Governance and Sustainability in Information Systems. Managing the Transfer and Diffusion of IT

Abstract

Do teachers have access yet to the forms of data that will allow them to meet the needs of different learners? School head teachers and managers, when seeking to manage quality education, are challenged by the dilemmas of balancing quality of provision through classroom interactions with quality of provision that meets the needs of the individual learner. A number of processes and technologies are now available that support schools in managing those balances: availability of data; access to different forms of data; and technologies that support areas of learning and different learning approaches. Although there is continued development of systems to support schools in each of these areas, this paper will argue that there is need to consider further development in all of these areas, and to link up critical elements and features more. This paper will look at, in a United Kingdom (UK) context: the forms of data normally accessible to schools; an example of the ways that some forms of technology are supporting the learning needs of the individual; and an indication of the limitations for consequential quality management arising from lack of ‘learning-to-data-to-learning’ links.