Introducing Green Thinking Into CS Bachelor Curriculum

Abstract

By 2030 greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by at least 55%. Despite hardware becoming more energy-efficient (Koomey's law), the ever-increasing reliance on computer technology has increased the energy usage due to ICT significantly. In software engineering (SE), there are many choices from programming languages to development patterns that influence energy efficiency. Recent research inspired our work on incorporating energy efficiency into SE education. An international group of researchers formulated initial recommendations for introducing green and sustainable software engineering [4] to students. An EU-US team formulated more refined recommendations for introducing green thinking as modules in existing courses [3]. ICT4S'22 best paper addressed HES eco-anxiety when teaching sustainability [2]. In this work we report on the experience of introducing reflection on energy efficiency into the default requirements of a SE course, and how that influenced students to address energy efficiency in their projects. Out of 8 teams, 7 implemented at least a small energy-efficient component. However, as one group donated to a climate charity in bitcoins, we need more ways to raise awareness.