From textbooks to tablets - Canadians predict digital education will transform classrooms, PWC study finds

MONTREAL, June 25, 2014 / CNW / - According to the third study on civic engagement conducted by PwC, entitled The Connected Classroom: How Canadians see the evolution of education, nearly three-quarters of Canadians believe that digital education offers powerful tools to improve teaching.

Some 1,900 Canadian teachers, students and parents shared their thoughts on the current state of the education system and their vision for the future.

Performance and Priorities of the Education Sector in Canada

• Almost 60 % of Canadians rate the ability of the education system to be good or very good to prepare them for what they do today or will do tomorrow.
• Over 40 % of Canadians believe that the education system could do more to provide more personalized education.
• Canadians believe the education system could do better to prepare students for the world of work (82 %), make learning more attractive (79 %) and support different learning styles (69 %).

The study indicates that Canadians see digital education as a tool that will help increase their satisfaction with the system and make the improvements needed.

Perception of the impact of digital education in Canada

• More personalized learning for students is the number one reason Canadians see a need for digital education (50 %).
• Canadians believe that digital education will have a positive impact on access to education (82 %), personalized learning (81 %) and learners' understanding of technology (79 %).
• More than 70 % of Canadians want educational institutions and government to create more opportunities for digital education.

Commentary on the findings of The Connected Classroom:

“Canadians are, overall, satisfied with the current education system, but believe that the digital shift could improve outcomes for students in multiple ways and that digital tools could have a huge impact, especially in terms of customization, flexibility and access to course content. How do educational institutions determine their infrastructure and training needs and the appropriateness of their initiatives as the digital transformation takes shape? New digitally-based learning methods hold great promise and we believe that institutions at all levels must act now to adapt to the changing needs of Canadians. »- Sébastien Doyon, Partner of the Consulting group at PwC Montreal

Additional PwC Digital Education Resources

• To view the full study or to download a graphic summary of the study's findings, visit www.pwc.com/ca/digitaleducation or to learn about other studies on civic engagement, visit www.pwc.com/ca/fr/healthcare-public-sector / citizen-compass-engagement.jhtml.
• To hear Domenic Belmonte talk about the study's findings The Connected Classroom, visit the www.pwc.com/ca/digitaleducation .
• To read our publication, Education Matters, visit the www.pwc.com/ca/en/public-sector-government / education-matters.jhtml

Follow PwC on Twitter at @PwC_Canada_LLP and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pwccanada.

Methodology of the study

The study titled The Connected Classroom: How Canadians see the evolution of education was carried out using “Options Book”, our research tool that presents respondents with an interactive experience framework. Over a three-week period, 1,910 Canadians participated to answer the central question: What is your vision for the future of education in Canada?

Participants learned about digital education, explored important relevant questions, and looked at services that might be of interest to them after learning about some of the pros, cons and options. The conclusions focused on the qualitative and quantitative results from the Options Booklet and identified ways to develop new delivery methods capable of meeting the needs and desires of Canadians.

PwC Canada
PwC Canada helps organizations and individuals create the value they seek. More than 5,700 associates and employees are dedicated to providing high quality assurance, tax, advisory and transaction services. PwC Canada is a member of the PwC network, which has more than 184,000 people in 157 countries. For more information, visit our website at: www.pwc.com/ca/fr.

© PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP / srl / sencrl, an Ontario limited liability company, 2014. All rights reserved.

PwC refers to the Canadian firm, and sometimes the global PwC network. Each member company is a separate legal entity. For more information, visit our website at www.pwc.com/structure.

SOURCE PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)