BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, has launched a review of computer science degree courses with the aim of ensuring graduates have the right skills for the future.
It will involve extensive consultation with the higher education sector, along with the Council of Professors and Heads of Computing, the Institute of Coding, tech companies, employers and government departments.
The exercise will build on the findings of the Shadbolt Review, published in 2016, to assess whether computer science degree programmes need to meet a new set of criteria.
A steering committee chaired by Paul Martynenko, a past president of BCS, will oversee the review.
Dr Bill Mitchell (pictured), director of policy at BCS, said: “As we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, it is apparent that academic and professional practice will need to change in a post Covid-19 world to boost economic recovery.
“Data science and AI are changing the landscape of the industry and it is vital that we look at how accreditation of degree programmes can help ensure future graduates are equipped to deal with the new challenges that will confront them.
“There is a mandate from employers and the HE sector to strengthen the current accreditation framework so that it is more focused on outcomes and links more closely with employability. Many people, including graduates themselves, tell us they want employment outcomes, and employability, to be a central part of accrediting a degree programme.”
