ICT in Education Toolkit

Tool 2.2 Formulation of ICT Policy Interventions

 
  Step 1: Review Pertinent Information
 

Step 1. Access and review pertinent information

Access and review the following files from Tool 2.1 (Identification of Educational Areas for ICT Intervention):

Priority Items for ICT Interventions
Enhancing quality of learning
Expanding educational opportunities
Improving policy planning and management


Access and review the following files from Tool 1.2 (Mapping of Educational Context)
Educational Goals and Plans

 
  Step 2: Review Ideas
 

Step 2. Review Reference Handbook for Ideas about ICT Interventions

The team, or a designated expert group should research the Reference Handbook  to review and take note of:

  • The role and nature of ICTs
  • The potential of ICTs for addressing each priority area in terms of possibilities or specific solutions and lessons of individual case studies.
    • Expanding educational opportunities
    • Enhancing quality of learning
    • Enriching quality of teaching
    •  Facilitating skill formation
    • Establishing and sustaining lifelong learning
    • Improving policy planning and management
    • Advancing community linkages

* You may also use the SEARCH HANDBOOK feature to find relevant information.

To view the parameters necessary for the potential of ICTs to be realized for each priority area,
 View Reference Handbook, Section 6: "From Potential To Effectiveness."

- The group should also tap other resources available on the Internet.


Targeted Priority Area

After the reviews conducted in Steps 1 and 2, if you decide to group together more than one priority item into a targeted priority area, consolidate the elements of these priority items and enter them below.

Once you define the elements of the Targeted Priority Area, give it a distinctive title.

Targeted Priority Area Details

Targeted Priority Area Title:

Priority Items Selected to Create a Single or Consolidated Targeted Priority Area

Educational Objectives
List all educational objectives of the selected priority items
 Expanding educational opportunities
 Increasing efficiency
 Enhancing quality of learning
 Enriching quality of teaching
 Facilitating skill formation
 Establishing and sustaining lifelong learning
 Improving policy planning and management
 Advancing community linkages

Educational Level
Adjust or consolidate educational levels of the selected priority items.
(You may specify more than one option)
 Not applicable
 All Levels
 Early Childhood Development
 Primary education
 Secondary education
 Tertiary education
 Adult non-vocational
 Vocational and technical education
Refine/specific details


Target Population
Adjust or consolidate the target population of the selected priority items
 No specific target population
 Urban Areas
 Rural Areas
 Girls and Women
 Ethnic and/or linguistic minorities
 Learners with Disabilities
 Others

(Please Specify):

Refine/specific details


Special Curricular Emphasis
Adjust or consolidate the curricular emphasis of the selected priority items
 Not applicable
 All curricula
 Teacher Training
 Science education
 Health education
 Civic education
 Learners with disabilities
 Others

(Please Specify):

Refine/specific details


Specific Problems Focus
Adjust or consolidate specific problems of the selected priority items

 
  Step 3: Compose Targeted Priority Areas
 


Step 3. Compose Targeted Priority Areas

Taking into consideration the information reviewed in Step 1 and Step 2 above, the team should decide whether ICT-intervention scenarios will be formulated for each individual item in the priority lists developed in 2.1 (Identification and Analysis of Educational Areas for ICT Interventions) and reviewed in Step 1, or whether priority items should be grouped together depending on the relations among them to form one targeted priority area for ICT intervention.

The options are:

  • Treating each item in the priority list separately with the possibility of some adjustments 
  • Combining some or all priority items within a specific educational objective list
  • Combining priority items across educational objectives
  • Combining all priority items across educational objectives into one targeted area

Irrespective of the option selected, it is important to include all the priority items in the targeted areas. It is also advisable not to combine priority items unless there is a clear justification for that.

On the basis of your decisions, click the "Create Targeted Priority Area" button below to compose a consolidated list of targeted priority areas for ICT interventions using all the options cited above.


Create ICT Scenarios



Scenario Title:


Targeted Priority Areas:


Focus of the proposed ICT Intervention (specify)
The intervention may involve one or more related technologies. Examples: Broadcast radio, Interactive Radio, Broadcast TV, Videos, Multimedia CD packages, Online courses, Virtual school or university, Virtual lab, Teacher development portal, Telecenters, skill training simulations, workplace e-training, Education management information system, Learning management system, Systematic use of Internet resources, etc…


Scope and scale of the ICT intervention (specify)
Describe in terms of magnitude of the technologies, the educational elements targeted and the geographic areas covered. Also is the intervention a pilot, a duplication of an existing program or a large scale application?


Application of the Intervention (specify)
A short description of the way the technologies will be applied in the system or in the institutions


How the ICT intervention will address the demands of the targeted priority area (specify)


ICT intervention and related existing ICT-in-education plans and programs
Summarize related plans and programs. Will the ICT intervention incorporate them, and if so which ones and how.


How the ICT intervention will help overcome the constraints, issues and bottlenecks identified earlier and reviewed in Step 1.


Advancing Learning Objectives
If applicable, how the ICT intervention will advance the learning objectives?


Fostering Teaching Objectives
If applicable, how the ICT intervention will foster the teaching objectives?


Value-added
What the ICT intervention can contribute beyond what conventional non-ICT interventions can?

 
  2. Formulation of ICT Policy Scenarios
 
For each Targeted Priority Area defined in Step 3 above, the Team should generate a series of potential ICT-enhanced scenarios that will address the needs of the priority area. Scenarios will differ by type and use of the suggested ICTs. On the next page, you will add an additional "ICT-free" option for comparison with ICT-enhanced options for each Targeted Priority Area.

In the formulation of scenarios, the Team should take into consideration Each ICT- intervention scenario will include the following elements:
  1. Targeted Priority Area

  2. Description of the proposed ICT Intervention(s) - The intervention may involve one or more related technologies (Examples: Broadcast radio, Interactive Radio, Broadcast TV, Videos, Multimedia CD packages, Online courses, Virtual school or university, Virtual lab, Teacher development portal, Telecenters, skill training simulations, workplace e-training, Education management information system, Learning management system, Systematic use of Internet resources, etc…)

  3. The scope and scale of the ICT intervention (in terms of magnitude of the technologies, the educational elements targeted and the geographic areas covered. Also is the intervention a pilot, a duplication of an existing program or a large scale application?)

  4. Application of the intervention – (A short description of the way the technologies will be applied in the system and/or the institutions

  5. How the ICT intervention(s) will address the demands of the targeted priority area

  6.   ICT intervention and related existing ICT-in-education plans and programs- (Summary of related plans and programs. Will the ICT intervention incorporate them, and if so which ones and how.)

  7. How the ICT intervention(s) will help overcome the constraints, issues and bottlenecks identified earlier and reviewed in Step 1.)

  8. If applicable, how the ICT intervention(s) will advance the learning objectives (See Reference Handbook, Part 2 Section 4.2 including Tables 4.2.2 and 4.2.3)

  9. If applicable, how the ICT intervention(s) will foster the teaching objectives (See Reference Handbook, Part 2 Section 4.2 including Tables 4.2.4)

  10. Value-added- (What the ICT intervention(s) can contribute beyond what conventional non-ICT interventions can.)

A scenario should not include implementation plans. These plans will be developed at a later stage using Toolboxes 3 and 4.

The Team may use the above list as a guide for its deliberations and for drafting scenario elements. Alternatively, the "Create New Scenario" form may be downloaded and used for this purpose.

Once ready, please proceed to summarize your deliberations and record your results. Click the CREATE SCENARIO button and fill out the template for each proposed scenario that will address the needs of each priority area identified for ICT intervention in Step 1 above.

*Do not forget to include an "ICT-Free Scenario" for each targeted priority by clicking on the button below.


Assessment of Scenario


Scenario Details
Scenario Title:
Target Priority Area:

Desirability

Extent of advancing national goals and development plans

Low





High

Extent of advancing relevant goals and development plans

Low





High

Extent of serving specified target populations

Low





High

Extent of addressing specified curricular area of emphasis

Low





High

Extent of potential acceptance from interest groups

Low





High

Extent of potential acceptance from school personnel

Low





High

Extent of potential acceptance from decision makers

Low





High

Equity Enhancement
Does the proposed scenario enhance equity in educational opportunities and quality of learning?

Enhancement of gender equity

Not at all





Very much

Enhancement of socio-economic equity

Not at all





Very much

Enhancement of ethnic equity

Not at all





Very much

Enhancement of geographic equity

Not at all





Very much

Implementability
Does the proposed scenario require:

A mastery of skills that school personnel does not generally have?

Very Much





Not at All

Levels of technical support greater than those already available at the schools?

Very Much





Not at All

Changes in the current structure of education?

Very Much





Not at All

Investment in infrastructure beyond what is currently available?

Very Much





Not at All

Investment in instructional materials and equipment beyond what is currently available?

Very Much





Not at All

Affordability
You may use the spreadsheet Scenario Cost to calculate the capital/development and recurrent costs of scenarios as well as unit costs
Capital development cost (infrastructure, hardware, acquisition and development of ICT-enhanced materials, etc..)

Total Cost


Cost per Beneficiary

Annual recurrent cost (Salaries, fees, services, electricity, connectivity, airtime, consumables, maintenance, etc…)

Total Cost


Cost per Beneficiary


Are the additional costs affordable?

Not at all





Very Much

Sustainability
Is the proposed scenario sustainable over a sufficient period of time to reach fruition?

Financially

Not at all





Very Much

Institutionally

Not at all





Very Much

Politically

Not at all





Very Much

Usability
Purpose of Usage of Technology
Specify the purpose for usage of the technology proposed in the scenario.
  Students will use the technology during lab time only to learn how to use the technology (e.g. learn how to type) and on activities related to core content area (e.g. prepare a report using word processor).
  Students will use the technology as part of a lesson to demonstrate a concept or provide examples (e.g. a video to enhance a lesson on volcanoes).
  Students will use the technology as part of a lesson, to make associations across disciplines and topics (e.g. an Internet search on gases to complement the lesson on volcanoes).
  In addition to the above, students will use the technology to participate in national or international projects and competitions.


Consistency with Prevailing Environment
Is the selected scenario consistent with the prevailing educational environment and practice?
  Proposed scenario is not consistent with current practices at all.
  Proposed scenario is consistent with some but not all current practices
  Proposed scenario is very consistent with current practices
  Proposed scenario surpasses current practices

Rating of Scenario
Rating of 1, 2 or 3 suggests that the proposed scenario is low in one or more of the characteristics above, while rating of 4 means that the scenario is very desirable, or implementable, or affordable, etc. The profile also indicates areas that may need more attention during implementation. The fact that a proposed scenario scores low in desirability does not mean that it cannot be implemented; it simply shows that attention must be given to those aspects that make the scenario not desirable. It is important to emphasize that this profile is only a guiding tool is not intended to be a scientific assessment that ensures which scenario is the best one.
 
  3. Assessment of Scenarios
 

This section of the toolkit assists the Team in evaluating the implications of each scenario in terms of


  • Equity Enhancement - The extent to which the scenario enhances equity in educational opportunities and quality of learning


  • Implementability - How implementable the scenario is in light of prevailing contextual conditions, educational environment and readiness for change. Can the scenario overcome the bottlenecks and obstacles identified in Tool 2.1 Section 2? (listed below)

  • Affordability -  The fiscal, institutional and human costs and whether they can be provided for. You may use the spreadsheet Scenario Cost to calculate the capital/development and recurrent costs of scenarios as well as unit costs, to esatblish affordability of a scenario.

  • Sustainability - Whether the scenario can be sustained financially, institutionally and politically over a sufficient period of time to reach fruition.

  • Appropriate Usage - The degree to which the scenario is consistent with educational purposes and current practices (See Tool 1.2 Section 4, Teaching/Learning Environment or  Profile of the Teaching/Learning Environment

The Team will use its judgment to assess the implications of each scenario by drawing on information compiled in the Reference Handbook and on the files from Toolkit 2.1, Section 2.

Priority Items for ICT Interventions
Enhancing quality of learning
Expanding educational opportunities
Improving policy planning and management


The Team summarizes its deliberations, analyses and conclusions by completing the assessment questionnaire for each scenario.

To assess a scenario, click on the scenario title in the List below. Once a scenario is assessed, the assessment report is saved in the system and a chart profile is added to the scenario description.

Selection of Best Fit Scenario


 This Scenario is the Best Fit

Scenario Details
Scenario Title:
Targeted Priority Areas:
Focus of the proposed ICT Intervention :
Scope and scale of the ICT intervention:
Application of the Intervention:
How the ICT intervention will address the demands of the targeted priority area :
ICT intervention and related existing ICT-in-education plans and programs:
How the ICT intervention will help overcome the constraints, issues and bottlenecks identified earlier and reviewed in Step 1:
Advancing Learning Objectives:
Fostering Teaching Objectives:
Value-added:

Rating of Scenario
 
  4. Selection of “Best Fit” Scenarios
 


Step 1.
Team members compare the assessments and summary profiles of the different scenarios and assess advantages, disadvantages and tradeoffs.

Step 2. If a certain scenario looks promising in certain aspects but not in others, the Team may go through a reiterative process of modifications of scenario specifics (using Section 2) and assessment (using Section 3) until the Team is satisfied that it has made all the necessary improvements on the design of the scenario. The team may combine scenarios by creating a hybrid (using Section 2) which improves the profile.

Step 3. This reiterative process continues until the Team is satisfied with a "best fit" that has the best composite profile on the basis of the assessment criteria. The selected option may not be optimal under each criterion and for every constituency, but it may be the best fit considering the combination of criteria.

In order to designate your "Best Fit" scenario, select the scenario from the list below and check "This Scenario is the Best Fit" in the checkbox and hit submit. The scenarios designated as Best Fit will have icons next to them in the below list.



Description of ICT Intervention Project


Consolidate Best-Fit Scenarios into this Project

Project Title:


Focus of the proposed ICT Intervention Project
Consolidate from corresponding descriptions of ICT interventions in the scenarios


Scope and Scale of the ICT Intervention
Consolidate from corresponding information in scenarios, in terms of magnitude of the technologies, the educational elements targeted and the geographic areas covered. Also is the Project a pilot, a duplication of an existing program or a large scale application? Take into consideration the output of Tools 1.2 - 1.4.


Application of the Intervention
Consolidate from corresponding information in scenarios, to provide short description of the way the technologies will be applied in the system or in the institutions.


How the ICT Project will address the demands of the targeted priority area
Consolidate from corresponding information in scenarios.


ICT intervention and related existing ICT plans and programs
Consolidate from corresponding information in scenarios, to summarize related plans and programs. Will the ICT Project incorporate them, and if so which ones and how. Take into consideration the output of Toolls 1.2 - 1.4.


How the ICT Project will help overcome the constraints, issues and bottlenecks identified earlier and reviewed in Step 1.)
Consolidate from corresponding information in scenarios


Advancing Learning Objectives
If applicable, how the ICT Project will advance the learning objectives. Consolidate from corresponding information in scenarios.


Fostering Teaching Objectives
If applicable, how the ICT Project will foster the teaching objectives. Consolidate from corresponding information in scenarios.


Value-added
What the ICT intervention Project can contribute beyond what conventional non-ICT interventions can. Consolidate from corresponding information in scenarios.


Coordination with Other Educational Plans and Programs
How will the ICT-intervention Project be coordinated with other educational plans and programs (See output of Tool 1.3 in Filing Cabinet


Non-ICT Interventions
What non-ICT interventions are necessary to the effectiveness of the ICT intervention Project?

 
  5. Consolidation of Scenarios into Projects
 

The next step is to consolidate best-fit scenarios into one or more projects taking into consideration the nature and substance of the scenarios and the possible synergies among them. The aim of the consolidation is to maximize efficiency, synergy, economies of scale, and implementation

A project may combine ICT scenarios around one or more specific unifying element such as level of education, curricular emphasis, geographic focus, etc.Step 1. The Team will review the "best-fit" scenarios reached for the different priority areas, as well as the output of Tool 1.4,

The Team will combine best-fit scenarios into projects, taking into consideration existing policies, plans and projects, as well as the level of preparedness of the ICT sector and the level of readiness of the education sector for ICT interventions.

To compose the details of a project, click on "CREATE CONSOLIDATED ICT PROJECT" button and fill out the FORM for each consolidated project. You may wish to download the FORM first, deliberate around it, compose drafts of the different elements, and then fill out the FORM. In most cases you are consolidating under each element the materials of the corresponding elements of the scenarios

The List of Consolidated Projects displays all the possible projects that you have composed. You may edit the project descriptions at any time.


 
  6. Reaching Policy Decision
 
The purpose of this step is to reach a policy decision on the ICT-intervention Projects formulated earlier. The process involves three steps:

Step 1. Preparation of Policy Decision Document 

Using any word processing program, the Team prepares a document for a policy decision that includes:

Executive Summary-

This brief section summarizes for the decision maker(s) the main points of the document and state the policy decision to be taken. It should be noted in this brief that this document seeks a decision about the ICT intervention policy. Detailed implementation plans will be elaborated after the policy decision is made. (Toolboxes 3, 4 and 5 of the Toolkit guides the preparation of these plans.)

Part 1. Background and Present Situation

This section sets the stage for the proposed project(s) and makes an indirect justification for the ICT intervention(s). It draws on the outputs from Tools 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4 (See Filing Cabinet)

Part 2. Proposed ICT Program


This Part is composed of as many sections as there are projects. Each section presents information about the corresponding Project as generated earlier. This information may be retrieved from the Filing Cabinet and cut and pasted into this document.  Each section includes:
  • Description of ICT Intervention Project
  • Detailed Assessment of the Project
  • Graphic Profile of the Project  

Upload the Policy Decision Document into the Filing Cabinet - Tool 2.2, under the title, "ICT Policy Program Decision."

  • Save the file to your hard drive;
  • Go to the Filing Cabinet and select "Upload documents for Tool …"
  • If you wish to replace a file, delete the old file first, and then upload the new version.
  • If you wish to have multiple versions of the same file, give each file a unique name, and follow the above process.


 

Step 2. Consultations

It is advisable to discuss the policy decision document with stakeholders (administrators, planners, implementers, etc…) before submitting it for a decision.  The scope of consultations depends on the dynamics of change (Tool 1.4) and the degree of innovation and comprehensiveness of the proposed project(s).

  • Send out the Policy Decision Document as an email attachment seeking review and comments:
  • Revise the ICT intervention Project(s) to incorporate the results of consultations
  • Run new assessments and generate new Graphic Project Profiles
  • Revise the Policy Decision Document accordingly

Step 3. Making the Decision

Submit the ICT Policy Program Decision document to the decision making authority for approval. One of two things may happen:

  • The authority may approve the Program as is.
  • The authority may propose different revisions to the projects included in the Program. Here, the Team may follow the following process:
  • Edit the descriptions of the projects in question through Section 5 of this tool
  • Assess the revised projects
  • Discuss the results with the authority
  • Continue through a reiterative process of the above, until a final version of the Policy Decision Document is approved.

Program’s Geographic Areas and Institutions



Geographic area:

 
  8. Create Geographic Areas
 

Step 1: Create Geographic Areas

To ensure consistency in the designation of geographic areas and institutions, the Team is requested to create a list of short titles of the Program's geographic areas and the institutions within these areas. This list will be used as a framework for the planning tools in Toolbox 3 and Toolbox 5.

On this page, please create as many geographic areas as needed. If this is not necessary, create one "country" area.

On the next page, please create as many institutions as needed within those geographic areas.


Program’s Institutions



Institution:


Number of Institutions:


Specify Geographic Area:

 
  8. Create Institutions
 

Step 2: Create List of Institutions within a Geographic Area

As mentioned on the previous page, create as many institutions as needed, assigning each to one geographic area within your country.

An institution can either be:
  • A specific institution (e.g. the XYZ vocational school)
  • A type of insitutution (e.g. rural primary schools, urban secondary schools, teacher training institute)
For types of instutitions, you will need to enter the number of institutions of this type in this region.

 
  OUTPUT OF THIS TOOL
 

The application of this tool generates the following files:

These files are saved in the Country's Filing Cabinet. They may be accessed anytime from the Filing Cabinet or from the above list by clicking on the specific file.

If any documents have been uploaded to the Team Bookshelf, they may be accessed at anytime.

Please go back to Toolkit Map/Home to continue to the next Toolbox.