Aston
Swann
Research Project | ECDL
We are delighted to announce a new research project to look at the European Community Driving Licence for Teachers in Basic ICT skills.
INDEPENDENT RESEARCH PROJECT LAUNCHED TO
INVESTIGATE TEACHERS’ ACQUISITION OF ICT SKILLS
4 LEAs to take part in research project initiated by Aston Swann, supported by the British Computer Society and managed independently by MirandaNet.
A major independent research project has been launched by Aston Swann - developer of the ECDL for Educators ICT training courseware - that will investigate teachers’ acquisition of ICT skills. Entitled ECDL for Educators: an evaluation of ICT skills training in context, the project is supported by the British Computer Society and will be independently managed by MirandaNet - the highly respected research and development group.
The research project will run for 12 months from May 2003. MirandaNet will track the progress of 100 teachers from Birmingham, Cardiff, Trafford and Herefordshire LEAs embarking on the ECDL for Educators ICT training program. In addition there is Lindsworth School representing SEN, and Hereford Cathedral school representing the Independent sector.
ECDL for Educators is the first accredited sector-specific version of the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) qualification, which is managed in the UK by The British Computer Society.
The research project will investigate:
- Whether teachers are encouraged to enrol on the ECDL for Educators course as a result of its education-specific content
- The benefits of the ECDL qualification in relation to the Continued Professional Development of the teacher
- How using ECDL for Educators has raised the participating teachers’ ICT knowledge
- How using ECDL for Educators has raised the standard of teaching
- How perceptions of the professional uses of computers changes during the training course
- What kind of learners the teachers are, their preferred learning methods and levels of satisfaction.
Pre and final evaluations will identify personal perception of skills, personal use of skills and actual skills. Publication of all interim and final results will be made available to all relevant Government organisations and interested parties via hard copy and the Web.
Christina Preston, Chair of MirandaNet Fellowship, will head the management of the project. Christina specialises in presenting research findings in a way that appeals to teachers and raises their awareness of the issues. Commenting on the research project, Christina said, "Teaching teachers to use ICT is a very complex issue, but it is vitally important that we get it right. I am delighted to be involved with this research which is designed to tell us more about how teachers like to learn about using ICT . The ECDL for Educators courseware adds an important pedagogical layer to the teaching of standard ICT packages such as email, word processors, spreadsheets and databases, making their relevance clear to the teacher. Internet research and web page design are also included. I am looking forward to discovering what effect this programme has on the teachers’ acquisition of ICT skills as well as their confidence."
Christina continues, "The main research methodologies are quantitative surveys and qualitative case studies. However we are also employing an innovative research methodology; ‘mind mapping’. At the outset of the project, each participant will be asked to draw a mind map of how computers fit into their professional lives, followed by a second mind map at the end of the research project. The differences between the two illustrations will then be assessed. This methodology has been used in the study of children. in the DfES/Becta ImpaCT report, but to my knowledge has never been employed in a study where teachers are the centre of attention. It is an important element of the project, as individuals who are ‘ICT-minded’ also tend to be excellent at communicating in a visual manner."
W: www.astonswann.co.uk
W: www.educatorsecdl.com
W: www.ecdl.com
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