Chapter 7: The Effects of ICT Standards on Educational Motivation and Learning: The Australian Experience

The nature and extent of standards in the educational application of ICT have been controversial issues throughout the world. In this study the nature of standards and the experience of applying standards to educational use of ICT will be examined at a number of levels of education. The standards in this field actually encompass multiple sets of standards, for example, the technical and organizational standards required for the implementation and maintenance of computer systems at the level of the large-scale educational enterprises in Australia, for example, the NSW Education Department is one of the largest single education provider systems in the world with over 2,200 schools and 74,500 students (2004 figures), and the educational standards applying to teaching and learning with ICT. The standards applied in the different Australian states are quite different but there have been some attempts at national coordination as well. Thus the educational effects of the various possible permutations of standards in these areas will be examined, especially in terms of their effects on motivation and learning, and effects on particular student populations. This chapter will be primarily a synthesis of the material published in conference proceedings from the national Australian Computers in Education Conferences.