nologies, it pulls together technological insights and innovation and links these to the role that informatics plays in the development of personal life and of society. In this way, future generations will have the knowledge and skills from informatics to become competent, constructive, and critical co-creators of the digital future.

In a context where informatics education begins early in primary school and is carried forward through to the later years of high school, there is the opportunity to develop thoughts about the possible wider relevance of ideas from informatics, and to develop them in a meaningful way that places emphasis on the human (and societal) benefits and implications. Just making suggestions about possible improvements opens the door to considerations about ( software-inspired) innovation, and more.

It is important that students acknowledge software as creator and bearer of values and culture—that these aspects are explicitly or implicitly embedded in the software. Software is formed through design processes that include critical decision-making; students must learn to creatively develop software, and learn to analyze and understand the impacts of software and digital artifacts in general. For example, these visions for a strong human and societal perspective are thoroughly embedded in the newly designed Danish curriculum for informatics in school. 9

Augmented intelligence. The concept of augmented intelligence relates to the effective use of informatics in augmenting human intelligence. The discussion above regarding STEM was one instance of that though even there, there is scope for extending that further.

Developments in language translation, voice recognition and simulation, and related advances fueled by developments in machine learning suggest great scope for reshaping the curriculum in many disciplines.

The role of ethics. Those who de-
velop software ought to do so in a re-
sponsible manner, ensuring that ‘bad
things’ do not happen. The related
issues tend to be captured in a code
of conduct that provides guidance on
good practice. In the past, such codes
have tended to stress matters such
as ‘do not cause harm’. While this
remains important, a more enlight-
ened approach places an emphasis
on contributing positively to the ben-
efit of a fair, just, and secure society
through the use of computers and
computing. The recent ACM Code
of Ethics and Professional Conduct5
takes such a view.

The role of teachers. Teachers are the key to the success of the implementation of any study program and the introduction of any new curriculum or technologies. A good supply of well-educated and enthusiastic teachers is crucial to support every discipline in schools at all levels, but the lack of suitable teachers at all levels also forms a bottleneck for the successful implementation of Informatics for All. Thus, efforts should be devoted to recruitment, and to establishing a supportive informatics teacher community.

Concluding Remarks

The primary focus of Informatics for All is to stimulate the recognition that informatics is a vital, important discipline, both as a subject of study on its own, and also integrated with other disciplines with many of the ideas having relevance more broadly.

The two-tier approach facilitates the integration of informatics into the teaching of other disciplines, reshaping the curriculum for all disciplines and generally providing a basis for making education systems truly relevant for the 21st century. It also opens up many avenues for research; for instance, about how to teach disciplines effectively in a world of constant change.

Given that digital technology is taking an increasingly relevant and pervasive role, providing to all citizens an appropriate level of informatics education is necessary to ensure balanced development of the digital society.

Informatics for All is a catalyst for important thoughts for reforming the wider educational systems to the benefit of students and employers, and ultimately the economy of Europe.

Acknowledgments. The authors wish
to acknowledge contributions and
support from various quarters: Wendy
Hall, Bob McLaughlin, Bobby Schna-
bel and the board members of ACM
Europe, Informatics Europe, and the
original CECE team.

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Michael E. Caspersen is managing director of It-vest – networking universities, and honorary professor at Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.

Judith Gal-Ezer is professor emerita of The Open University of Israel, Ra’anana, Israel and vice chair of ACM Europe.

Andrew McGettrick is professor emeritus of Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland.

Enrico Nardelli is a professor of informatics at Tor Vergata University of Rome, Italy, and president of Informatics Europe.

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