Dr Arthur Tatnall honoured for lifetime achievements

Information technology educator Dr Arthur Tatnall has been awarded the Australian Computer Society’s 2018 President’s Award for his lifetime contributions to Australia’s information, computer and technology sector.

Over more than 40 years, Dr Tatnall has worked in the ICT education sector, beginning as high school physics teacher when he “fell into computing after his school got an Apple II computer.”

Contributions to ICT education & beyond

Dr Tatnall served on the ACS Victorian Branch Executive between 1987 and 1995, acting as editor of the ACS Victorian Bulletin (1988-1995) and receiving the organisation’s Murton Award for his service to members in 1996.

He continues an active involvement with ACS and serves on the ACS Victoria Education Relations Committee and the ACS National Heritage Committee.

Dr Tatnall took up a position at Footscray Institute in 1988, moving to Western Institute in 1989 before the two combined to form Victoria University.

Now an adjunct professor in Information Systems in VU’s College of Business, he received the lifetime achievement award on April 10 from ACS President Yohan Ramasundara.

Mr Ramasundara praised Tatnall’s contribution to the wider ICT and education sectors.

“It’s more than just the ACS that Arthur has served,” he said. “He has been a tireless servant of ICT in Australia.”

“He was a pioneer of ICT education in this country, a passionate historian and a widely respected author of books and journals.

“He championed the introduction of computer studies in secondary education in the 80s and was instrumental in the development of a pedagogy for computers studies in schools that continues to be influential to this day.”

Research & leadership roles

Outside his role as an educator, Dr Tatnall’s research is based on the use of actor-network theory. His research interests include technological innovation, history of computing, information systems curriculum, information technology in education management, and electronic business.

Dr Tatnall previously worked as an Educational Computer Systems Analyst with the Victorian State Computer Education Centre and as a Chief Examiner in VCE Year 12 Computer Science.

Internationally, he has chaired ten conferences and edited conference books for the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), on computing education and history of computing.