Towards grand challenges in computing education across disciplines : setting an agenda for research and pedagogy

PACE, the Partnership for AdvancingComputing Education, held a workshop on Computing Education Research in Washington DC on August 21st and 22nd 2014. The goals of this invitation-only workshop were to • explore the possibilities fordeveloping a forward looking and challenging research agenda for computing education as a whole, one that will extend and enhance the computing education research community; • enhance the standing of the computing education research community and galvanize it into meaningful and effective action; • understand the ways in which professional and academic computing societies can best serve the computing education research community; and • establish a joint understanding and strengthen the sharing of research agendas and directions on computing education across various computing-related sub-disciplines. One of the many conclusions from the workshop was that the community should consider articulating a set of Grand Challenges for computing education. If this could be achieved in a meaningful manner, it would directly support several of the goals of the workshop. For instance, it could address the research agenda: a true shared understanding ofthe Grand Challenges of computing education would have the potential to serveas a guiding mechanism for computing education research agenda. Identification of the Grand Challenges would also address the issue of the status and standing of computing education in general and computing education research in specific. The purpose of this Special Session is to advance the discussion about Grand Challenges for computing education, specifically by including the community in that discussion. In line with themultidisciplinary nature of the PACE workshop, the intent of this process is to incorporate the perspectives of all major computing (sub)disciplines