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The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) National Research Center at NTNU, in collaboration with the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), hosted the 5th National Research Coordinator (NRC) meeting for ICILS 2023 in Taipei from June 24 to 28, 2024. The event began with a welcome banquet on the evening of June 24 at the Grand Hyatt Taipei. This highly anticipated international event in the field of information technology education was attended by over 70 representatives from some 30 countries, including the United States, Germany, France, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. In response to the global rise of artificial intelligence, the meeting will focus on AI literacy, forming the basis for future AI education policies worldwide.
Organized by NTNU, the meeting and banquet were attended by NTNU President Cheng-Chi Wu and several senior administrators, including Vice President Yao-Ting Sung, International Director Yi-De Liu, National Chair Professor Chin-Chung Tsai, and Chair Professor Meng-Jung Tsai, who welcomed the international guests. The event underscored NTNU's dedication to information technology education and its influence in the fields of computer education and digital learning research. Officials from the Ministry of Education, including Deputy Minister Bing-Cheng Yeh, Director General of the Department of Information and Technology Education Ying-Tian Wu, Director General of the National Academy for Educational Research Yuan-Chuan Cheng, and Deputy Director General Ching-Hsiang Yen, were also invited, highlighting the government's commitment to information technology education.
The ICILS is a comprehensive global trend survey conducted by the IEA, an international cooperative organization comprising national research institutions, government research agencies, scholars, and analysts dedicated to studying, understanding, and improving global education. The ICILS project assesses the digital capabilities of students worldwide and provides solid evidence for educators, researchers, and policymakers to track progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study targets eighth-grade students, teachers, ICT staff, and school principals from various countries, using test items and questionnaires to examine students' basic concepts about and practical problem-solving abilities with information technology, teachers' digital teaching capabilities, and schools' digital leadership, and to understand the factors affecting students' digital learning achievements.
The ICILS project began in 2013 and conducts a global survey every five years. Currently, it is in its third survey, with Taiwan participating for the first time. The project execution is assisted by a research team from NTNU, commissioned by the Ministry of Education’s K-12 Education Administration and the National Academy for Educational Research, with NTNU President Cheng-Chi Wu and Professor Meng-Jung Tsai from the NTNU Learning Sciences Program serving as National Research Coordinators. At this fifth NRC meeting of the ICILS 2023, hosted by Taiwan, 2023 evaluation results will be verified to facilitate the subsequent release of the international report. The IEA plans to hold an international press meeting at the end of the year to announce the international assessment results and global rankings, with Taiwan holding a simultaneous domestic press meeting. Given the increasing prominence of AI, the NRC meeting in Taipei will generate global interest, with its focus on the content framework of AI literacy, forming the basis for future AI education policies for education authorities worldwide.