School of CS newsletter

The School of Computer Science has been awarded Department for Education funding to develop a Computing at Schools Regional Centre to support Primary and Secondary schools in the region delivering high-quality computing for schoolchildren. This award recognises the long-term commitment of the School of Computer Science to education in schools through its staff and students, providing training for teachers and opportunities for schoolchildren to engage with exciting activities in Computer Science. The policy for computing in schools has changed and there is the expectation that all schools will offer a broad education in computing. Many schools do not have the expertise to deliver this and so support mechanisms are being put in place through the Regional Centre.

 

The Regional Centre was launched at a conference on Saturday 17th October, with over 100 teachers attending, as well as representatives from the Department for Education and the British Computer Society. Prof. Danielle George delivered a well-received keynote talk, addressing issues in teaching computing from Primary level, through Secondary level to University education. There were almost 30 workshops delivering material for teachers to take into the classroom. The conference was an exciting event and there was a real buzz amongst the teachers about the prospects for computing in schools in the region.

 

In a joint venture, BBC and Microsoft are to offer free to Secondary schools large numbers of Micro:Bit computers to distribute to schoolchildren. This has the potential to be a major step forward in the delivery of Computer Science in schools.  As part of the Regional Centre activities, we have collaborated with BBC and Microsoft to deliver a workshop for teachers to help them develop classroom activities using the Micro:Bit computers.

Picture shows Professor Danielle George's keynote talk: 'Where the magic happens'.

 

The University encourages all staff to consider payroll giving, and the staff who use the scheme give over £100k per year to charities. In payroll giving regular payments to charities can be deducted from pay at source before the deduction of tax, so that charities also receive the tax that you would have paid on your donation. The Workplace Giving scheme that the University uses highlights a number of charities in different categories but you can give to any registered UK charity through the same system. See the staffnet webpage for more details.

Manchester will be hosting the European City of Science in 2016. As part of the celebrations, Danielle George from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering is planning to build the world’s largest robot orchestra. She’s seeking help from engineers, programmers, musicians and makers to make it happen. Interested? Attend the start-up event on Weds 18 November at The Shed (MMU). Danielle is FEPS Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning.

The University has published a timelapse video of the Precinct Centre bridge being demolished in the summer.

UN Global Goals and Human Behaviour: Results-based Management or Changing Social Norms or Celebrity Advocacy?

Date: Monday 30th November 2015

Venue: Mansfield Cooper G.19 (No. 65 on the campus map)

Time: 13-14:00

 

Manchester Informatics are pleased to announce that the first event in this year's cycle of the Human Behaviour Seminar Series will take place on 30th November 2015. This year's themes are the Universities five research beacons.

 

Professor David Hulme from the Brooks World Poverty Institute will present-UN Global Goals and Human Behaviour: Results-based Management or Changing Social Norms or Celebrity Advocacy?

 

The UN General Assembly has moved on from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of 2000-2015 to halve poverty to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of eradicating poverty by 2030, promoting global social justice/reducing inequality and achieving sustainability. The original framing of the MDGs was from results-based management – SMART goals/targets/ indicators will lead to behaviours that will accelerate global social progress. This remains the frame for the SDGs but they are (i) linked to the ‘leave no-one behind’ slogan, and (ii) accompanied by a major attempt, led by Richard Curtis, to communicate the 17 SDGs through social media and celebrity advocacy. This work-in-progress presentation examines the framing of the goals and argues that the goals, and the processes surrounding them, are not focussing sufficiently on the ‘grassroots’ and changing international social norms…they may even be fostering ‘post-democratic’ political behaviours.

 

David Hulme is Professor of Development Studies at the University of Manchester where he is Director of the Brooks World Poverty Institute. David has worked on rural development, poverty and poverty reduction, microfinance, the role of NGOs in development, environmental management, social protection and the political economy of global poverty for more than 30 years.

 

Light refreshments will be provided.

To register your place please click here: Register.

 

For further info on the Human Behaviour Network Seminars, please visit the Manchester Informatics website.

If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact miriam.belfield@manchester.ac.uk.