Computational thinking an essential skill for next-generation

Over the past few decades, technology has radically transformed how we work and play. Automation has changed entire industries and the Internet has revolutionised the way we access information and make decisions. The imminent reality is that our world will only come to depend more and more on technology — jobs will become increasingly skills-biased, and as a result, the workforce of tomorrow not only has to work productively with technology, they will also have to have a firm grasp on how technology works.

This is especially true for Singapore — where we have embarked on a mission to become the first Smart Nation in the world. More so than other nations, we have an urgent and critical need to develop computational thinking as a national capability to lay the foundational building blocks to realise this goal. After all, a large part of being a Smart Nation is about leveraging new technologies to solve problems and improve the lives of our people.

Computational thinking, defined as a thought process that allows one to break down problems and formulate solutions systematically — much like how computers “think”, has come into focus as a fundamental skill for the next-generation workforce. The ability to solve problems by applying logic and creative thinking are skills that employers in every sector will seek, not just in technology alone. Often imparted through coding, computational thinking is also embraced for its wide applicability to solve everyday problems.

An example of how computational thinking and coding can be applied to help humans stay healthy can be seen in the development of an application called Eyenaemia by two young medical students from Australia.

Eyenaemia is a non-invasive, easily-accessible screening tool for anaemia made for use by anyone. With the application, screening is now as simple as taking a selfie with a smartphone — after which the application analyses the conjunctiva and calculates the risk of anaemia, putting years of medical training into the hands of untrained users.

BETTER SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS

In a recent study conducted by Microsoft, 1,850 students under 24 years old were surveyed on their interest in coding in eight countries across Asia-Pacific, including 250 students in Singapore. Results from the study yielded surprising findings — majority of the participants actually recognise the value of coding in their education and the opportunities coding creates for their future careers.

The study found that 76 per cent of the students in Singapore want to know more about coding, while 72 per cent said coding is important to their future careers. Additionally, 59 per cent of these students agreed that coding will be relevant to all careers in the future, regardless of areas of specialisation.

This revealed a broad understanding among students of the impact of technology considering they represented a variety of specialisation including arts and humanities, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and business. What is especially interesting is that 78 per cent of students in Singapore who specialise in the arts and humanities want to learn more about coding. This strong positivity towards coding was also shared equally by male (79 per cent) and female (74 per cent) students, although coding has been a field dominated by males.

While the battle may be already half won with keen interest in coding among the students, the study also revealed that there is much to be done to accelerate the development of computational thinking among our Singapore youth. Sixty-six per cent of the students surveyed said they wished coding was offered as a core subject in their schools, with only 45 per cent saying that they had the opportunity to learn coding in school either as a core subject or an extracurricular activity — one of the lowest figures among the Asia-Pacific countries surveyed. Furthermore, only 49 per cent of students said their parents think coding is important to their future.

The evident disconnect between students’ interests and the support they are receiving from schools and at home indicate a pressing need for educators and parents in Singapore to better support our youth to pick up computational thinking.

The majority of students (54 per cent) said they would be willing to take up coding classes outside of regular school hours. Currently, 44 per cent of the students have looked beyond the classroom and picked up coding on their own through online tutorials.

Recently in the United States, at least four states, including Washington, have either passed Bills or considered measures that allow high school students to substitute foreign language subjects with computer language modules, underscoring the importance of leadership in driving the pick-up of computational thinking among youth.

Locally, programmes such as Code@SG by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) acknowledges the importance of computational thinking as an essential skill that will future-proof our youth, and enables the IDA to work closely with stakeholders to drive initiatives that teach coding and computational thinking to students at an early age.

However, the drive towards computational thinking as a national capability is not the sole responsibility of government agencies. Private organisations and communities can contribute actively too. At Microsoft, we started the YouthSpark #WeSpeakCode campaign in a bid to inspire youth in Singapore and around the region to start coding by connecting student coders of all skill levels with the tools, resources, and experiences they need to turn their innovative ideas into reality.

More can still be done by the industry to help equip our youth with computational thinking skills and eventually nurture a generation of future innovators into savvy leaders and citizens that can make a real impact for a better Singapore.

While that is our long-term goal, it is more important to get everyone started on their coding journey now, to help our youth acquire the right skillsets to unlock future opportunities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessica Tan is managing director of Microsoft Singapore.