Digital education content guidelines for schools in the works

Addressing a growing need

The expert group on digital content (DEC) is made up of 24 members from 19 EU countries and three international observers (OECD, UNESCO, World Bank). It has been created to lay out guidelines that establish shared terminology, requirements, and quality criteria for creating, producing, distributing and using digital educational content.

The group first met on 2 July at a meeting kicked off by the Director for Innovation, Digital Education and International Cooperation, Antoaneta Angelova-Krasteva.

Work planned

The guidelines will help the European Commission create a reference framework for digital educational content. It’s an initiative that aligns with Action 3 of the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 and the Council Recommendation on enabling factors for successful digital education, adopted in November 2023.  

The guidelines will

• help teachers and school leaders find, select, acquire, use, and qualify high-quality digital education content
• support stakeholders in developing, producing, and distributing appropriate and reliable digital content

Timeline

The group's work will span 14 months, concluding in July 2025. It will produce

• a shared vocabulary and terminology for facilitating communication, data sharing, technological harmonisation, investment decisions, and regulation across EU countries
• quality requirements and criteria to assess the educational value, relevance, reliability, flexibility, interoperability, and accessibility of digital education content
• guidelines to aid educators and school leaders in selecting, creating, using, reusing, repurposing, qualifying, and exchanging digital education content

Results of the first meeting

The initial meeting highlighted a collective expectation and desire for cooperation in the field of digital education content. This is a subject which often receives less attention than infrastructure and connectivity.

Stakeholders, including educators, learners, public authorities, and DEC providers, reported significant fragmentation and a lack of clarity regarding reliable, high-quality digital educational content. This uncertainty weakens trust in the development and use of such content, especially with emerging issues related to artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies.

Stay tuned and follow the ongoing work to improve digital education content and support educators and stakeholders in navigating this evolving landscape.

Members, meetings and details on the register for expert groups