Plenary Session I: ICT in Education Policy, Plan and Monitoring
How Do We Know What We Know? International Updates on the Development of ICT in Education Indicators
Michael Trucano, Senior ICT and Education Policy Specialist, The World Bank, USA.
ICTs are increasingly being used in education systems around the world. How do we know what the impact of such use is? How should we monitor and assess the use of ICTs in education? How can, should and might answers to these questions impact the policy planning process? Questions such as these are complicated in many countries by a lack of consensus on what can and/or should be measured, and how this measurement can and should take place. Lack of common sets of methodologies and indicators in this regard also hampers cross-national comparison of developments and the impact of related initiatives. To help address such challenges, many organizations have begun to develop, or propose to develop, common sets of 'ICT in education indicators' to help guide their activities, and those of their developmental partners, in this area. This presentation will provide a review of current efforts underway by many organizations in this area, including the UNESCO Institute of Statistics, the Inter-American Development Bank, the OECD, the European Union, the World Bank, and other key organizations active in this area. It will also provide a summary of some leading thinking and practices in this area from notable researchers and NGOs, and suggest possible ways forward.