Personal learning trajectory in Computer Science

Challenge for Education

Computer science is not an exam subject and therefore not compulsory in schools. When it is taught, it is often only in the upper years of secondary education by first-degree teachers—and there is a severe shortage of them. A support study on a shortened training route for Computer Science teachers predicts that 61% of vacancies (FTE) will remain unfilled by 2032. This is happening while Dutch society is becoming increasingly digital and we want to prepare students well for the future.

What teachers want

Teachers at the Municipal Gymnasium Hilversum want to break the deadlock and explore whether educational AI can enable students to work through the Computer Science curriculum more independently. The Co-Teach Informatica programme provides a clear starting point. This programme for havo and vwo students can already be followed online under the supervision of a (guest) teacher. Choosing suitable activities still proves difficult for both students and teachers, and educational AI may be able to provide support here.

Getting smarter together through co-creation

Through NOLAI, the school and Co-Teach have been connected to researchers at Utrecht University to jointly develop, study, and implement a prototype of educational AI that can supplement the existing computer science platform. The aim is to offer a personalised learning path for students, including insight into progress and intelligent suggestions for next steps by using a recommender system. In addition, guidelines will be drawn up for teachers who want to use this programme.

Current status

This project runs from 2023 to 2026 and is currently in the validation phase. In every co-creation project, work is carried out successively on a concept, a working prototype, and validation of the prototype. The results are shared online as quickly and openly as possible so that education, science, and EdTech companies can benefit from them.