Computing science

University marketing endeavours attempt to encourage school leavers to study Computing Science; the success of such attempts are becoming increasingly crucial as we see a drop in Computing Science enrollments. However, the marketing typically focusses on presenting Computing Science from the point of view of how we academics view it, with little understanding of what school pupils know of Computing Science, or their perceptions of it. We report on an extensive study into high school students' perceptions of Computing Science as a discipline, degree programme and career, and conclude that few students have a clear notion as to what Computing Science is, and that their perceptions of the discipline develop early on in their school career.