My name is Roger McDermott and I am a faculty member in the School of Computing Science and Digital Media, at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland. This is a relatively new (i.e. post 1992) British university of the type that grew out of the older regional UK Polytechnics and these type of institutions generally see themselves as having a more vocational or “professional” focus in their degree courses than the older universities.

I have to confess that I approach submitting to this blog with a little trepidation since, as I constantly remind my colleagues, I am not really a Computer Scientist. My academic background is in mathematics, specifically mathematical physics, and when I was originally appointed as a lecturer almost twenty years ago, it was to teach applied mathematics in, what was then, a School of Mathematical Sciences. Since that time, my academic department has responded to the vagaries of undergraduate recruitment by transforming itself first into a “School of Mathematics and Computing”, then to a “School of Computing and Mathematics” (that was a tough change!), then to a “School of Computing”, with an (aptly named) “Division of Mathematics and Statistics”, and now to our current incarnation as a “School of Computing Science and Digital Media”. No doubt an enterprising PhD student will one day carry out a research project on the social history revealed by these name changes, but one obvious fact is that, whatever our background, my colleagues and I live and work in a world where everyone needs to react to a changing educational environment. I still lecture in applied maths but nowadays I spend a lot of my time teaching various aspects of programming, as well as modules on collaborative and professional skills.

My students too have changed. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the introduction of tuition fees appears to many to be changing fundamentally the relationship between student and university. Even in Scotland, where the government still pays this cost, almost all students have part-time jobs and many are working long hours to pay for their living expenses, despite being registered as studying full-time. This is a complete change from when I was an undergraduate and the issues associated with it have a direct impact on my teaching.

What do I hope to contribute to the blog? Firstly, I hope to be able to provide a reasonably well-informed commentary on the UK approach to the subject. These are both difficult and exciting times for the sector, with new secondary school curricula being developed on both sides of Hadrian’s Wall. The changes aim to reverse the lack of opportunity for pupils to study Computer Science and Information Systems prior to university. The plans are good but the implementation may well prove difficult without the provision of extra resources, and I hope to report on this process.

Secondly, I have my own opinions about computer science education, and my own list of topics that I think are interesting and important. The relationship between different parts of the discipline, maths in the curriculum, teaching programming languages and paradigms, the significance and impact of MOOCs, … these are some of the things that I think raise important issues for the subject and deserve wider discussion.

Finally, I would like to invite conversation on the pedagogical issues with which I am currently involved. While I see myself first and foremost as a teacher, I have in recent years applied myself more to CS education as a research field. My own introduction to this has come through involvement with the UK Higher Education Academy subject centres, and participation in the ITiCSE conferences. Almost without exception, the people I have met there have been both intellectually stimulating and kind to me personally as a newcomer to the field. I have always come away from such interactions with my interest in the subject re-invigorated and I hope that this process can continue with the Inroads blog.

Roger McDermott

We are now entering a new era for developing an exciting relationship between the print version of ACM Inroads, the new Inroads website, and the e-version of the publication. ACM designed the website as a hub for computing educators worldwide to share their experiences and expertise.

The web site is an extension of the print and the newly launched Digital Edition.  Here, readers have a forum to discuss and debate ideas and opinions on articles presented in the magazine.

The blog associated with this website should generate much discussion regarding the articles in ACM Inroads. We expect to find excerpts from published essays that incorporate some recent online reader comments. We expect bloggers to write valuable posts and disseminate useful information toward advancing computing education. The anticipated interactions and clarifications of blog posts and other site content should create an opportunity for continuous discussion. For bloggers, this is a rare opportunity to reach a global audience. Over time, these blogs should form different, and hopefully extensive, categories of discussion and should prove a valuable reference point for teachers, students, and professionals.

I take this opportunity to clarify some apparent misconceptions of ACM Inroads as follows.

• ACM Inroads is a magazine. It is not an ACM journal; nor is it a newsletter. ACM Inroads is one of eight magazines published by the Association. For example, Communications of the ACM, the flagship publication of ACM, is another such magazine.
• ACM Inroads publishes articles, not research papers.  As a magazine, articles should be concise, interesting, informative, yet substantive. Authors should write articles in a more informal, general-interest style with an appropriate number of colorful diagrams, images, and figures. If you are not yet a subscriber to the magazine, the articles and columns featured on the homepage are open to the public, and are great examples of the editorial available in each issue.
• ACM Inroads is a computing education publication. Its focus includes all areas of computing such as information systems, computer engineering, computer science, information technology, software engineering, and other related fields.  Its focus is not just computer science. The magazine encourages and seeks education-related articles from all computing areas.
• ACM Inroads submissions undergo a strict review process via Scholar One’s Manuscript Central.  Most articles such as Bits & Bytes, Standard, and Comprehensive types must pass a double blind, formal peer review scrutiny before publication.
• ACM Inroads is an ACM publication; it is not a SIG publication. The magazine is under the jurisdiction of the ACM Publications Board even though the publication derived its roots from the SIGCSE community. SIGCSE helps support the publication and it provides the magazine as a benefit to its members.

Please form discussions within the context presented above.

I take this opportunity to introduce to you Amber Settle, Blog Administrator and Administrator of the ACM Inroads website, who will be the contact person for Inroads bloggers.  We are very appreciative that Amber has taken the lead in this area.

In summary, I welcome you to the ACM Inroads website and its associated blog. Amber and I look forward to exciting comments and discussions from a global audience. We encourage potential bloggers to set the direction on a myriad of topics related to computing education in a manner that only the flexibility of an interactive website can offer. This initial post, therefore, officially launches the beginning of a productive relationship between the magazine and its online outlets for expression.

John Impagliazzo

Editor-in-Chief, ACM Inroads

acminroads@gmail.com