The ‘coding’ is the mechanism we use to communicate and give instructions to computers, to establish communication between software and hardware. Therefore, it is essential to give life to applications and websites, tools that are part of our daily life and that have become elements to improve our productivity and support economic development.
‘Coding’ and programming are elements of software creation and, therefore, are very important skills in this digital age, since the electronic devices and technologies we use on a daily basis require software.
Its use reaches the most diverse areas, such as data science, artificial intelligence, robotics, video games, website design, cybersecurity, among many others.
For this reason, technology companies require a growing number of software developers to continue increasing their offer of products and services.
For its multidimensional impact analysis, a White Paper developed by The Competitive Intelligence Unit (www.TheCIU.com) soon to be publicly presented, documents the importance of promoting the inclusion of coding and computational thinking in the Mexican Educational System, especially in compulsory educational levels.
Benefits of Learning Coding. Programming has become an essential process and skill to solve problems, challenges and tasks in all industrial and scientific branches, which is why it has been introduced into the curricular map of several countries around the world. Simultaneously, their learning contributes to the exercise of cognitive abilities in other areas of knowledge.
The basic education system in Mexico still does not have curricular subjects directly related to said programming ability, learning that promotes critical thinking to formulate explanations, solve problems, encourage creativity, create applications, games, websites and other digital solutions, promote digital literacy and encourage teamwork and collaboration skills among students.
From all this, the relevance of including it in the Mexican educational curriculum is evident. It is important to recognize that their teaching must be different depending on the educational level of the student, always starting from the principle of promoting computational thinking, that is, promoting thinking oriented towards solving different kinds of problems.
Some Public Policy Recommendations. First, it is necessary to increase the number of nodes in the Public Sites Connectivity Program, especially those that correspond to public schools.
Next, it is necessary to permeate the concept of computational thinking in the Mexican curriculum and incorporate related concepts: logic, algorithms, decomposition, patterns and abstractions.
Also, vocational guidance should be provided to encourage interest in coding or technical software development careers that exist as part of the upper secondary offering. At the same time, it is essential to promote programming with a social focus through free workshops and courses for the general population, attractive coding and software development contests, advertising campaigns to inform about the benefits of learning to code, as well as information on the educational offer available, among other measures.
The above proposals can facilitate the introduction of computational thinking and coding in the Mexican educational system, solve educational problems and gaps, promote a more programming-friendly educational ecosystem, as well as reduce the lack of specialized and innovative labor in the country.
