Abstract:

The Informatics Olympiad has a long tradition in Europe. It is aimed at talented students in programming. Even though it is intended for high school students, regardless of the focus and orientation of the schools, most students participate in it in gymnasiums. The 35th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2023) will be held in Szeged (Hungary) from the 28th of August to the 4th of September, 2023. The Olympiad in Informatics started in many European countries as category P (programming) within the Mathematical Olympiad (MO), which originated at the international level (IMO) 29 years earlier than the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). OI at the national level was built mostly on the experiences of the MO and took over, or in terms of organization, copied, the proven system of preparing and selecting competing pupils for individual rounds according to the rules that were used in the MO. The authors describe the specifics of OI, which result from the nature of algorithmic and programmatic problem-solving, which is the main topic of the competition. They are also looking to answer the question, what does it mean to have a knack for programming? How to recognize this talent and how to develop it? How to motivate and prepare talented students for programming competitions? We asked selected high school and university teachers, who are involved in the preparation of students and in organizing individual rounds at the national and international level, the question of what the current situation is in this area. Many of the former competitors have chosen an academic career, and have become (often as university students) part of the organizational teams, preparing and implementing competitions at various levels of it. The authors of this article bring the results from a questionnaire survey, individual interviews, and their own experience from preparing competitors/students and organizing OI rounds on the national level.

Keywords:

Programming, talent in programming, algorithm thinking, programming thinking, talent developing, Olympiad in informatics.