Introducing Digital Education as a Mandatory Subject: The Struggle of the Implementation of a New Curriculum in Austria

Hörmann, Corinna; Schmidthaler, Eva; Sabitzer, Barbara

doi:10.5220/0011837000003470

Cited by 4 publications

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Navigating the Implementation of the Curriculum Digital Education in Austrian Secondary Schools: Challenges and Teacher Perspectives

Hörmann,

Schmidthaler,

Sabitzer

2023

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

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For a considerable period, there was only a single year of compulsory Computer Science (CS) education in Austria that was required as part of a student’s academic career. The mandatory curriculum “Digital Education” (Digitale Grundbildung) was launched in September 2018 for all students in lower secondary education, formally integrating 21st-century skills into upper grades. The school’s management could choose to offer “Digital Education” as a stand-alone course or to include it in other classes. The 2022/2023 academic year saw the addition of an altered curriculum, where the subject was added to the normal timetable. Nonetheless, schools continue to deal with the problem of who is teaching what and how due to a staffing shortfall and a lack of instructional materials. This paper reports on experiences with the 2022 curriculum by evaluating a survey that examines the implementation of the mandatory curriculum “Digital Education” in Austrian secondary schools and the challenges that teachers face in navigating this new landscape. Aiming to do so, the qualitative data were interpreted, summarized, and discussed, whereas the quantitative data were analyzed in former papers. Despite the obstacles that emerged, teachers recognized the importance of digital literacy skills for their students and expressed a desire for more support in implementing the curriculum. The findings of this study have implications for policymakers, school administrators, and teacher training programs as they work to ensure the successful integration of “Digital Education” in secondary schools.

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Navigating the Implementation of the Curriculum Digital Education in Austrian Secondary Schools: Challenges and Teacher Perspectives

Hörmann,

Schmidthaler,

Sabitzer

2023

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

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Media and Information Literacy in the Prescribed Curriculum: A Systematic Review on its Integration

Rojas-Estrada,

Aguaded,

García-Ruiz

2023

Educ Inf Technol

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The curricular integration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is crucial for cultivating informed, critical, and engaged citizens in contemporary society. It assists in addressing the challenges of the digital era and capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the ever-changing media landscape. Thus, the present systematic literature review uses the PRISMA guidelines to examine three dimensions in the process of integration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in the prescribed curriculum: formulation, implementation, and evaluation and challenges. Starting with the search criteria, 131 studies were found in the Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, Dialnet and Google Scholar databases, published between January, 2013, and March, 2023, written in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Turkish. The findings suggest that the will of the political sphere and the activism of the triad composed by passionate teachers, civil society, and academia, are key factors for promoting the introduction of MIL in formal education. Likewise, it is underlined that the evaluation of this education policy requires special attention, in order to guarantee the analysis of its reach, effectiveness, and capacity to adapt against the challenges that emerge in the media ecosystem. Thus, the intention is to provide up-to-date information for the creation of policies, research studies, and curricular content on this subject.

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The implementation of learning apps in biological education: a quantitative study of the current situation in Austria

Schmidthaler

Hörmann

Rottenhofer

et al. 2023

JRIT

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PurposeThis research paper aims to provide information about certified learning apps for biological education and gave an ordered list of all learning apps currently used by Austrian biology teachers in the classroom, which should serve as an overview for all biology teachers. In addition, the (currently little known) certification process of learning apps (seal of quality for educational applications) is described.Design/methodology/approachOnline questionnaire for all biology teachers throughout Austria, on the one hand to find out the apps, and on the other hand to research how Austrian teachers find suitable apps. The data were evaluated using descriptive statistics.FindingsA total of84 different learning apps are currently used by biology teachers in Austria. There are two certified lernapps in Austria, both are used. The most common app in biology lessons is “Anton”. The teachers find the information about apps throughout their own research or through colleagues. There are regional and school-specific differences in regards of usage and knowledge about seal of quality. It needs its own teacher training (TT) via suitable learning apps, because problems (data protection, advertising) are sometimes not taken into account during use.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations of this paper are that some of the teachers indicated the apps from other subjects (mathematics) to use this learning app, although this is not possible for biology lessons. Data protection was stated to the best of the authors’ knowledge by the authors, if the authors were not sure it says “unsure”. The participants are mainly women, but this corresponds to the gender ratio, which is typical of the Austrian teaching profession.Practical implicationsThe overview of the apps, compiled by this Austria-wide research, can be taken over into the biology lessons of all teachers. In addition, on the basis of this study, a TT at the University of Education 2023 in Linz was created. In addition, the (currently little known) certification process of learning apps is described.Social implicationsThe TT and the overview of the learning apps used serve as guidelines for teachers as to which apps they can use in biology lessons without hesitation. Above all, the aspect of the follow-up of digital media/apps will be emphasized. Data backup, inappropriate advertising must be processed in class or completely omitted. Biology teachers need the right training (TT) and appropriate materials and tools (apps) to reduce problems (cybercrimes).Originality/valueCurrently, there is no prepared list of suitable (certified and uncertified) learning apps for biology lessons. There are isolated recommendations and individual apps, but the selection criteria and backgrounds of the authors are not clear. This list shows which apps (how often) are used by which teachers. In addition, the (currently little known) certification process of learning apps is described.

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Introducing Digital Education as a Mandatory Subject: The Struggle of the Implementation of a New Curriculum in Austria

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Navigating the Implementation of the Curriculum Digital Education in Austrian Secondary Schools: Challenges and Teacher Perspectives

Navigating the Implementation of the Curriculum Digital Education in Austrian Secondary Schools: Challenges and Teacher Perspectives

Media and Information Literacy in the Prescribed Curriculum: A Systematic Review on its Integration

The implementation of learning apps in biological education: a quantitative study of the current situation in Austria

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