Digitising educational practice

Scientists are hotly debating the impact of Covid-19-related school closures. There are indications that pupils' performance declined or stagnated, and that psychological disorders increased. However, experiences drawn from school closures can also be used to expedite digitisation in education. The project is therefore researching the impact of school closures in Switzerland and providing insights into further digitisation in education.

In 2020, schools across Switzerland were closed to contain the spread of Covid-19. This caught those involved in educational practice completely unprepared – not least because the role of digital tools in supporting lessons was not completely clear. The impact in schools has still not been fully researched. There is therefore a need to analyse this impact and provide an indication of how digitisation in educational practice can be strengthened.

The aim of the project is to investigate what impact Covid-19-related school closures had on pupils and educational practice. To do so, researchers are evaluating data from digital systems that promote learning as well as teaching materials and pupils' self-evaluation reports, and are conducting interviews with teachers. Based on the findings, the intention is to draw up a usage model of how pedagogically meaningful digitisation can be consolidated.

The project findings will help to give a better understanding of the impact of Covid-19-related school closures, thereby providing guidance on where support measures would be useful. The usage model for pedagogically meaningful digitisation in educational practice will help teachers exploit the potential of digital tools to the maximum, and will also prepare them for possible situations that are comparable with the Covid-19-related school closures.

The findings regarding the impact of school closures could be used as the basis for initiating targeted measures and corrective action. The usage model for pedagogically meaningful digitisation in educational practice will give teachers an indication of how digital tools could be used to support lessons. If situations arise that are comparable with the Covid-19-related school closures, schools will be better prepared.

Learning from the Impact of Covid-19 on Educational Practice to Expedite Pedagogically Meaningful Digitization

The publications of the project can be found in the SNSF Data Portal.