A monitoring and evaluation scheme for an ICT-supported education program in schools

Abstract

More than 20 years after ICTs were introduced in schools, solid evidence of their impact on student attainment is still lacking. Reasons for this include the mismatch between the methods used to measure the effects and the type of learning promoted, the absence of information regarding the specific types of ICT used, and the scarce attention paid to the monitoring and evaluation of ICT for Education (ICT4E) programs. A monitoring and evaluation scheme would provide qualitative and quantitative data to refine, adjust and improve an ICT4E project, to learn from the experience gained, and to determine whether the program has served its client communities and how it might be replicated. In this paper we present a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) scheme for a specific ICT4E program that supports teaching and learning using mobile computer supported collaborative learning (MCSCL). Using the information provided by the scheme, we analyze the program's impact on student attainment in terms of teacher adoption of innovation. It was found that there were statistically significant positive differences in students whose teachers showed higher adoption levels when compared both to lower adoption cases and other defined control groups. We conclude that an M&E scheme supports the intervention process by providing real-time information for decision making through the application of assessment instruments according to a monitoring plan. This enables intervention activities to be adjusted so as to ensure an adequate level of adoption. © International Forum of Educational Technology & Society (IFETS).