Digital education is a longstanding priority of the European Commission (EC), most recently listed as a goal in its digital strategy “Europe fit for the digital age”. The COVID-19 crisis now brings this topic to a whole new level of urgency. The European Union’s (EU) 2018 Digital Education Action Plan was due for implementation by the end of 2020, but the EC is now looking to update the Action Plan. The basis of this update will be the views and experiences of citizens and other stakeholders during the pandemic. Several ACT | The App Association members are developing new innovative digital solutions every day. With them in mind, the App Association recently participated in the public consultation on the updated Digital Education Action Plan.
The App Association is a long-time advocate for digital education and computer science education. Increasing digital education can help to ensure that young people learn digital competences. Digital education can enhance how people learn some of the skills needed to fill jobs in the future economy like using digital tools to solve problems, understanding digital systems, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Digital tools can efficiently teach learners entirely new skills—like imagiLabs’ imagiCharm that allows users to learn how to code—or allow kids to practice memory, math, and writing skills like L’Escapadou’s or App Family’s educational apps. Digital education also grants more flexibility for students to learn at their own pace. Using technology in the classroom may enable teachers to improve monitoring of student progress. Moving some learning online can allow schools to implement different forms of examinations, while integrating innovative learning practices and tools.
COVID-19 sped up a lot of developments that were already in process, but it also showed us how serious some of the existing issues are in digital education. More needs to be done to improve online safety for educational institutions and educators’ ability to use digital tools effectively. Schools and regulators must also address the lack of access to devices and connectivity and increase accessibility for students with disabilities. There are also socio-economic factors at play that create gaps in at-home and online learning. Some children have no supervision during school hours because their parents have to work. Others live in poverty or unsafe environments, or they only have one (or no) devices in their households on which they can do their schoolwork. Too many students are still unable to successfully participate in online education and to learn from the many resources the internet offers.
Many of these issues have potential solutions. For example, schools could provide devices and governments could invest in universal broadband access to guarantee a good internet connection and suitable equipment. Educational institutions could provide more extensive training on how to structure and guide students through the online learning process. Teachers could receive better instruction on how to use digital tools effectively to communicate and evaluate student progress. Accessibility issues could be addressed by implementing, for example, text-to-speech instruction, customised platform interfaces, and IoT connected devices and/or wearables.
These are complex and interconnected issues. For the EU to address them, a clear vision for integrating digital technologies in education and training is crucial. This includes taking measures on internet infrastructure in homes, schools, and campuses, the unavailability of digital tools and technologies, and the lack of teacher training and guidance. Additionally, although education is not an EU competence, there could be significant added value in addressing some differences between Member States. Such action could generate more cross-border knowledge exchange via digital tools. Digital education is currently a useful tool to complement learning. However, much work remains for digital education to be beneficial for everyone.
COVID-19 shows us the importance of schools as communities. Students find more motivation in person and can learn many other lessons of non-academic nature. Without any face-to-face instruction, students may lack the ability to communicate effectively with educators and peers. They also miss out on the ability to do practical, hands-on work. It is clear that in-person instruction continues to present an opportunity to better and more effectively support learners in various socio-economic groups. Whenever the decisions are made for students to return to the classroom, we hope to see some of the newly implemented online platforms and apps continue being used in our education systems. Digital education is a crucial step in preparing us for the economy of the future, so resolving the existing issues should be a top priority for regulators everywhere.