Digital Strategy for Schools

DIGITAL STRATEGY FOR SCHOOLS – ENHANCING TEACHING, LEARNING & ASSESSMENT
4. THEME 3: LEADERSHIP,
RESEARCH AND POLICY
INTRODUCTION
There is a need for strong leadership at all levels of the education system in order to ensure the
successful implementation of the Strategy. The Department and its agencies will play a principal
role in supporting schools and other organisations to effectively integrate ICT into teaching, learning
and assessment.
The education system will need to plan in order to achieve ICT integration and this will be an ongoing
process requiring regular reviews. A significant part of this process will be to implement a system
of research and evaluation in order to provide regular data on how effectively integration is being
achieved. In addition to conducting formal research, the Strategy will encourage teachers to reflect
on their own professional practice in using ICT, and to share their thoughts with their colleagues,
both face-to-face and online.
In this section, a number of priorities are highlighted relating to leadership, research and policy
which emerged during the consultation and research phase. The key actions that need to be carried
out in order to address these priorities are also outlined.
GOAL: LEADERSHIP, RESEARCH AND POLICY – INDICATORS OF SUCCESS
• The role and potential of ICT to enhance teaching, learning and assessment recognised in
the policies and programmes of the Department, its agencies and funded bodies.
• Structures are established to provide oversight of and guidance on the implementation of
the Strategy.
• Guidance, planning resources and related supports for the effective, safe and ethical use of
ICT are available to school leaders and teachers.
• Appropriate linkages developed with other school policies and external initiatives, to
support the embedding of ICT in teaching, learning and assessment, for example, School
Self-Evaluation, external inspection and research.
LEADERSHIP AND POLICY
The ICT Policy Unit will assist relevant sections of the Department, including agencies under its
remit, to play an active role in implementing the Digital Strategy for Schools. Ensuring that the use
of ICT is embedded at all stages of the continuum of teacher education is the responsibility of all
sections of the Department and this also extends to its relevant associated agencies and support
services. In addition, the Department will support school leaders to integrate ICT into teaching,
learning and assessment activities at school level. This will be a challenging task and it will require
all education partners to work together to achieve meaningful integration.
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