1-1 in education

Current practice, international comparative research evidence and policy implications

• Oscar Valiente
• OECD Directorate for Education

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22 March 2010Over the last decade, more and more public and private stakeholders, in developed and developing countries, have been supporting 1:1 initiatives in education (that is, every child receives her/his own personal computing device). This paper assesses the evidence about their impact.

1:1 initiatives represent a qualitative move forward from previous educational experiences with ICT, inasmuch as every child is equipped with ubiquitous access to a personal device (usually laptops, netbooks or handhelds). The paper tries to systematise the most salient evidence about 1:1 initiatives in education drawing on official websites, program evaluations and academic meta-reviews. Information is provided about the policy expectations, program designs and the challenges for an effective implementation of 1:1 initiatives in education. Given the limited body of evidence, the paper raises unsolved questions about the cost-effectiveness and educational impacts of 1:1 computing in education.