Evolving Learning Paradigms: Re-Setting Baselines and Collection Methods of Information and Communication Technology in Education Statistics

The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) has been measuring ICT in education since 2009, but with such rapid change in technology and its use in education, it is important now to revise the collection mechanisms to focus on how technology is being used to enhance learning and teaching. Sustainable development goal (SDG) 4, for example, moves beyond measures of access and increasingly focuses on the sustainability of education including issues of educational quality and student outcomes. A reassessment of how ICT in education is measured to support the attainment of the SDGs by 2030 is thus a timely endeavour. The paper discusses four aspects: (1) evolving mission, methods and core principles of ICT in learning and teaching; (2) nature of ICT in education in accelerating the emergence of new learner-centred pedagogies; (3) types of learning activities associated with the use of ICT including those for leaders, teachers and students; and (4) usage and deployment patterns. This paper proposes extensions and adaptions to the existing UIS data collection instrument to enrich its capacity for understanding how ICT is being used in learning and teaching.