New Zealand’s ICT Strategic Framework has been developed by the education sector government agencies and the National Library to ‘improve learner achievement in an innovative education sector, fully connected and supported by the smart use of ICT’. Connectivity is a key component of this Strategic Framework and supports the Strategic Framework’s vision by providing access to a robust national open standards-driven ICT infrastructure for education.
Projects that are enabling connectivity are focused around:
- Connected networks;
- Appropriate security;
- Access & interoperability standards; and
- Shared ICT services.
A cross-agency committee (the Education Sector ICT Connectivity Committee) has also been established to focus on resolving architectural issues relating to the ‘Connectivity’ domain of the ICT Strategic Framework. This group is focused primarily, but not exclusively on access and interoperability standards and technical issues.
Examples of connectivity projects:
- The Schools Network Upgrade Project is cabling small schools that have no network so that they are able to use their internet connection to interact with other education organisations.
- Work is underway to ensure education sector websites comply with NZ Government Web Guidelines.
- A project is underway to connect public libraries with the Kiwi Advanced Research and Education Network (KAREN) in order to connect users with researchers, educators, data and internet resources.
- The Education Sector Authentication and Authorisation (ESAA) project is providing a secure and simple method of accessing education sector applications and resources.
For more information on the ICT Strategic Framework or the projects related to connectivity in the education sector, please email:
ICT.Sector@minedu.govt.nz [no spam]
e-Framework – The e-Framework for Education and Research
The e-Framework is an international initiative (involving agencies from UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Holland) to create a common framework for mapping the services, standards and specifications that are the basis for building effective, efficient and interoperable technical systems to support learning, administration and research in our educational organisations.
In July 2005, the Ministry of Education reached an agreement with JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee, UK) and DEST (Department of Education, Science and Training, Australia) to enter into a formal partnership around the e-Framework. This agreement means committing to contribute work from New Zealand to the development of the framework.
Additional information can be found by accessing the link to further information below.
JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) Technical Standards for e-Learning and Research
This document provides a list of the key standards and protocols that make up the JISC IE technical architecture [1]. This document is intended primarily for developers, in order to provide them with a single point of reference to the main technologies that they should be using when working in the context of the JISC IE [2].
These standards are intended to apply to all JISC IE service components listed in the JISC IE Glossary [3] (portals, brokers, aggregators, content providers, subject gateways, authentication/authorisation services, service registries, user-preferences services, OpenURL resolvers, institutional profile services, metadata schema registries, terminology services or other shared infrastructure services).
(JISC IE Technical Architecture (1)
(JISC IE 2)
(JISC IE Glossary (3)
e-Learning Standards Overview (PDF 324 KB, v1.4)
e-Learnz is a consortium of New Zealand polytechnics, universities, wananga and other organisations working in e-learning for tertiary education, and aiming to become New Zealand’s centre of excellence in the development and delivery of e-learning.
The Ministry of Education requested that e-Learnz prepare an overview of existing and emerging standards, and a set of recommendations for interim e-learning standards. These standards have also been designed for use with the e-Learnz Collaborative Tool Box project which is hosted on the Eduforge site.
Feedback on the document can be given through the tertiary e-learning standards wiki hosted by the Ministry of Education.
The L@arning Federation
The Le@rning Federation (TLF) is an exciting and innovative project that employs emerging technologies to produce world-class online curriculum content, which will both encourage student learning and support teachers in Australian and New Zealand schools.
TLF is a result of an agreement by the education Ministers in both countries to collaborate in developing this content and delivering it to schools electronically. The content will be freely available to all Australian and New Zealand schools.
The Le@rning Federation has adopted the learning object model for its online interactive content. TLF learning objects are based on the most recent research into how children learn and how teachers can facilitate learning, and their digital materials – which include graphics, text, audio, animation and interactive tools – are specifically designed to engage and motivate student learning. Digital resources such as images of documents, maps and photographs are also available.
To find out more about the Le@rning Federation and the work that the initiative is supporting, visit their website by clicking on the link below.
Australian e-Learning Interoperability Standards
This links provides access to Australian interoperability standards and their latest developments
Find Information on the Australian Flexible Learning Framework
(Related document Australian Flexible Learning Framework – VET Interoperability Framework)
This link provides access to the Australian Flexible Learning Framework recommended standards for technical services, information formats and intellectual property management
CETIS (Centre for Educational Technology Interoperability Standards)
CETIS represents UK Higher and Further Education on international educational standards initiatives. It advises Universities and Colleges on the strategic, technical and pedagogic implications of educational technology standards. CETIS also provides strategic and technical input to JISC programmes such as X4L, and the e-learning framework programmes.
Creating an MLE (Managed Learning Environment)
JISC Infonet's guide to creating an MLE elaborates in some detail the questions that institutions need to tackle to be able to successfully specify, design, implement and benefit from an MLE. It also provides a huge resource base of other people's and institutions' experiences and advice, and tries to do so in a way that is accessible to all the people who need to be involved - including managers, technical staff, teachers and support staff.