As technology continues to shape our world, how we teach computer science matters more than ever. A human-centered approach ensures that CS education is inclusive, engaging, and accessible to all learners. By focusing on creativity, ethics, and real-world applications, we can empower learners not just to code, but to solve meaningful problems and shape technology for the better.
The Austrian Computer Society (OCG), together with CEPIS, held an international symposium on the topic of computer science in the educational context. The symposium featured keynotes, talks and panel discussions with experts and policy makers as well as 60-second pitch presentations and poster sessions by young researchers and PhD students as part of the session “Computing – Empowerment in Action” on May 14th.
Read the event recap post here!
Programme
13 May
| 08:30 | Registration and welcome coffee | |
| SESSION 1 – COMPUTER SCIENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION | ||
| 09:00 | Welcome and introduction – Jakub Christoph, Secretary General, CEPIS – Ronald Bieber, CEO, Austrian Computer Society – Alexander Prosser (Financial Treasurer, Austrian Computer Society) | |
| 09:10 | Keynote: From sandboxes to the real world: why shaping the digital world matters for our common future – Clara Neppel, Senior Director, IEEE European Business Operations | |
| 09:30 | Student-centered education – mental health and accessibility Moderator: Maria Geir, Founder and CEO, Octenticity – Gerd Krizek, Senior Manager Study Portfolio & Student Affairs, IT:U- Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria – Klaus Höckner, Hilfsgemeinschaft der Blinden und Sehschwachen Österreichs | |
| 10:30 | Soft skills and hard sciences: Best practice in cross-disciplinary curriculum design – Martina Gaisch, Researcher and Head of the “Design of Digital Products” programme, Austrian University of Applied Sciences | |
| 11:00 | Coffee break | |
| 11:15 | Diversity in Human-Computer Interaction and Beyond – Verena Fuchsberger-Staufer, Researcher, Paris Lodron Salzburg University | |
| 11:35 | Keynote: Several Female Support Activities Later – What have we learned? – Gerti Kappel, Full Professor, Institute of Information Systems Engineering, Vienna Technical University | |
| 11:55 | Keynote: Women’s advancement in tech – Maria Rauch-Kallat, Former Federal Minister | |
| 12:15 | Launch of the OCG Mentoring Programme | |
| 12:30 | Concluding remarks | |
| 12:35 | Lunch | |
| SESSION 2 – COMPUTING AS A FOUNDATION FOR EMPOWERED CITIZENS | ||
| 13:30 | Welcome and introduction | |
| 13:35 | Inputs: Best Practices in curricula design – the international view – Irene Bell, BCS, United Kingdom – Ivan Kalaš, Comenius University, Slovakia – Nataša Grgurina, Lecturer and researcher, University of Groningen, the Netherlands – Michael E. Kaspersen, Managing Director, It-vest – networking universities, Denmark/Europe | |
| 15:00 | Coffee break | |
| 15:30 | Panel: The Austrian view – computer science and its contribution to empowered citizens Moderator: Corinna Hörmann, JKU Linz – Markus Vesely, A-Trust / Digitaloffensive Österreich – Corinna Mößlacher, PH Kärnten – Roderick Bloem, TU Graz – Rene Röpke, TU Vienna | |
| 16:15 | Interactive workshop: Strengthening computer science education across Europe – Moderator: Jakub Christoph, Secretary General, CEPIS – Juraj Hromkovič, ETH Zürich | |
| 17:00 | Fireside chat: What can policymakers do to strengthen computing skills? Moderator: Andreas Bollin, University of Klagenfurt – Gerti Kappel, TU Vienna – Fernando Suarez-Lorenzo, President, Spanish Chartered Informatics Engineering Organization (CCII) – Karin Krichmayr, Der Standard – Michael E. Caspersen, It-vest – Networking Universities and Honorary Professor at Aarhus University – Martin Bauer, Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research | |
| 18:00 | NETWORKING RECEPTION |
14 May
| 09:00 | Social event: Guided tour eduLAB at TU Vienna: Rene Röpke, Lukas Lehner, Martina Landman (Location: Favoritenstraße 9-11) | |
| SESSION 1 – COMPUTING EMPOWERMENT IN ACTION (Location: OCG Offices, Wollzeile 1) | ||
| 10:30 | Opening remarks – Andreas Bollin, University of Klagenfurt – Ronald Bieber, OCG | |
| 10:35 | Invited Talks – Leonie Bultynck, European Commission expert group on high-quality informatics education – Tobias Kohn, KIT – Dennis Komm, ETH Zürich – A spiral programming curriculum for all of K-12 | |
| 11:35 | Panel: Impediments in CS Education Moderator: Corinna Hörmann, JKU Linz – Corinna Mößlacher, PH Kärnten – Rene Schwarzinger, ARGE Informatik – Bernhard Standl, PH Karlsruhe – Leonie Bultynck, European Commission expert group on high-quality informatics education – Johannes Reitinger, Private Pädagogische Hochschule der Diözese Linz | |
| SESSION 2 – YOUNG RESEARCHERS – PRESENTATIONS AND POSTERS | ||
| 12:35 | Pitch presentations by students | |
| 12:45 | Poster session and lunch | |
| 13:30 | Conference summary | |
| 14:00 | Closing remarks |
Organisers
