Changing Computer Curricula in Australia
Abstract
This paper was developed from a symposium entitled ‘Moving on with informatics/computer science curricula – challenges and opportunities.’ It provides an Australian perspective for that debate. From 1901, the eight Australian States and Territories accepted constitutional authority for school education. Hence, a nationally developed curriculum only arose in 2014, for optional adoption. Computers were initially included as a general capability to enhance learning in all subjects. This focused on Office-suite applications. In 2016, the new Digital Technologies subject was added to the curriculum. This paper looks at the adoption of the new subject and changes proposed in the 2021 public consultation draft Review. We reveal the answers to the following questions about the proposed update for Digital Technologies: 1. Will Australia abandon the general ICT capability (as in the UK) to provide greater focus on Digital Technologies? 2. Will Australia put a greater emphasis on coding/programming than the current meagre mention? 3. What does a tutor of pre-service teachers think about the proposed changes?