The School IT Administrator

Investigating the changing context, role and training needs of IT managers

Headlines

• There is a problem that needs to be addressed– IT administrator is an essential role as schools become

digitised– Yet many have multiple roles, are under-qualified,

overwhelmed by work, under-supported, and under-recognised

• There is an unmet demand for online training– There are some training needs in common (network

operations, security, BYOD, cloud…)– With some national variation, including language

Background

• Digital age schooling = rising expectations of ‘IT administrators’– = the person who oversees the technical development and

implementation of IT, e.g. providing technical support to teachers, administering the network, managing devices in the school and addressing security issues

• Little known about their number, role, profile or needs• Is IT support in schools too much taken for granted?

• Partnership with Cisco, Aug 2014-Jul 2015, to understand and investigate the training needs of IT advisors in schools

Scope of the studyAbout the

schoolTechnical

environmentICT advisor

profile Training needs

• Number of students

• Number of classrooms

• Age range

• Type/quantity of equipment

• Operating System

• Infrastructure• Wi-Fi coverage• Management

systems• BYOD

• Scope of responsibilities

• Qualifications• Previous

training

• Willingness to be trained

• Language • Main

challenges encountered

Method

• Online survey, 23 questions in 25 languages• Publicised via ministries, Cisco and EUN contacts• Self-selected sample• Data collected and analysed• Global and country reports (Poland, Italy, Spain, Slovakia,

France, Turkey)

Analysis

• Over 3,600 responses by April 2015

• 20 languages / countries reached a threshold

• Note:– DE = Germany +

Austria; – EN = UK + Ireland; – FR = France + Belgium

+ Switzerland

LVNLBGEL

HRROSV

MTFRCZENETDEFI

DAHUPTSLPLESIT

NOLTSKTR

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 1000

2

5

6

8

24

38

64

70

84

96

96

98

115

128

128

140

144

145

190

215

246

480

528

556

1: The IT administrator’s school

• The ‘typical’ IT administrator works in a medium-sized secondary school with between 200 and 1,000 students in 11 to 50 classrooms

• A small number work in primary schools and/or in small schools with fewer than ten teaching rooms

• 16% work in large schools (1,000+ students)

ICT infrastructure: computers

MeanITPLESTR

NOCZFRPTDALTDE

MTHUSKSVSL

ENFI

ETRO

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Percentage of IT administrators in schools with more than 100 computers

100-250

250-500

More than 500

% respondents

Coun

try

/ la

ngua

ge

Wi-fi penetration

MeanCZDAENETFI

FRDEHU

ITLT

MTNOPLPTROSKSLESSVTR

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Wifi in more than 75% of classrooms

% respondents

Coun

try

/ la

ngua

ge

External hosting

MeanITPLESTR

NOCZFRPTDALTDEMTHUSKSVSLENFIET

RO

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Service hosting

Services are hosted exter-nally via third-party provider / cloud

% respondents

Coun

try

BYOD prevalence

Mean

IT PL ES TR NO CZ FR PT DA LT DE MT HU SK SV SL EN FI ET RO0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

% schools where BYOD is permitted / supported

Students / teachers bring their own devices School provides services for personally owned devices

% re

spon

dent

s

2: The ICT administrator’s profile

Mean

IT PL ES TR NO CZ FR PT DA LT DE MT HU SK SV SL EN FI ET RO0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

60%

60% have relevant qualification

Have a post-school qual-ification in computer science or similar

% re

spon

dent

s

Role: 89 % also teach

Mean

IT PL ES TR NO CZ FR PT DA LT DE MT HU SK SV SL EN FI ET RO0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Most IT administrators have teaching duties

Some teaching activities

% re

spon

dent

s

Other responsibilities

Managing a resource centre, computer lab/s

Non-ICT related management and coordination

Support to colleagues generally

Specific support to colleagues involved in eTwinning projects

Developing and maintaining school website

Pastoral (e.g. year coordinator)

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

46%

5%

19%

5%

19%

7%

Professional development

Mean

IT PL ES TR NO CZ FR PT DA LT DE MT HU SK SV SL EN FI ET RO0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

37%

Percentage of IT administrators having had no training at all since appointment

No training at all; I learnt on the job

% re

spon

dent

s

Interest in online training

Very likely Likely Neutral Unlikely Very unlikely0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

21%

51%

30%

Likelihood of participating in online training

In English, with people like me from other countries

In my own language, with people in my country only

Interest in English online training

MeanITPLESTR

NOCZFRPTDALTDEMTHUSKSVSLENFIET

RO

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Interest in English language online training(% respondents likely or very likely to be interested)

Very likely

Likely

% respondents

Interest in own language training

MeanITPLESTR

NOCZFRPTDALTDEMTHUSKSVSLENFIET

RO

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Interest in home language online training(% respondents likely or very likely to be interested)

Very likely Likely% respondents

Top five challenges and training needs

Challenges1. Staff development in

pedagogical ICT2. Hardware / software

management3. Staff support4. Security, data

management, e-safety5. Network operations

Training needs1. New tools and services2. Security, data

management, e-safety3. Cloud services4. Network operations5. Staff development in

pedagogical ICT

Challenges and training needs

Hardware installation and managementSoftware installation and management

Central services deploymentNetwork operations (broadband, wired, wifi)

Cloud computingBYOD management

Security, data management, e-safetyNew tools, services and products

Interoperability of learning resourcesCurriculum and assessment e.g. new courses

Management, ICT policy, project planning, advisingBudgeting including maintenance and replacement

Staff development: pedagogical ICTStaff development: technical

Staff supportTeaching computer science

Operation of learning management systems

0 20 40 60 80

Training need

Challenge

Aggregated scores (max. possible = 100)

School

Denmark, Italy,

Portugal, Spain

ICT infrastructure

IT administrator

>1000, older

students

<200, younger students

Finland, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia

Highly digitised

Digitally developing

Poland, Romania,

Turkey

Denmark, Norway, Sweden

Highly qualified

Less qualified

Czech Republic, Lithuania,

Poland, Romania,

Spain

Finland, Italy,

Malta, Sweden, Turkey

National groupings

Challenges Training needs

English, cross-border

My language, national

Poland, Romania,

Turkey

Denmark, Norway, Sweden

Network operations

People-related

Czech Republic, Lithuania,

Poland, Romania,

Spain

Finland, Italy,

Malta, Sweden, Turkey

Clusters: challenges and needs

A role under stress and under-supported? Some comments

“Need for online training and get certified. It is high time to regulate the status of computer experts in schools”

Little support and understanding from management who have poor knowledge of challenges and risks associated with a developing ICT infrastructure

“We lack a certified or uncertified training internationally recognized”

“Give me ONE place where I can look for / read the news to the theme of ICT in schools”

“It would be good to create a central European team of teachers from schools or some platform directly for I feel it would be useful to form a support network to manage hardware and software problems, especially in primary and secondary schools”

“Am I an engineer or a teacher?”

“Somehow got landed with being the go to person for issues”

Conclusions

• There is a problem that needs to be addressed– IT administrator is an essential role as schools become more

digitised– Yet many have multiple roles, are under-qualified,

overwhelmed by work, under-supported, and under-recognised

• There is an unmet demand for online training– There are some training needs in common– With some national variation, including language

• Next steps?