Digitalisation of the Austrian education system

The project focuses on two systemic obstacles for the implementation of Austria’s ambitious reform agenda for the digital transformation of the education system. Firstly, there is currently no systematic, curriculum-based approach to ensure that teacher educators at Austrian university colleges of teacher education have the necessary skills to effectively develop teachers' digital competences. Secondly, the current delivery model for free and quality approved educational media for Austrian schools is based on print products (textbooks) and does not sufficiently integrate digital education media products. Emergency online schooling during the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to urgently address these shortcomings. Based on an analysis of the status quo in Austria and good practices from other EU Member States, this project sets out to develop and pilot a proposal for a digital upskilling curriculum for teacher educators. It also aims to make recommendations for its adoption and roll-out across the country. Regarding the provision of educational media, a revised delivery model and a roadmap for its implementation are being developed. By the end of the project, it is expected that the Austrian authorities will have a tried and tested a set of tools to support the digital upskilling of teacher educators. The project is also expected to provide them with a validated proposal for a revised delivery model for educational media and a concept for its implementation. They will also present a clear roadmap with proposals for the implementation and communication of these two key areas on the reform agenda for the digital transformation of the education system.