Research

Exploring sustainable computing education with primary and secondary school teachers

Given the multifaceted role of computing in climate change, it is increasingly important to support children in thinking about connections between sustainability and technology within school curricula. But how are topics of sustainability currently integrated into computing education and how can teachers be involved in improving this?

The project sought to:

• map curricular links between sustainability and computing in the Scottish curriculum,
• engage with teachers to understand gaps and challenges in teaching sustainable computing, and
• develop a guide to help teachers reflect on how they can identify and teach these links (especially through the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence).

The project engaged with teachers in diverse communities and geographies in Scotland and produced a teachers’ guide and policy briefing.

Outputs

Sustainable Computing in Schools: A guide to incorporating sustainability concepts in the technologies curriculum (free guide for schools and teachers)

Policy briefing on incorporating sustainable computing in schools in the Scottish curriculum.

Team

Susan Lechelt, Lecturer in Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh

Luis Soares, Post Doctoral Research Associate, University of Edinburgh  

Mary Michel, Director, Ostrero