Digital curriculum requires leadership and faculty engagement
Digital learning may be changing the face of modern education at all age levels, but teachers and faculty need to be fully engaged to get the most out of the new technology, according to trade publication District Administration. Strong and direct leadership is required to ensure students’ questions and feedback are answered, while making the transition from books to laptops is easier when a consistent set of standards are understood and implemented by teachers. Resources such as IMS Global Learning Consortium can help schools put in place the standards needed, while solid tech support ensures students have access to age-appropriate material.

Dive Brief:

When districts decide to integrate digital coursework, having strong leadership and a consistent standards-based framework can help to ease the transition.

The interoperability standards organization IMS Global Learning Consortium provides resources that can help schools develop such standards.

School systems also need to consider accessibility and security measures that will protect both students of all ages and devices before launching into digitally-integrated learning.

Dive Insight:

According to District Administration, a hands-on approach to online or digitized coursework can help school leaders connect with both students and educators. With leadership that responds to concerns and presents avenues for questions and feedback, more teachers can be empowered to explain what's working and what's not in their classrooms. And by having entire school systems clearly understand and adhere to certain frameworks, it's easier to ensure that instruction will help students hit academic goals and targets.

That said, some research has shown that educators don't place as much weight in the importance of digital strategies as CIOs do. In higher ed, faculty have expressed doubts over learning benefits and how students are able to access the tech devices required to use such platforms. The same issues related to access and equity need to be considered by K-12 schools.