It is important for schools to regularly review the effectiveness of their ICT infrastructure. Evaluations are generally undertaken as part of regular planning cycles, but can also be undertaken after any major changes to the infrastructure have been completed.
The NSSCF provides schools with an opportunity to make a major investment in their ICT infrastructure. Schools should evaluate the effectiveness of their investment within six months of implementation.
An evaluation helps schools determine whether the objectives and targets they set for their ICT infrastructure have been met. These objectives are generally described in the following two planning documents:
An evaluation also helps schools to review the cost effectiveness of their infrastructure and to determine whether it has been developed and managed in accordance with their overall budgets and their ICT infrastructure budgets.
During an evaluation, schools will generally consider whether the ICT infrastructure is sufficiently reliable and available for use when required. Schools should continually maintain records on the reliability and availability of ICT and include in those records information on problems that have arisen. Such records can provide valuable evidence during an evaluation.
ICT strategic plan
The ICT strategic plan describes strategies for improving the use of ICT for teaching, learning and school administration. Each strategy will generally include:
- intended outcomes
- measures of achievement
- evaluation processes.
ICT infrastructure plan
The ICT infrastructure plan describes how the ICT infrastructure will be developed to meet intended outcomes. The plan will generally include the following information:
- how access devices will be deployed in learning and administrative spaces throughout the school
- how the school’s network infrastructure will be developed
- how new application software packages will be implemented
- how technical support will be provided
- changes to key procedures, including security and cyber-safety procedures
- how technical products and services will be procured
- how redundant components will be disposed of
- changes to facilities, furniture and fixtures
- expenditure, including budgets for current and future costs.
The evaluation process, which comprises a set of questions, assesses the success and effectiveness of the school’s ICT infrastructure. The evaluation questions and process should be identified in the ICT strategic plan.
A sound evaluation process will be:
- quick and efficient
- rigorous, objective and based on evidence
- respectful
- coordinated by someone who did not manage the infrastructure development.
Questions that can be used to evaluate ICT infrastructure include:
- To what extent have the key strategic goals been met?
- To what extent have the intended outcomes, as described in the ICT strategic plan, been achieved?
- Is the ICT infrastructure sufficiently reliable?
- Is the ICT infrastructure available for use when required?
- Is the ICT infrastructure coherent; that is, does it comprise technologies that work together and fit with the overall ICT strategy?
- Is the ICT infrastructure affordable and sustainable, with current and future costs remaining within budget?
- Are effective management and support arrangements in place, with the overall ICT infrastructure being managed and supported by a group with a sufficient range of technical skills and a proven set of technical management practices?
- Is the ICT infrastructure meeting the school’s identified functional requirements?
- Has the target level of readiness, against the relevant ICT planning framework, been met?
- Have all the changes identified in the ICT infrastructure plan been completed satisfactorily?
- Are there any significant problems or issues that need to be addressed?
- Have any lessons been learned about implementation?
It is good practice to document the results of an evaluation in a concise report to relevant stakeholders. The report could highlight any changes that need to be made. The report should be part of the next cycle of ICT strategic planning and ICT infrastructure planning.