Spain’s digital program (Educa en Digital)

The Digital program (Educa en Digital) program is a comprehensive initiative aimed to modernise the Spanish education system through digitalisation. The program was created to support the digital transformation of the education system, particularly in response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Program aims to close 3 significant digital educational gaps:

• Access to technology
• The quality of use of digital tools
• Training to develop and use digital tools in the context of information and communication technology (ICT) skills. 

1. Device provision and internet connectivity:

The program targets students who lack the necessary technological resources to continue their education remotely. The initiative plans to provide:

• Educational devices, such as laptops or tablets, with pre-installed educational software.
• Internet connections for students who lack access at home, ensuring that learning can continue from any location.
• The program estimates the need for 500,000 devices to bridge the digital divide for students without access to technology at home.

This part of the program aims to ensure equal access to education, preventing socioeconomic factors from widening the gap in learning opportunities. Devices are loaned to students via schools for the duration of their studies.

2. Digital educational resources:

In this regard, the program focuses on providing digital content and resources for both classroom and remote learning. It aims to:

• Make available applications and curricular content that can be used in a variety of educational settings, from classroom teaching to home-based learning.
• Develop an inventory of existing digital resources in schools and conduct a needs assessment to determine gaps in available materials.

This effort includes not only traditional educational materials but also cutting-edge digital tools like simulations, virtual reality, and online collaboration platforms that enhance the learning experience.

3. Teacher training in digital competence:

Recognising the central role of teachers in education, the program emphasises building digital skills among educators. This includes:

• Training in the use of technology to aid teaching, including tools for virtual classrooms and digital lesson planning.
• Developing and applying new teaching methodologies suited for both in-person and online education, with the goal of equipping teachers to handle a digitally enhanced curriculum.
• This initiative will be managed by local educational administrations, ensuring tailored training according to regional needs.

4. Application of AI for personalised learning:

The program plans to integrate AI into the educational system, particularly to personalise learning for students. The goals include:

• Developing intelligent platforms that assist teachers and students in designing individualised learning pathways.
• Tracking student progress using AI-based tools, enabling teachers to offer more targeted support based on real-time data.
• AI will also help in analysing student behavior, learning styles, and outcomes, providing a detailed picture of each student’s academic journey.

This AI-driven approach is expected to improve outcomes by customising learning experiences to fit the needs and strengths of each student, with a particular emphasis on supporting those with special educational needs.

5. Funding and partnerships:

The program is co-financed by Red.es (a public enterprise) and regional governments, with support from the European Union’s FEDER funds. The program relies on collaboration between national and regional education ministries, private technology companies, and educational content providers.

• The initial funding includes €183.9 million from Red.es and an additional €70.2 million from the regional governments. Other components of the program will be funded as needed, depending on regional participation and specific needs identified through assessments.

In addition to funding for devices and content, the program allocates resources for the development and maintenance of AI systems and technical support for schools.

6. Implementation phases:

The program will be implemented in phases:

• Initial phases include distributing devices to students and schools and identifying resource needs.
• Later phases will focus on deploying AI systems for personalised learning, which is expected to be fully operational by late 2021.