Evaluation of the East Midlands Broadband Consortium: Final Report
01 February 2006
Findings from an online survey
This evaluation examined the role and development of the East Midlands Broadband Consortium (embc) and the benefits of broadband connections to schools.
Overall, staff in schools with broadband had more positive views about the impact of connectivity than staff in schools without broadband. For teachers, the benefits of connectivity were more apparent in relation to activities directly related to teaching, such as enabling collaborative work, accessing resources and sharing good practice, than in relation to reducing time spent on management and administrative tasks.
Both teaching and administrative staff recognised the contribution of connectivity to their own professional development and to that of colleagues, but both groups also saw a need for further professional development in order to maximise the impact of connectivity in their schools.
The case studies of schools being carried out in Phase 2 of this study will focus on schools with broadband, and will explore in greater depth the ways in which connectivity is being used in teaching and learning, and how embc can contribute to greater and more effective use of connectivity in the future.