The Use of Task Analysis and User Acceptability Audits in Implementing Information Technology Systems in Schools

Abstract

To be effective, new technology must meet the needs of the organisation into which it is installed. These needs may be expressed at different Ievels in terms of goals, organisational objectives and individual task needs. Any measure of successful implementation must take into account the inter-relation between these factors, rather than treat them individually. If the intended educational benefits are ultimately to be achieved it is imperative that systems adequately meet the business and/or curriculum needs of schools, contribute to effective organisational activity and meet the task and human/social needs ofthe user.Research in the industrial and commercial sectors has shown that the success rate of introducing IT systems into organisations could be as low as 20%. This is obviously a worry if such a Ievel of success is transferred to the education sector when the future and careers of so many people is at stake. This paper summarises work done in trying to develop strategies, derived from evaluation tools developed in the business sector, which can help to measure the organisational needs of schools and contribute to the evaluation of the IT systems through the task analysis and user acceptability audit, which provides data to feed back into implementation to reduce the possibility offailure and rejection by administrators and teachers.

Future directions for research on information technology and educational management

“…The development of the UM is described by Richardson [8] and Richardson and Otway [9]. Work so far carried out in contextualizing the UAA to evaluate IT systems in education is summarized in Wild [10]. The positive outcome from these pilot studies gives some confidence in the UM methodology as a basis for evaluation of implementation and use of IT systems for school management.…”

Evaluation of information technology in educational management for proactive development

“…However, the evaluation of the system that is implemented as a result of the investment in a proactive and cyclical way will help to ensure that the design and use are the best possible for the level of investment, with a greatly improved chance that the investment gives value for money in terms of positive effects on the management and success of the schools. Wild (1995) highlights the importance of user participation for the successful development and implementation of school information systems (SISs). A major reason for many failures in SISs is the lack of formative evaluation that could feedback valuable information during the innovation process.…”

Evaluation of ITEM for proactive development

“…However, the evaluation of the system that is implemented as a result of the investment in a proactive and cyclical way will help to ensure that the design and use are the best possible for the level of investment, with a greatly improved chance that the investment gives value for money in terms of positive effects on the management and success of the schools. Wild (1995) highlights the importance of user participation for successful school information systems (SISs) development and implementation. A major reason for many failures in SISs is the lack of formative evaluation which could feedback valuable information during the innovation process.…”