed in order to construct a working
Focuses on building or programming a solution by using a
combination of currently available devices and software.
Solves problems and develops new systems by writing new
software and developing innovative computational approaches.
Emphasis on selecting, evaluating, designing and configuring
appropriate software and devices.
Emphasis on principles and techniques for building new software
and designing new hardware.
Programming is one method of creating desired outcomes. Programming and coding is a central technique to create
outcomes.
ICT supports, enhances and empowers human activity and
informs future developments.
Computation is a “lens” through which we can understand the
natural world, and the nature of thought itself, in a new way.
Tending towards the higher level study and application of ICT in a
range of contexts, from academic to vocational.
Tending towards higher level academic study of Computing and
Computer Science.

13. The place of citizenship in the
Scottish computing curriculum
Kenneth McLaughlin - University Teacher
Kenneth.McLaughlin@glasgow.ac.uk