The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE) and Shanghai Open University (SOU) released the Analytical Report on the Use of Advanced ICT/AI for Digital Transformation of Education. This work was produced within the joint project of UNESCO IITE and SOU “Promoting ICT Capacity Building and Open Education in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Technologies”.
The Report comprises the following sections:
- An introduction that contains a description of the situation in the field of digital transformation of education and use of digital technologies in teaching and learning, as well as a substantiation of the relevance of the study and the conclusions obtained on its basis.
- Methodology defining the main approaches to the research and formulating the criteria for case analysis.
- Analysis of 36 cases of introducing digital technologies in secondary and higher education presented by educators from 11 countries (Armenia, Australia, Brazil, China, Croatia, India, Ireland, Russia, Serbia, United Arab Emirates, Zimbabwe).
- Conclusions summarizing the analysis of cases on the digital technologies used and recommendations for teachers, leaders of educational organizations, and policymakers in education.
The collected cases cover all key areas of the digital transformation of education, such as teaching and learning practices, organization of the educational process, content and curricula, assessment practices, professional development, and infrastructure. Numerous cases represent changes in teaching and learning practices. These cases include a variety of practices, ranging from the organization of training with the help of the simplest digital tools to the use of personalized learning platforms. The important practices of involving students in the development of digital content and digital products, project-based training, and educational research are reflected as well.
The study highlights the importance of efficient organization of the educational process in a digital environment. The analyzed cases demonstrate various options for solving the problems of consolidating heterogeneous educational resources, managing distance learning, and more complex issues of adaptive management of educational trajectories and personalized selection of courses. Much attention is paid to developing and using digital educational content based on modern technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. The study shows that practice of using open digital educational resources and services as well as resources developed by other organizations and educators is important in the context of digital transformation.
The Report is available on the UNESCO IITE website in English.