TU Wien Informatics now organizes computer science workshops for elementary school classes at TU Wien to get children interested in STEM topics at a very early age. The first workshop was held on May 16, 2023, at TU Campus Favoritenstraße. More than 20 workshops are planned annually, aiming at third graders in Vienna’s elementary schools, thus offering 18.000 children a chance to participate. With a grant of 80,000 euros, LEA Women’s Fund supports the faculty to particularly attract elementary classes until spring 2024. TU Wien Informatics eduLAB has been holding workshops for higher grades for several years now, “but since elementary school classes are much more supervision-intensive, we are glad to finally have the necessary resources to cover this new ground,” says Laura Kovacs, Professor for Formal Methods and head of the project.

In the pilot phase from Dec 2022 - Sept 2023, seven workshops have been held with three schools at TU Wien Informatics. “We cooperate closely with eduLAB and have learned a lot from their now-retired head, Gerald Futschek. Especially how we can make the transition from school lessons to a workshop situation at the university easier for children. The goal is to tackle ‘fears of the unknown’, not only about computer science and STEM subjects, but science as a whole,” Laura Kovacs explains.

Transforming Perceptions: What is Informatics?

Contrary to what one might assume, no computers are involved in the workshops. They are about understanding basic informatics concepts at a young age. Tasks are age-appropriate, realistic, and playful to inspire fun and interest in computer science. The children learn to solve 2-3 tasks using logical thinking and problem-solving, delving into concepts that might seem complex even to adults: Algorithms and data structures, parallel computing, artificial intelligence, and computer security. The children learn to understand how an algorithm works, how to develop their own, and how to write a short program.

The project leaders Sophie Rain, Martina Landman and Svetlana Unkovic not only have a strong research background in informatics and didactics but are role models for young girls venturing into computer science. “By reaching out to elementary schools, we hope to get kids excited about computer science before they are forced into gender stereotypes, “ Martina Landman, who works as a teacher and pre-doc researcher in informatics didactics, is sure. “Not only students are hesitant regarding computer science, but also teachers. Needless to say, this can influence a young person’s opinion on informatics greatly. That’s why it’s so important for us to change common perceptions like: Informatics is for boys, is nerdy, anti-social, and only happens in dark rooms full of screens and wires.”