Source: Eastern Institute of Technology
2 days ago
EIT Auckland Associate Professor of Computing Dr Alison Clear appeared on Botswana Television while representing Aotearoa at a major international computing education conference held in Africa for the first time.
Alison travelled to Gaborone for the ACM Global Computing Education Conference (CompEd 2025), where she serves as Chair of the international steering committee.
EIT Auckland Associate Professor of Computing Dr Alison Clear appeared on Botswana Television while representing Aotearoa at the ACM Global Computing Education Conference (CompEd 2025).
The event, hosted by the University of Botswana, brought together more than 100 computing educators and researchers from across the globe to collaborate on strengthening computer science education internationally.
“It was a real honour to be there. This conference brings people together from all over the world so we can learn from each other and strengthen computing education internationally.”
CompEd is one of six conferences run by ACM’s Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE), the world’s largest computing education community. Unlike other SIGCSE conferences, which are typically held in North America, Europe or Australasia, CompEd is intentionally hosted in regions that are underrepresented in global computing research.
“This was the first ACM computing education conference ever held in Africa, and it was important that we came here. There is a great deal of innovative work happening across the Global South, and we want to make sure those voices are fully represented.”
Before the conference, Alison appeared live on Botswana’s BTV News, with Dr. Shanna Mompoloki Suping, University of Botswana Acting Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Education.
“It was wonderful exposure for the conference and for the University of Botswana. Their team has worked incredibly hard to bring this to life.”
The week included keynote presentations, academic paper sessions, a doctoral consortium and two intensive days of international working groups. Alison led one of these groups, which examined how global computing curricula are used and updated across different education systems.
“We want students around the world to have access to high-quality computing education. By collaborating globally, we can make sure our curricula stay relevant and responsive to rapid technological change.”
She says the knowledge gained through conferences like CompEd directly benefits EIT students.
“Networking with educators from around the world gives us new ideas, new approaches and new tools that we bring straight back into the classroom. It keeps our teaching current and ensures our graduates are industry ready.”
Alison has been involved with ACM and SIGCSE for nearly three decades and is currently leading an international taskforce that is developing a new living curriculum model aimed at enabling faster and ongoing updates to global computing standards.
She says the connections made in Botswana will continue well beyond the conference.
“We have created a community that will keep working together. The collaborations we began in Botswana will carry on for years in teaching, in curriculum development and in research.”
