A new study released by the National Broadband Network (NBN) claims that the service is already having a significant and positive impact on education.

The 21st Century Teaching Strategies for a Highly Connected World concluded that educational benefits are already flowing through to children in those schools already connected to the network.

The three-month study, conducted by educational consultancy company ideasLAB, drew on the experiences of 60 teachers and educators at PLC Armidale in NSW, Willunga High School in SA and the TAFE teacher training institute in Armidale.

The findings include:

  • 96 per cent of teachers agreed that the NBN will increase their capacity for professional development and learning
  • 93 per cent of teachers said it will allow them to expand their personal learning networks
  • 86 per cent said the NBN will enable them to teach in more powerful ways
  • 79 per cent said the availability of the NBN will lead to an increase in the quality and relevance of teaching
  • 96 per cent believe the NBN will allow students to achieve more and increase the quality of their work
  • 82 per cent said that the breadth, depth and relevance of their learning experiences will be increased
  • 89 per cent said students will be able to engage in richer, deeper and more ambitious inquiry-based projects
  • 93 per cent of teachers said students will be able to learn with and from others.

 

ideasLAB Assistant Director Richard Olsen said: "The NBN is helping to break down the walls of the classroom. We found that online, collaborative learning supported by fast, ubiquitous broadband is motivating our children to become even more engaged and successful in the subjects they learn."

Download the full report here: www.nbnco.com.au/educationreport