Abstract:

The rapid digitalisation of education across Europe has generated unprecedented volumes of data related to teaching, learning, assessment, and school management. Digital platforms, school information systems, and large-scale assessments now produce extensive datasets with significant potential to inform pedagogical decisions, support school improvement, and guide evidence-based policymaking. However, many educators and policymakers still face challenges in interpreting, contextualising, and using educational data in meaningful and responsible ways. Fragmented approaches to data literacy, uneven competence levels, and limited opportunities for sustained professional development contribute to a persistent gap between data availability and its effective use. Addressing this gap requires not only technical skills, but also a deeper understanding of ethical, organisational, and pedagogical dimensions of data use.

The EVIDALI project (Evidence Informed Data Literacy for Policy and Practice) is a three-year Erasmus+ KA3 initiative coordinated by European Schoolnet, involving seven core partners and three associated partners from five countries, launched in 2025. The project responds to this challenge by promoting an integrated approach to strengthening data literacy at both policy and school levels. It adopts a comprehensive multi-method framework combining system-level analysis, stakeholder engagement, and validation of real-world practices in schools.

The project architecture includes mapping data literacy policies and strategies across EU Member States, conducting a large-scale survey to identify teachers’ current practices, challenges, and training needs, and organising Policy Learning Labs that bring together policymakers, researchers, and experts to co-construct evidence-informed strategies. In parallel, workshops with teachers and teacher educators identify and validate effective examples of data use in schools, ensuring that outputs are grounded in authentic professional contexts and reflect the diversity of European education systems.

A central component of EVIDALI is the development of a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), designed as a scalable professional development mechanism and as the culmination of a knowledge-generation process informed by empirical evidence and validated practice. Rather than functioning as an isolated training resource, the MOOC integrates insights from policy mapping, survey findings, and practitioner experiences to ensure relevance and contextual sensitivity. Drawing on research on online learning environments and AI-supported personalisation, the course emphasises adaptation to diverse learner profiles, mechanisms that sustain engagement at scale, and the integration of ethical principles related to privacy, responsible interpretation, and appropriate use of educational data. It also includes contextualised examples, applied decision-making scenarios, and inclusive learning pathways addressing participants’ varied backgrounds and institutional contexts.

The expected results suggest that closer alignment between research, public policy, and educational practice can strengthen evidence-informed decision-making in schools. At the same time, the project demonstrates the potential of open, evidence-based professional development initiatives to enhance educators’ competences and foster a culture of critical, ethical, and informed data use in education.

Keywords:

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), Data literacy, Educational Policy, Professional Development.