Inter College 01

ICT in Secondary Education in Cyprus National Report Intercollege/University of Nicosia

Dr Philippos Pouyioutas Vice Rector University of Nicosia/Intercollege Mr Emilios Solomou Campus Director University of Nicosia/Intercollege

Bridging Insula Europae Enhancing Pupils Motivation by Developing European Dimension of Learning and the Use of ICT 134214-LLP-1-2007-1-IT-COMENIUS-CMP Grant Agreement 2007-3435/001-001 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

1. Introduction This report describes the findings of the research on ICT in the Educational System of Cyprus and more specifically in secondary education. The research was carried out through: –

literature review

–

interviews with teachers

–

interviews with university professors

–

questionnaires (based on the Research Index) sent to schools

–

interviews with experts

The literature review has been carried out mainly through the Internet. The main source of information regarding the use of ICT in the state schools of primary and secondary Education in Cyprus is the Eurydice report: “Use of Computers and the Intranet in Schools in

Europe

2006

–

Country

Brief

Cyprus”

at

http://www.eurydice.org/portal/page/portal/Eurydice. The research into the curriculum of the Pre-primary and Primary Education programmes of study of 5 Universities in Cyprus in conjunction with the interviews of teachers of primary education and university professors of Departments of Education, revealed that there are 34 courses integrated into the curriculum of primary education teachers, dedicated to the use of ICT in Schools. No such courses exist normally in the curriculum of the more specialised teachers of secondary education. The interviews with experts confirmed the findings of the research. The following experts were interviewed: –

Dr Philippos Pouyioutas, Professor, Department of Computer Science, Vice Rector, University of Nicosia, e-learning researcher

–

Dr Despo Ktoridou, Associate Professor, Department of MIS, University of Nicosia, elearning researcher

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Mr Yiannos Mylonas, Head of the ICT Department and Computer Teacher, G. C. School of Careers, Nicosia

The rest of this report is organised as follows. In Section 2 we present the findings of the research in state schools. As mentioned before, this was based on the Eurydice report and was “validated” through interviews with teachers of state schools. In Section 3 we present the findings of the research in private schools. This was done through interviews with teachers of private schools of secondary education as well as through a questionnaire which was constructed based on the one prepared by the project co-ordinator. The questionnaires were sent to 3 private schools of secondary education and were completed by 15 teachers. In Section 4 we give some example of best practices in Cyprus. Finally in Conclusions we summarize our findings and make some recommendations.

2. ICT in State Schools of Secondary Education The main conclusions emanating from the Eurydice report are: 1. ICT is adequately used in State Schools 2. Teachers are in favor of using ICT 3. Teachers are confident and motivated in using ICT 4. It seems that ICT is more used in Primary Education rather than in Secondary Education; this maybe due to the fact that Primary Education teachers take ICT courses when studying at University 5. Barriers still exist but the motivation and will to overcome the barriers also exist. The following are the more detailed findings reported in the aforementioned report:

2.1 ICT Equipment and Internet in State Schools Percentage of Schools having –

Computers for Teaching

99

–

Internet Access

95

–

Website

51

–

E-mail for Teachers

49

–

E-mail for Pupils

–

LAN

23

–

Intranet

17

7

2.2 Computers for Education in State Schools Percentage of Schools using Computers in –

Computer Lab

74

–

Classroom

90

–

Library

41

–

Other Locations

38

2.3 Teachers and the use of ICT in State Schools –

75% of the teachers have used computers in class

–

Most frequent and intensive use is made by teachers in primary schools

–

The older the teachers the less they make use of computers and the Internet

–

Teachers are very much in favour of using ICT

–

More than 95% of teachers see significant benefits for pupils from the use of ICT

–

88% teachers wish there was better support and maintenance

2.4 Computers used in Class in State Schools –

75% of teachers have used computers in class

–

69% of teachers use a computer to present or demonstrate

–

51% of teachers have pupils use a computer in class

2.5 Percentage of Computers used in Class in State Schools –

17% of teachers use a computer in =<5% of their lessons

–

18% of teachers use a computer in =>6% but =<10% of their lessons

–

27% of teachers use a computer in =>11% but =<24% of their lessons

–

27% of teachers use a computer in =>25% but =<50% of their lessons

–

18% of teachers use a computer in =>51% of their lessons

2.6 Source of Educational Material used in State Schools Percentage of teachers using Educational Material from –

The Internet

77

–

The School Intranet

55

–

CDs

85

2.7 Computer and Internet Access in State Schools –

Schools are well equipped with computers

68%

–

Internet is sufficiently fast

62%

–

Better maintenance is needed

89%

–

Poor quality of Internet material

31%

–

Hard to find good quality material

37%

2.8 Teachers Attitudes Regarding the Use of ICT Percentage of teachers saying that computers/Internet should be used for –

Students to do exercises and practice

–

Students to retrieve information

–

Teaching of office tools

–

Collaborative work

65 90 60 83

2.9 Teachers Confidence in the Use of ICT –

Using word processing software

81%

–

Using presentation software

66%

–

Using email

62%

–

Downloading and installing software

35%

2.10 Barriers for not using ICT in State Schools –

Lack of Computers

57%

–

Lack of Adequate Skills

14%

–

Lack of Interest

–

Lack of Adequate Material

–

Subject not Appropriate to be

–

taught using ICT

5% 21%

21%

3. ICT in Private Schools of Secondary Education The research for the use of ICT in private schools of secondary education was done through interviews with teachers, as well as through a questionnaire which was constructed based on the one prepared by the project co-ordinator. The questionnaires were sent to 3 private schools of secondary education and were completed by 15 teachers. The three schools to which questionnaires were sent are: American Academy Nicosia, G C School of Careers Nicosia and Highgate School, Nicosia. The main conclusions emanating from this research are very similar to the ones of state schools and are as follows: 1. ICT is widely used in Private Schools for teaching/learning and administrative work 2. Teachers and students are motivated and willing to adopt ICT teaching/learning 3. Private Schools invest heavily in ICT 4. Barriers still exist but the will is there to overcome them The following are the more detailed findings of this research: 3.1 How ICT and Web-Based Tools Are Used in Schools –

Internet: Research, find information, filter information, check for validity of information

–

software and hardware used for quizzes / tests

–

Spreadsheet to solve problems – in accounting, physics, small scale simulations

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Interactive boards.

Teachers can get the attention of the students easier than

using traditional methods. –

Projectors, PowerPoint presentations and multimedia are used by teachers to deliver their lessons.

–

School administration: A DBMS is used for keeping information and creating reports about students, teachers and classes.

–

A custom made software is used by students to vote for the student council

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A custom made software is used for evaluation purposes

3.2ICT used by students –

To entertain: Students prepare CDs, DVDs for student organized events containing videos, songs, and PowerPoint presentations.

–

To learn: Access to the Internet; students learn how to use different software and hardware, how to prepare documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, websites and e-books.

–

To collect information: Wide internet use

–

To communicate with teachers, friends, schoolmates: Students use email to communicate with teachers and schoolmates

3.3ICT used by teachers

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To learn: Wide internet use: WebPages, forums, encyclopaedias.

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To collect information: Wide internet use: WebPages, forums, encyclopaedias.

–

To communicate with students, parents, colleagues: Teachers use email to communicate with students and colleagues.

3.4 Changes needed because of ICT-based teaching/learning –

Teachers need to be trained

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Teachers need to be supported

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Teachers need to adjust their lessons

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Classes need to be shaped and equipped in a different way

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Schools have to employ more computer professionals

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Parents/teachers may feel left behind

3.5 How Schools Deal With the Required Changes Schools have employed a group of ICT professionals responsible for the following: –

Study the changes in educational technology

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Suggest educational technologies to be used in the school

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Train the teachers

–

Offer support to the staff

3.6 Barriers and Obstacles in Using ICT –

Technology is expensive

–

Training is needed. Not all teachers are competent computer users.

–

Time is needed to prepare lessons using technology – teachers may not have the time to do so.

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Resistance to change.

3.7Reasons Why ICT is not Fully Utilized in Schools

–

Cost: it is very expensive to fully equip all classes with appropriate hardware and software; support and security issues also arise; a School network is expensive to create, upgrade and support.

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Training: an ongoing process; time consuming; not all teachers can learn at the same pace.

4. Best Practices 4.1 DIAS – The Learning Management System (LMS) of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus The Learning Management System (LMS) of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Government of Cyprus (DIAS) is currently being developed by (Siveco Romania, HP, Microsoft, H.S. Data). Although this is a pilot for seven schools, the target is to roll out this solution to the whole public, pre-university education in Cyprus (a total of more than five hundred schools). The eLearning Portal Solutions for Education provide a powerful education resource that brings teachers, students and their families together in a virtual environment to enable stronger collaboration and communication through a single sing-on portal. With these solutions, teachers can spend less time on paperwork and more time teaching while students can benefit from a rich, more robust learning experience. eLearning Portal Solutions are built with reliable, industry standard hardware and services and are designed to integrate easily into your existing information technology environment. eLearning Portal Solutions help you improve information sharing and collaboration among all stakeholders in the education process.

4.2 The School Administration System of the G. C. School of Careers The GC School of Careers aim is to provide state-of-the-art facilities and state-of-the-art equipment for its students and faculty. Every computer, accessible by students and teachers, is directly connected to the Internet, allowing such capabilities as Internet browsing, Email, Ftp, IRC, telnet, audio and video conferencing. Input and output devices such as scanners, digital cameras, projectors and printers, are used by students and teachers, which are encouraged. All Departments of the GCS use IT to deliver course material. The IT infrastructure is based on the latest Microsoft technologies and server applications, which can offer a many number of facilities which include:

•

Mobility (students, faculty members) wireless capabilities, always-on connectivity, information sharing

•

Data management Database capabilities, hosting, reporting, sharing

•

e-learning/distance learning Infrastructure for remote and/or live lectures, conferences and seminars

•

Community and collaboration Collaborative infrastructure, networking (portals, extranet…), anywhere/anytime access, identity management.

•

on-line voting for student council representatives

•

course evaluation by students, etc.

An example of the use of ICT in class follows: The lecturer uses multiple-choice and games simulation software and an interactive board for an interactive educational game that takes place in class. Students answer questions displayed on the interactive board with a remote control. All remote controls are numbered. On the class projection screen every remote control corresponds to a rocket. If a student answers a question correctly his rocket moves forward (Rocket race). Students learn having fun. Teachers can correct and analyze results easily.

4.3. EIT (English for Information Technology People) Portal EIT (http://www.english-it.eu/learning/) is a portal for IT students, comprising English lessons at the elementary/post-elementary level, as well as offering activities for higher level students, with a strong emphasis on learner training and autonomy. The portal has been pilot used by students of secondary schools for improving their knowledge of IT terminology, learning English and improving their reading, writing and communication skills. Overall the project was well received. Information about this project can be found in the References section of this report.

4. Conclusions The main conclusion of our research is that ICT is adequately used both in state and private schools for teaching and learning purposes as well as for providing administrative support and on-line educational services. Barriers such as cost, training needs, lack of skills, resistance to change, time constraints, change of philosophy in teaching and learning exist. However the will is there to overcome all the barriers ,since all stakeholders involved, realize the importance and need for the full utilization of ICT in Education. Our suggestion and recommendation is to invest heavily in ICT since learning to leave in our global Digital Society starts from the early stages of primary and secondary Education.

References

1. Use of Computers and the Intranet in Schools in Europe 2006 – Country Brief Cyprus http://www.eurydice.org/portal/page/portal/Eurydice.

2. Pouyioutas, P., Gridasova, V., Petter, C., Poveda, P., Solomou, E., Shekeris, A. & Kalogerou, V. 2007, The EIT E-Learning Module, International Conference on E-Business, ICE-B 2007 (part of the International Joint Conference on E-Business and Telecommunications, ICETE 2007), Barcelona, Spain, July 2007, pp. 353-356, sponsored by IEEE Systems Man and Cybernetics (SMC) Society, in cooperation with ACM SIGMIS. http://www.ice-b.org/Abstracts/2007/abstracts.html

3. Vilte Gridasova, Alina Ivanovaite and Philippos Pouyioutas (2008a) The Pilot Implementation of the EIT (English for Information Technology) E-Learning Portal, IADIS Multi Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems (E-Learning), Amsterdam, Netherlands, July 2008, Vol. 2, pp. 123-127, http://www.elearningconf.org/

4. Philippos Pouyioutas , Victoria Kalogerou, Emilios Solomou, Vilte Gridasova, Alina Ivanovaite and (2008b) Evaluation of the Pilot Implementation of the EIT (English for Information Technology) E-Learning Portal, Fifth Research Workshop, EDEN, Paris, France, October 2008, http://www.edenonline.org/eden.php?menuId=39