The Learning of Tomorrow Online Symposium on December 22 will feature an open discussion between representatives from the Digital Agency and other relevant government ministries and members of the Learning of Tomorrow Data Working Group, aimed at realizing digital transformation (DX) in education.

We will discuss this based on the public comments submitted to the Digital Agency, which is currently working on developing a roadmap for the utilization of educational data.

* Regarding the Use and Utilization of Educational Data: Public Comments

https://lot.or.jp/report/6971/

*Online Symposium Details

https://lot.or.jp/report/6732/

Date and Time: Wednesday, December 22, 2021, 12:00 PM–1:00 PM

■ Scheduled Speakers:

Daisuke Asano—Director, Service Policy Division, Commerce and Services Group, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Concurrently serving as Director, Education Industry Office); Hiroshi Itakura—Project Team Leader for School Digitalization, Bureau of Elementary and Secondary Education
, Ministry of Education
, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Takashi Kiryu—Strategic Officer for Education, Science, and Technology, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology;Director, Education DX Promotion Office, Bureau of Comprehensive Education Policy, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Kohei Yoshida　　Counselor to the Director-General,
Digital Agency Minoru Ogiso　　Public Relations Advisor,
Japan Association of New Economy Hiroto Yasuura　　Vice Chairman,
Japan Open Online Education Promotion Council (JMOOC) Vice Chairman Takashi Yanase　　President and CEO,
Kaho Wireless Holdings Co., Ltd. Ichiya Nakamura　　President,
iU Naoto Kikuchi　　Executive Director, CiP
Council (CiP) Nanako Ishido　　Chairperson
, Learning of Tomorrow
Association *Titles omitted

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* Regarding the Use and Utilization of Educational Data: Public Comments

https://lot.or.jp/report/6971/

Throughout Questions 1 and 2, decentralized management should be established as a key principle, and this should be clearly stated.
Specifically, I propose the following policy:

・Standardize the APIs for the e-Learning Portal and require disclosure to the PDS

・The PDS is decentralized (with the user as the sole data controller), and access to the learning e-portal’s API is limited to applications running on personal devices.

・Ensuring that data subjects (learners and teachers) themselves manage and utilize educational data—including electronic certificates of academic history—in conjunction with other personal data

・Organizations to which learners’ parents or teachers belong should also be able to manage and utilize educational data based on the data subject’s consent or a legal basis.

Question 1: What do you think are the key points to keep in mind when utilizing educational data?

There are three points to keep in mind.

1) Definition of Educational Data

Clarification of data involving teachers, learners, parents, educational institutions, private organizations, and others

2) Establishment of Basic Rules (Guidelines)

The Nature of Rights Regarding the Creation, Ownership, Modification, and Viewing of Data

Approaches to Obtaining Consent for the Use of Various Types of Data

3) Clarification of Data Management Guidelines

Principles of Openness for Utilization

Ensuring Safety and Stability

The specific details are as follows.

・It is necessary to establish definitions for educational data. When considering the utilization of educational data, it is essential to formulate guidelines for defining educational data—which serves as the foundation for its utilization—and for standardizing specifications. Since multiple government ministries and industries are involved in the development of these guidelines, it is important for the Digital Agency to lead a cross-sectoral effort that engages relevant government ministries and private-sector entities.

・We should clearly distinguish between public data collected by schools and private data collected by private-sector entities, and establish clear rules governing their handling, including collaboration between the two. A system is needed that allows private education service providers to make broad, timely, and appropriate use of public data in their research and development activities.

・Educational data must be handled appropriately to prevent leaks and unauthorized use. It is necessary to encourage users more than ever to participate in education and training programs designed to foster digital literacy. In addition, attention should be paid to securing efficient resources (such as support staff, grants, and public certifications) to support teachers’ transition to digital teaching.To provide literacy education, we should promote the support and development of operational frameworks that enable the expansion and creation of relevant content.

Question 2: What do you think is necessary when building an architecture for the accumulation and distribution of educational data?

You should present a simple and easy-to-understand architectural concept that includes the following four points.

1) The Nature of Certification

Individual Authentication

Verification of Individual Relationships (Teacher, Student, and Parent Relationships)

Organizational Certification

2) Organizing Data Access Rights

Rights Regarding Ownership, Modification, and Access to Data

3) Formulation of Guidelines for Standardization Initiatives

4) Clarifying the division of responsibility for terminal and network infrastructure maintenance and security

The specific details are as follows.

・In the provided architectural diagram, the distinction between existing elements at the site and new elements is unclear, which could lead to confusion. It is necessary to organize the information so that stakeholders can correctly understand the overall architecture and the approach to its design.

・It is necessary to present a “roadmap” that clarifies the entities responsible for reviewing the basic rules, the deadlines for such reviews, and the review plan. By providing clear guidelines on how stakeholders for each type of data are defined—with a focus on a structure in which learners manage and operate their own data—it becomes possible to implement an architecture that delivers benefits to learners.

・An architecture is needed that ensures interoperability across all schools and the organizations where learners are employed. Furthermore, we should anticipate the utilization of data through API integration with private-sector entities. An ID is needed that allows learners to manage their educational data in a comprehensive and cross-cutting manner. In accordance with the principle of decentralized management, this should be a self-sovereign ID managed by the learner themselves.

・I believe that both student and faculty/staff devices should be able to access and utilize data—including school administrative information—anytime and anywhere, subject to appropriate authentication and access controls; furthermore, I consider proper management and storage, such as through encryption, to be essential.

Furthermore, I believe that, as a fundamental premise for this question, consideration of the following three points is also required.

○ Necessary Verifications as a Prerequisite for the Use of Educational Data

What benefits will stakeholders gain from the development of this system architecture? Furthermore, is it necessary to describe specific needs, or to outline the added value compared to traditional education? (This includes learners—not only children in school but also working adults—as well as educators such as teachers in compulsory and higher education, and businesses.)

○ Scope

While the government’s policy calls for the creation of a roadmap with a view to future integration of data from within and outside schools, the description of how data from outside schools will be handled is not necessarily sufficient; therefore, shouldn’t discussions on this point continue?

○ Not only visualizing learning history, but also from the perspective of ensuring the quality of that history

Isn't the introduction of so-called "badges" and the like a prerequisite for the effective use of data?