Becta selects SuperSTAR for measuring safe, universal access to learning through technology
Melbourne, Australia, May 30, 2008 – Space-Time Research Pty, Ltd. (STR) – the global leader in Self-Service Business Intelligence solutions for government – announced today that Becta – the United Kingdom’s (UK) lead agency for technology in learning – has selected STR’s SuperSTAR solution to provide insights into the use of technology in UK schools.
Becta is responsible for coordinating the government’s e-strategy for education. Its strategic objectives include universal access to learning through technology; safe online environments for children and improved use of technology to personalize learning. SuperSTAR will enable Becta to provide quick access to information on the progress of these objectives to all interested parties. Becta will also use SuperSTAR’s self-service solution to provide a service that allows their users to ask their own questions of the data rather than receiving static reports.
“The effective use of technology in UK schools can positively transform the educational process and help students achieve their potential,” said Vanessa Pittard, Becta’s E-strategy Director. “SuperSTAR provides us with a solution that allows us to continually learn from our education data, offer our users fast and easy ways to access information and ensures we do not expose potentially confidential details.”
“We are honored to have been selected by Becta as a trusted partner in its mission to seek continual improvement in education throughout the UK,” said Don McDougall, CEO of STR. “We look forward to helping Becta provide better services to learners, teachers and local authorities.”
Any UK government organization that shares data is particularly aware of the need to protect information about the individual. Becta has a duty to protect the privacy of individual teachers and schools and will use SuperSTAR’s confidentiality capabilities to do this.
An important function of Becta is to monitor and publish the use of information technology in the public education sector by measuring the utilization of hardware and software. Becta does this through research, direct interaction, sophisticated multi-response surveys and base lining school performance. SuperSTAR provides Becta a faster and easier way to meet the information requirements from the many different perspectives of their users without placing additional burden on their own statisticians.