In an era where digital technologies play an increasingly vital role in education, the need for educational professionals to acquire essential digital skills and competencies has become paramount. Recognizing this, an initiative has been launched to develop an open tool for data fragility auto-assessment and process mapping in data academic management. The questionnaire aims to evaluate the digital skills and data literacy competencies of school IT administrators, shedding light on areas that require attention and improvement in order to ensure the privacy, security, and confidentiality of students’ data.
The questionnaire draws inspiration from the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators (DigCompEdu), which outlines the necessary skills and competencies for educators in the digital age. It specifically focuses on data literacy and responsible use of digital competence, seeking to enhance the understanding of IT administrators regarding the protection and management of sensitive student data.
The objectives of this innovative tool are as follows:
- Analyze Data Literacy Proficiency: The questionnaire assesses participants’ data literacy proficiency in relation to policies, actions, and processes aimed at safeguarding the privacy, security, and confidentiality of students’ data.
- Map Data Academic Management Processes: IT administrators can utilize the tool to map their data academic management processes, placing a special emphasis on data protection measures.
- Identify Flaws and Gaps: By utilizing the questionnaire, IT administrators can identify flaws and gaps in their data treatment processes, enhancing their awareness of potential vulnerabilities and privacy gaps.
- Detect Digital Skills and Competency Needs: The tool helps identify specific needs for digital skills, competencies, and knowledge in order to reduce data fragility issues in data academic management.
The implementation of this tool empowers schools to analyze their digital skills and data literacy competencies, fostering an environment that prioritizes the privacy and security of students’ data. It also enables the identification of gaps in data academic management processes, facilitating the implementation of necessary updates to policies and procedures.
When considering the questionnaire’s focus on IT administrators, it takes into account the dimensions of Technical Measures and Skills. Specifically, it assesses whether IT administrators possess:
- Strong technical knowledge of data security measures and technologies, including encryption, firewalls, and access controls.
- The ability to design and implement secure systems and networks that protect sensitive student data.
- Knowledge of current threats and vulnerabilities in the field of data privacy, and the ability to proactively address these risks.
- The capability to collaborate effectively with data privacy officers, school administrators, and other stakeholders to seamlessly integrate data privacy policies and procedures into the school’s IT systems and processes.
By conducting this comprehensive assessment, schools can bolster their data protection practices and ensure the responsible use of digital technologies in education.
The questionnaire is available in different languages and can be downloaded from Zenodo’s project: SPADATAS IT Admins Questionnaire
The Erasmus+ program of the European Union. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the consortium and neither the European Commission nor the Spanish Service for the Internationalization of Education (SEPIE) are responsible for the use that may be made of the information disclosed here.