Secondary School – Higher Education Institution Continuity on the Example of Teaching Computer Science and Information Technology

Abstract

The problem of continuity at different levels of education is not new for pedagogy, teaching individual disciplines, including computer science and information technology. It is impossible not to take into account that information technologies are an independent discipline, a means through which the transformation of school and university education has been taking place in recent decades. The content of informatics at school and university should to a certain extent correspond to the level of science development and the requirements of society. The variety of digital tools and the ubiquitous availability of information create huge opportunities for their creative use within their discipline, related natural science subjects, and in various other spheres of human activity. Based on a comparative analysis, the article draws conclusions about the problems faced by both domestic and foreign specialists in the field of education. The article analyzes the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and problems of the school and university education systems in Russia and abroad, and considers their relationship. It is substantiated that the lack of consistency and discreteness in the process of teaching computer science and information technology at school lead to a discrepancy between the training of school graduates and the requirements for the basic knowledge of first-year university students. The article presents the results of the analysis of basic curricula at school (in the field of computer science) and curricula in the preparation of future computer science teachers at the university (using the Transbaikal State University as an example). The authors analyze the results of diagnostic testing, which was conducted with first-year students of the Transbaikal State University in September 2023/2024, in order to monitor their existing knowledge and skills in the field of computer science. The article suggests ways to solve the problem of secondary school – higher education institution continuity in the field of computer science. The results of the study can be used in the preparation of future computer science teachers in higher educational institutions. Keywords: continuity of education, lifelong education, computer science and educational technologies, information competence, computer literacy