13. EVALUATION ON ICT EDUCATION CONTENTS LINKAGES
IN GENERAL AND TERTIARY EDUCATION OF MONGOLIA
Uyanga.S (NUM, SMCS, Ph.D)
Munkhtuya.L(MSUE, CSITS, master)
1. ICT Education in General Education
1.1 Organization of ICT Training in Secondary Schools
The computer training and informatics as a subject has been included in the secondary school
curriculum in Mongolia since 1988. The goal is to act on general education by presenting fundamentals in
computer and information science, providing students with basic knowledge and skills to explore different
fields of science, preparing them for their future life and role in a knowledge based society. For past years, a
number of activities were implemented to enhance the informatics subject curriculum, such as development
of standards, training of informatics subject teachers, development of training manuals and materials for the
informatics subjects in secondary schools.
At present the following institutions offer undergraduate and graduate courses in ICT field: the Computer
Science and Management School (CSMS), and Telecommunication and Information Technology School
(TITS) of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST), School of Computer and
Information Technology (SCIT) of the Mongolian State University of Education (MSUE), School of
Mathematics and Computer Science (SMCS), and School of Information Technology of the National
University of Mongolia (NUM), The State Agricultural University and several other private tertiary
educational institutions. The number of graduated students majored in ICT were 378 in 2002, 443 in 2003,
and 523 in 2004 year (NSO 2004). According to the MOECS statistics in 2008, more than 40 tertiary
institutions offer undergraduate and graduate courses in ICT field and 6699 students are majoring in ICT in
2007-2008 academic years.
1.2 The Informatics Curriculum Standard for Primary and Secondary Education, 2004
One of the most important steps taken from government to improve informatics training was
development of first standard for informatics education in year 2000-2004. In 2004, Mongolian National
Center for Standardization and Metrology approved Informatics Education Standard for Primary and
Secondary Education. Its implementation commenced from September 2005 and will be updated by 2009.
Within this standard Informatics subject should be taught starting from 5th grades from the academic year
2005-2006.
There are five content domains: Information, Computer, Algorithm, Model, and Information Technology
(Table 1, 2. and 3). Each piece of information in particular domain is tightly linked with other pieces of
content within the same domain and closely linked with that in other domains.
1.3 Analysis on Implementation of the Informatics Curriculum Standard
Despite the Informatics Curriculum Standard for Primary and Secondary Education introduced since
2004, the most of secondary schools do not follow this standard due to poor quality of Informatics training
and other reasons. The reasons include:
- Secondary schools, especially in rural areas still lack professional informatics teachers;
- Most of Informatics teachers are concentrated more on simple ICT usage or on programming;
- Lack of teaching and learning materials required under the Informatics standard;
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14. - Lack of computer and hardware supply;
- Lack of electricity in rural areas;
- Instability of Informatics teachers.
Therefore within framework of Curriculum development of University Computing and ICT
Education in Mongolia project in 2008-2009 academic years we carried out survey on implementation of the
Informatics Curriculum Standard for Primary and Secondary Education. According to this survey of carried
out in 46 secondary schools (12 of them from rural area), Informatics curriculum of all schools comprises
basics of computer, Windows operating system, text processing (Microsoft Word), multimedia presentation
(Microsoft PowerPoint), spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel) according to the contents of the Informatics
Curriculum Standard. It also confirms that within Informatics subject knowledge and skills defined in
Information and Information technology domains are fully offered to the student. Curriculum of most
schools includes Internet usage (95.6%), Image Processing (91.3%) Algorithms (86.9%), Networking
(89.1%), and Modelling (91.3). Information/Information systems (65.2), Information Culture (21.7%) and
Computer and Information Ethics (34.7%) included not widely. Standard contents such as Service
applications and database are not included in curriculum in all 46 schools. Few schools still offer non-
standard contents: Programming (30.4%), Web Technology (15.2%) and Publishing (17.3%). Regarding
Programming survey shows that schools using Programming languages such as C+ and Pascal.
From survey on Informatics Curriculum, it can be concluded that implementation of the Informatics
content standard is not satisfactory in secondary schools and there is still a gap between urban and rural
schools. Especially in this time of rapid development of ICT having great impact in daily life and its
broadened usage, it has become vital to build up ethical norms of handling with computers and information.
It is extremely low scale that the content of Computer and Information Ethics was studied by 34.7% of
surveyed schools (16.7% of rural schools, 41.2% of UB schools), while the content of Information Culture
was studied by 21.7% (16.7% of rural schools, 23.5% of UB schools) and the content of Information and
Information system was by 65.2% (25% of rural schools, 79.4% of UB schools. It also shows that curriculum
coverage of contents of Information domain is not in same level in urban and rural schools.
According to the curriculum survey all schools include contents of Computer, Algorithm, Model, and
Information Technology in their Informatics curriculum according to the Informatics Standard relatively
well. However some contents of Information domain are not fully included in curriculum.
As a described in Informatics standard for Primary and Secondary Education, each piece of information in
particular domain (Information, Computer, Algorithm, Model, and Information Technology (Table 1, 2. and
3)) should be tightly linked with other pieces of content within the same domain and closely linked with that
in other domains. Unfortunately, curricula at all schools are divided by domains and the most of Informatics
teachers are teaching Informatics by domains. This gives rise to poor linkage between separate contents
which in turn results in shortcomings that the learners become weak in using them to their needs as
combination or “whole”.
2. ICT Education Contents Linkages in General and Tertiary Education
2.1 Analyses on Contents Linkages in Curriculums
According to this survey carried out in 46 institutions, compulsory ICT curriculum mostly comprises
basics of computer (100%), Windows operating system (97.8%) text processing (Microsoft Word, 97.8%),
multimedia presentation (Microsoft PowerPoint, 97.8%), Internet usage (71.7%), spreadsheets (Microsoft
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15. Excel, 87%), and database (76.1%). Image Processing (37%), Web technology (43.5), and Service
applications (30.4%) are included not widely. Following contents included in curriculum of few institutions
Algorithms (15.2%), Networking (26.1%), and Publishing (8.7%). Modelling, Human and Computer
Interface, Programming, Applications for specific purpose and Computer and Information Ethics are not
included.
According to the comparative analysis on contents of Informatics subject in secondary schools and
compulsory ICT training at tertiary institutions, the basics of computer (100/100%), Windows system
(97.8/100%), Internet usage (100/97.1%) and office application programs such as text processing
(97.8/100%), spreadsheets (87/100%), multimedia presentation (97.8/100%) are included both levels’
curricula. Informatics subject in secondary schools starts from basics of computer. It is also the same in
compulsory ICT training at tertiary institutions.
These common contents are still in the same level in both secondary and tertiary education, without
any linkages or improvements. It means instead to give appropriate knowledge and skills for using ICT as a
tool in their future learning activities Compulsory ICT trainings are concentrated merely on computer basic
knowledge and simple use of ICT. Compulsory ICT training do not have any content linkages with
Informatics subject of secondary education, and repeating informatics content by repeating basic
information. Therefore we need to develop ICT curriculum on international level and integrate its contents
with secondary school ICT subject and other subject curriculums.
2.2 Analyzing Contents Linkages by students knowledge and skills
One of the main indicators of evaluation of implementation of Informatics standard, ICT Education
Contents Linkages in General and Tertiary Education is ICT knowledge and skills of new undergraduate
students enrolled from secondary schools. For this purpose we carried out survey to measure compliance of
the standard on the basis of students’ knowledge and skills.
We carried out survey on ICT contents linkages by students’ knowledge and skills in 2008-2009
academic years. Within this survey we tried to define current implementation of Informatics standard and
knowledge and skills acquired within Informatics subject in secondary schools. Total 121 students of 1-2
courses from School of Computer and Information Technology, MSUE who studied compulsory ICT subject
were participated in this survey. 71% or 86 students of total students participated in questionnaire were
graduated from secondary schools in rural areas, 29% or 35 students were from Ulaanbaatar city’s schools.
64% of students participated in questionnaire studied Informatics and 36% did not study in secondary
schools. It shows that organization of Informatics training is not satisfactory and some schools still do not
organize Informatics training. It mostly related to the lack of Informatics teachers, computer and electricity.
All of students which studied Informatics subject were answered they can use Windows operating system.
83.1% of them can use MS Word, 63.6% - MS Excel, 12.9% - MS PowerPoint, and 5.1% - Image processing
and Publishing.
3. Summary
Research findings
1. For past years, a number of activities were implemented to enhance the informatics subject curriculum,
such as development of standards, training of informatics subject teachers, development of training manuals
and materials for the informatics subjects in secondary schools.
2. According to this survey of carried out in 46 secondary schools (12 of them from rural area), Informatics
curriculum of all schools comprises basics of computer, Windows operating system, text processing
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16. (Microsoft Word), multimedia presentation (Microsoft PowerPoint), spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel)
according to the contents of the Informatics Curriculum Standard. It also confirms that within Informatics
subject knowledge and skills defined in Information and Information technology domains are fully offered to
the student. Curriculum of most schools includes Internet usage (95.6%), Image Processing (91.3%)
Algorithms (86.9%), Networking (89.1%), and Modelling (91.3). Information/Information systems (65.2),
Information Culture (21.7%) and Computer and Information Ethics (34.7%) included not widely. Standard
contents such as Service applications and database are not included in curriculum in all 46 schools. Few
schools still offer non-standard contents: Programming (30.4%), Web Technology (15.2%) and Publishing
(17.3%).
3. According to the comparative analysis on contents of Informatics subject in secondary schools and
compulsory ICT training at tertiary institutions, the basics of computer (100/100%), Windows system
(97.8/100%), Internet usage (100/97.1%) and office application programs such as text processing
(97.8/100%), spreadsheets (87/100%), multimedia presentation (97.8/100%) are included both levels’
curricula. Informatics subject in secondary schools starts from basics of computer. It is also the same in
compulsory ICT training at tertiary institutions.
4. These common contents are still in the same level in both secondary and tertiary education, without any
linkages or improvements. It means instead to give appropriate knowledge and skills for using ICT as a tool
in their future learning activities Compulsory ICT trainings are concentrated merely on computer basic
knowledge and simple use of ICT.
5. Organization of Informatics training is varied due to different levels in terms of educational capacity or
environment and teaching staff among schools.
6. Informatics curriculum does not fully adhere or reflect the Informatics content standard.
7. Informatics training fails to conduct in accordance with the Informatics curriculum. Though subject is
covered within the curriculum, the learner obtains insufficient knowledge. The bulk of students having no
solid knowledge and skill of Informatics enrol in tertiary institutions to a greater number.
Recommendations
1. Compulsory ICT training do not have any content linkages with Informatics subject of secondary
education, and repeating informatics content by repeating basic information. Therefore we need to develop
ICT curriculum on international level and integrate its contents with secondary school ICT subject and other
subject curriculums.
2. There are need to organize the compulsory ICT trainings in tertiary institutions as a direct continues of
informatics in secondary education and need to organize as a teaching and learning tools for other subjects,
and to comprise the correlation between other educational fields.
References
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