Assessing the effects of ICT in education: Indicators, criteria and benchmarks for international comparisons

The integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in education is affecting the educational systems in multiple ways. Likewise ICT use in education influences the private life of all educational actors in the sense that these are engaged in innovative practices which require new methodologies, techniques and attitudes. Most studies carried out, however, do not provide clear information about the real effects and impact of ICT on the learner and learning. This is especially unsatisfying for policy-making stakeholders that aim at defining evidence-based strategies for effective ICT implementation in terms of efficient use of resources. There is a lack of comprehensive studies of the complex interactions between various types of ICT implementation and the effects of other factors such as school-based interventions, socio-economic status and expenditures. It appears both, that firstly, we are in need of instruments which will allow assessing and monitoring the state of use and changes affected. Then, secondly, data are to be collected but the various sources and gaps are not yet identified in a systematic manner. Ambitious initiatives to explore the scope of influencing factors were already carried out earlier. They provide a good basis for going one step further and to design a systematic approach to identify the use of ICT and its effects on all different levels and stages concerned. (DIPF/Verlag).