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Study investigates effect of technology on educational improvement

According to a new study, having a high level of technology for learning equipment in a school or college will dramatically improve performance, so long as there is the right support and enthusiasm to embrace it.

The a four-year study, called the ICT Test Bed project, was set up in 2002 by the Department for Education and Skills and managed by Becta.

The project investigated how making technology an integral part of learning in schools and colleges could improve learner attainment levels, classroom practice, and school and college development.

It studied 23 primary schools, five secondary schools and three further education colleges in Sandwell, Durham and Barking and Dagenham.

Each of the schools and colleges drew up their own plans and were given money to spend over four years to install high levels of hardware and software. The funding also covered training.

According to the results of the project:

* As technology was embedded, a school's national test outcomes improved beyond expectation.

* The classroom atmosphere improved through the use of presentation technology, providing greater interaction between teachers and learner.

* Pupils had a more personalised experience by being able to exercise greater choice within the curriculum and learning in more diverse ways, tailored to their individual needs.

* Teachers and pupils were able to work more closely together in setting targets for assessment and for teachers to give individual feedback.

* In the further education colleges it was found that learning platforms extended students' learning into the home, and the management information systems provided greater efficiency and effectiveness for managers and teachers.

* Behaviour and attendance improved: the use of electronic registration improved attendance levels in some schools by three to four per cent while behaviour management systems were reported by teachers to have a positive impact on both behaviour and attendance.

* Using technology for learning produced a fundamental change in the way teachers and other staff worked, with administration and support staff able to take on broader responsibilities. This cut down on the amount of administration that teachers had previously been doing, releasing them to spend more time supporting learning.

* The investment led to rapid improvements in teachers skills in using technology in learning and teaching, and improved management of workload.

* Learning platforms made it easier for teachers to find, store, share, create and reuse resources and lesson plans.

Stephen Crowne, Becta's chief executive, said: "We have said for some time now that if technology is used properly in the classroom it can help to produce a major improvement in results. Not just in academic achievement, but also in involvement, attendance and in the overall efficiency of the institution.

"This study bears out that thinking and demonstrates clearly the impact technology can have in the classroom. We must harness that power and take technology for learning from marginal to mainstream when thinking about how we raise standards.

"We know that the right kind of investment, backed by leadership and training to use it in the most effective way, can contribute to higher standards, greater access and motivation, and greater efficiency right across the system," he said.

Commenting on the results of the Test Bed project, schools minister Jim Knight said, "Technology is already supporting teachers raising standards in our schools and equipping young people to exploit the future knowledge economy. That's why we have already invested over £5bn in ICT in schools since 1998 - trebling the ratio of computers to pupils in primary schools, put interactive whiteboards into classrooms and connected nearly every school to high-speed broadband.

"The Test Bed project demonstrates just how ICT has the power to transform young people's learning - both at school and beyond the school gate. It clearly shows how technology integrated throughout a school can support teachers in dramatically raising attainment and engage parents more fully in their children's education.

"We will be looking to capitalise on this project and replicate it across the country," he said.

The final report from the evaluation of the ICT Test Bed project can be downloaded from the ICT Test Bed Evaluation website.

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