A Year in Review: 2024

Having recently passed the one-year mark since the launch of the Australian Network for Quality Digital Education, we thought it timely to reflect on the past year’s discussions, developments in the sector and lessons learned.  

Building an evidence base

In July and November, we published two reports aimed at embedding high quality and equity in Australian education technology (edtech). Towards high quality in Australian education technology calls for a national quality assurance process for edtech with clear criteria and a robust and transparent assessment process. Securing digital equity in Australian education outlines a pathway for a digital equity learning guarantee to address data and design inequities in digital tools and ensure all Australian students can access and benefit from the highest quality edtech. 

The Network’s website hosts a growing bank of resources, which includes our own publications alongside a selection of national and international sources. These include overarching principles to guide edtech and AI regulation, jurisdictional case studies, AI literacy classroom resources and advice for developers. We welcome recommendations for resources to include.  

Growing understanding of edtech in local contexts

To advance our understanding of high impact edtech use, we had the pleasure of consulting with teachers from diverse Australian schools. The insights from these conversations are spotlighted in Securing digital equity in Australian education and include edtech’s ability to enhance collective teacher efficacy as well as its dependence on teacher expertise for maximum benefit. Of course, teachers also need time and support to understand and use digital tools to drive learning and equity outcomes. 

We hope to continue building this collection of use cases. If you would like to suggest schools of interest, or other insights, please reach out to us. 

Knowledge sharing and collaboration 

The diversity of Network membership is crucial to enhancing our understanding of key edtech issues. Membership now includes representatives from all Australian governments, education sectors, technology, social benefit, research and philanthropic organisations. 

Our four Network meetings this year focused on key issues in Australian edtech, including quality design and selection, effective use, equity, and identifying sector knowledge gaps. The final meeting prioritised actions for the Network and sector in 2025, highlighting: 

1. Develop standards and quality assurance mechanisms for edtech 

2. Enhance professional learning through new or existing high-quality offerings 

3. Develop a benchmark for educational digital access levels 

Networks are all about connecting people in a common cause. In addition to wonderfully productive local connections, we have learned from international experts including Eric Hirsch (Executive Director of the U.S. EdReports), Dr Velislava Hillman (London School of Economics, EDDS), Dr Monica Bhatt (University of Chicago Education Lab), and Dr Sara Ratner (Oxford University Department of Education).  

We are delighted to have had the opportunity to share our insights in many forums, including: 

• Our Chair’s role in advising the House of Representatives Inquiry into Generative AI and the Education Ministers’ taskforce on AI, as well as an invited presentation to the OECD expert forum Education 2030  

• An article in the NSW Teachers’ Federation Professional Learning journal, The new wave of change: Artificial intelligence and education 

• The Australian Educator by the Australian Education Union, which features the Network’s quality report in its Summer 2024 issue.  

Developments in the sector 

There is an important and growing national focus on understanding the impacts of AI and edtech on teaching and learning. Policy highlights include: 

• The release of the foundational Australian Framework for Generative Artificial Intelligence in Schools 

• The recognition that quality-assuring resources is critical, by the Review to Inform a Better and Fairer Education System 

• The emphasis on equity in Study Buddy or Influencer, the report of the Inquiry into the use of generative artificial intelligence in the Australian education system. 

Network members contributed insights and expertise to all of these.  

It has been a jam-packed first year for the Network. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Network members and the wider education community for generously sharing their time, expertise, and insights. While there is still much to be done to ensure our students learn safely and effectively with high-quality digital tools, sound foundations have been laid to address these challenges. Our team wishes you all a restful and rejuvenating end-of-year break, and we look forward to seeing you in the new year.