Teaching computer science and social issues: a joint interview

Could you each describe your respective backgrounds?

Yann Secq: I am a lecturer and researcher in computer science at the University of Lille. Part of my work involves training future developers, while the other part focuses on preparing middle and elementary school teachers to teach computer science.

Sonia Agrebi: I studied sociology and later specialized in digital sociology, youth sociology, and media studies. I wanted to further specialize according to my interests, and since sociology is mainly taught at the university level, I pursued training in instructional design and educational engineering.

What were your roles in the EduNum Vaud project, and how have they evolved over time?

Yann Secq: My role was to establish training for secondary school teachers in computer science education. The project evolved, and the CAS (Certificate of Advanced Studies) in computer science now covers the broader discipline of Digital Education.

Sonia Agrebi: I wore multiple hats and contributed to several projects across different educational levels. One specific project aimed to develop training content on the social issues of digital technology in relation to various disciplines. I trained secondary school teachers, regardless of their subject area, in digital sociology. I also contributed to the Décodage textbook for Cycle 2. Later, I joined Yann’s team, and that’s where our paths converged. We worked together within the CAS program, particularly on one of its four main pillars: “Computer Science and Society.”

Two years ago, in 2023, I took over a colleague’s role coordinating the Modulo project, a platform dedicated to teaching computer science at the high school level, alongside organizing teacher training on social issues. Additionally, we are working on a comic book project… so there are quite a few different initiatives!

Since the CAS program ended last June, we have launched similar training projects on a smaller scale, such as training teachers in other cantons like Neuchâtel. More recently, we have seen a surge in demand for training on artificial intelligence. We are frequently asked to train high school teachers on this topic.

Yann Secq: One of the areas we have focused on lately is unplugged activities. This approach has been highly effective with teachers—especially through serious games. These games are an essential part of teacher training. Many participants are beginners in computer science, so we immerse them in the same activities they will later use with their students. This hands-on experience helps them grasp key concepts and gain confidence in teaching them.

Following these training sessions, we established a community of practice, which later led to professional development days in collaboration with FCUE. These sessions allow teachers to continue learning, exchanging ideas, and sharing resources. This year, this community-building aspect is a core part of our work.

Can you tell us more about these serious games?

Sonia Agrebi: Our approach involves exploring different game mechanics, testing them with teachers in training, and then having them try them out with their students in the classroom. We use their feedback to refine and iterate on each game. As we became more comfortable with these mechanics, we adapted them to various topics.

We have compiled these games and their instructions on a dedicated page called Play and LEARN to facilitate their distribution and use beyond our training sessions.

Yann Secq: One example is a game inspired by Mille Bornes called Captology, where students take on the role of mobile app designers. The goal is to keep users engaged on their screens for as long as possible using techniques like notifications, infinite scrolling, autoplay, and targeted ads. The learning objective is to understand the attention economy, where digital companies monetize user engagement. This also encourages students to reflect on their own digital habits and grasp the well-known phrase: “If it’s free, you’re the product!”

Yann, you are also interested in gender dynamics in computer science. Can you tell us more?

Yann Secq: From the start, one of our concerns was the low number of girls enrolling in computer science programs, which translates to a lack of women in the digital sector. I’ve been involved in these issues for a long time, and I started wondering if our unplugged activities were helping or inadvertently reinforcing existing disparities. Since these activities are often group-based, in mixed-gender groups, boys tend to take the lead.

We were contacted by colleagues in Geneva who were also exploring gender imbalances in the digital field. We saw this as an opportunity to assess the impact of our activities.

We began with an unplugged activity called Potato Pirate, testing it with CAS teachers. The experiment involved running a first session without any specific instructions for the teachers and observing group dynamics using cameras and microphones. Afterward, we discussed their observations with them. We then considered modifications to the activity’s structure, such as assigning leadership roles to girls, to see if this could counterbalance group dynamics. A second session followed, along with an analysis and thus, we now have this study.

It’s always difficult to draw firm conclusions from such a small sample, but in the two observed classes, we didn’t see a clear gender imbalance. Instead, group composition played a more significant role. When there were three girls and two boys, the girls spoke up more; when the ratio was reversed, the boys dominated the discussion. We mainly observed power dynamics related to enforcing rules rather than exerting influence to win. So, based on this study, it seems that boys do not systematically take the lead in unplugged group activities.