Almost a decade ago, an official review of IT in the Scottish public sector, The McClelland Review1, concluded that Scotland was “lagging behind” in its use of IT. The report recommended that a national, overarching IT strategy was introduced.
In response, the Scottish Government launched a new digital strategy2 in 2012, and refreshed that plan3 in 2017. In all reports, the Government’s stated aim is to, “…put digital at the heart of everything we do – in the way in which we deliver inclusive economic growth, reform our public services and prepare our children for the workplace of the future.”
As a result of advances in technology, digital transformation has become the watchword of many nations, and Scotland is no exception.
Digital transformation is recognised as a key factor in citizens’ quality of life, contributing to the ability to participate digitally in society and in improving how public services are delivered.
Digital transformation, including the Internet of Things (IoT), is also essential in developing education services and teaching the skills needed for the future.
With rapid technology developments taking place, we are seeing everyday devices – from watches to whiteboards – become ‘smart’ technologies connected to the IoT.
The interest in concepts such as the ‘smart city’, the ‘smart hospital’, or the ‘smart classroom’, is at an all-time high. In diverse societies around the world, governments are exploring how these connected technologies can benefit their populations.
Research by Capita Technology Solutions on behalf of the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) examines these topics and looks at the innovations Scottish citizens are keen to see.
The research also explores what kind of digital initiatives people in Scotland are open to using and would like to see introduced in the future.
This report is the final in a series of three on this theme and focuses specifically on the potential of IoT and smart technology in Scottish education services. The first report explored digitalisation and IoT in healthcare and can be accessed here; the second looked at local government services and can be accessed here.
Overall, the research finds that across all areas of the public sector, there is a strong appetite for innovation and change. Key findings include:
Moreover, given that one million people in Scotland live in remote, rural, and hard-to-reach areas – this desire for greater connectivity is especially relevant to how education services are equally accessible to all students.
The responsibility for education provision in Scotland falls to its 32 local councils, supported by central government agencies including Education Scotland (Foghlam Alba) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority, alongside other public bodies4, and providers such as universities and colleges.
Often, the pupil population in Scotland can be dispersed over large geographical areas, and a considerable island population presents challenges; for instance, the Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) provides services to more than 27,000 people spread over 15 islands5.
These factors mean that delivering education across Scotland is a complex task compounded by unique geography.
Innovations in technology and the increase in digital channels have the potential to bridge gaps between education providers and students – for example, by supporting distance and remote learning initiatives.
The Western Isles Council (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar) has adopted this approach already, through its e-Sgoil (e-School) initiative which aims to improve equity and access to education across its region, through digital collaboration.
e-Sgoil also makes use of collaborative technologies, such as video collaboration platform Vscene, operated and owned by Ajenta, to give students access to other teaching resources and learning opportunities.
This approach is particularly useful in Scotland where there is a shortage of teachers in rural areas; recent data from the European Parliamentary Research Service found that schools in remote Scottish communities face problems finding qualified staff.
At the same time, in the physical classroom, technology can be applied to improve the student experience and increase teaching effectiveness, by better connecting teachers, students and learning materials.
Digital technology can also change how schools and universities track and monitor resources and facilities, and even improve student safety and security.
In this report, we’ll look at how digital transformation and the IoT can enhance education services. We’ll also explore the innovations that people in Scotland want and are willing to adopt, as the buzz around the ‘smart classroom’ and indeed the ‘smart campus’ continues to grow.
Finally, this report will also discuss how new, smart initiatives in education can be rolled out successfully; including the development of a future-proof technology backbone and infrastructure to underpin digital projects, allowing programmes to scale easily and benefit pupils across all of Scotland.
*The research was undertaken in May-June 2019; commissioned by Capita on behalf of the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN), and conducted by independent market research company, Opinium. The total sample size of 2,000 consists of Scottish adults aged 18 or over, from all regions of the country.