The changing role of education and schools

Abstract

Following a growing awareness that many countries are moving from an industrial-based to information-based economy and that education systems must respond to this change, the Assessment and Teaching of Twenty-First Century Skills Project (ATC21S) was launched at the Learning and Technology World Forum in London in January 2009. The project, sponsored by three of the world's major technology companies, Cisco, Intel and Microsoft, included the founder countries Australia, Finland, Portugal, Singapore and England, with the USA joining the project in 2010. An academic partnership was created with the University of Melbourne. The directorate of the research and development program is situated within the Assessment Research Centre at that university. Two areas were targeted that had not been explored previously for assessment and teaching purposes: Learning Through Digital Networks and Collaborative Problem Solving. The project investigated methods whereby large-scale assessment of these areas could be undertaken in all the countries involved and technology could be used to collect all of the data generated. This in turn was expected to provide data from which developmental learning progressions for students engaged in these twenty-first century skills could be constructed. This project has major implications for teaching and education policies for the future.