Ancient Algorithms for a Modern Curriculum

TL;DR

The paper argues that algorithm education is often decontextualized and Eurocentric, and proposes a historically grounded, cross-cultural pedagogy anchored in ancient Indian contributions. It presents classroom modules built around Pothayanar's hypotenuse rule, Piṅgala's binary prosody, Aryabhata’s digit-by-digit root, and Kuttaka/Chakravala methods to connect algorithms with culture and history. While reporting positive shifts in engagement and appreciation for non-Western technical heritage, it also acknowledges trade-offs such as syllabus compression, translation challenges, and assessment design. The authors offer practical guidance for adoption via open resources and varied assessment formats, and call for future work to assess long-term impacts on student identity and persistence.

Abstract

Despite ongoing calls for inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy in computing education, the teaching of algorithms remains largely decontextualized. Foundational computer science courses often present algorithmic thinking as purely formal and ahistorical, emphasizing efficiency, correctness, and abstraction. When history is mentioned, it usually centers on the modern development of digital computers, highlighting figures such as Turing, von Neumann, and Babbage. This narrow view misrepresents the origins of algorithmic reasoning and perpetuates a Eurocentric worldview that undermines equity and representation in STEM. In contrast, algorithmic thinking predates electronic computers by millennia and has deep roots in ancient civilizations including India, China, Babylon, and Egypt. Our work responds to this gap by embedding algorithm instruction in broader historical and cultural contexts, with particular attention to classical Indian contributions.