IIT Ropar – ACM COMPUTE Conference 2025
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar marked a significant milestone with the inauguration of the ACM COMPUTE Conference 2025, a premier event dedicated to the growth and transformation of computing education in India. The conference, hosted from December 7 to 9, 2025, welcomed more than 150 delegates representing academia, research institutions, industry, and the education sector. The opening ceremony was presided over by Prof. Rajeev Ahuja, Director of IIT Ropar, who emphasized the growing relevance of innovative pedagogies and collaborative research in building the next generation of computing professionals.
COMPUTE 2025 is organized by iSIGCSE (the India Chapter of the Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education) in association with the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and SIGCSE. The event continues the legacy of ACM’s flagship education conference in India, serving as the most prominent national forum for exchanging ideas, research, and advancements in computer science education. Through curated sessions and interactions, it focuses on enhancing teaching methodologies, bridging industry–academia gaps, and fostering a community dedicated to innovation in computing education.
This year’s edition features six keynote lectures delivered by globally respected experts in the field. Among the speakers are Prof. Tanmoy Chakraborty (ACM OCCE Award Winner), Prof. Maria Mercedes (Didith) T. Rodrigo, Shoaib Dar, Prof. Clif Kussmaul, Dr. Tanuja Ganu, and Dr. Radhika Trikha. Their talks span compelling themes such as the evolution of Natural Language Processing (NLP) education in the era of large language models and the sweeping impact of Artificial Intelligence on learning systems. These presentations seek not only to inspire educators but also to provide actionable insights that can be implemented in classrooms and research programs across the country.
Two dedicated panel discussions have been designed to engage deeply with critical issues influencing computing education today. The first examines the potential of industry–academic collaboration to foster practical, industry-aligned learning outcomes, while the second explores the benefits, limitations, and ethical considerations linked to the increasing use of AI in teaching and learning. These discussions encourage a multi-stakeholder approach, enabling participants to exchange ideas and understand challenges from diverse perspectives.
A major academic highlight of COMPUTE 2025 is a series of research paper presentations conducted in parallel tracks. These presentations address themes including curricula design, pedagogical strategies, computing education research, and challenges specific to the Indian education landscape. In addition, the conference pays tribute to Prof. Rajaraman — a pioneering figure in the domain of computing education — through a special Best Practices Ideas Session themed “Architecting the Future of CS Education,” recognizing innovative and impactful approaches in the classroom.
The extensive conference program also includes multiple hands-on workshops that offer interactive learning for educators and researchers. Workshops cover topics such as Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), AI-assisted educational tools, high-performance computing applications in education, and innovative AI/ML pedagogical frameworks. These sessions are designed to build capacity, spark new teaching ideas, and bring advanced instructional methods to a wider academic community.
The conference is supported by a strong lineup of sponsors and institutional partners including Annam.ai, Neysa, NPTEL, IIT Madras BS Degree Programme, GitHub, Google, and Flame University. In addition, ACM India has partnered with Persistent Systems, TCS Research, Ola Electric, IBM, and Google to extend technical, academic and collaborative support. One of the core focus areas of COMPUTE 2025 is making computing education accessible and impactful for teachers from Tier 2 and Tier 3 colleges, ensuring inclusive growth of computing excellence across India.
Since its launch, ACM COMPUTE has consistently served as India’s most influential platform for discourse on computing education. Past editions have featured distinguished experts such as Sumit Gulwani of Microsoft Research, Pankaj Jalote of IIIT Delhi, Sridhar Iyer of IIT Bombay, and Alison Clear from EIT, New Zealand. Sessions in earlier years have examined crucial educational frameworks including the ACM Computing Curricular 2020 (CC2020), the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and pioneering initiatives like SWAYAM, reinforcing the conference’s legacy of addressing both global trends and national priorities.
As ACM COMPUTE 2025 concludes on December 9, it leaves participants energized with new knowledge, strengthened networks, and a renewed commitment to advancing computer science education in India. The event continues to be a meaningful platform for educators and professionals who strive to align India’s computing education ecosystem with the demands of an increasingly digital and technology-driven world.