Slovenia’s education ecosystem is shaped by EU directives, national strategies, and specific initiatives aimed at developing digital competencies among stakeholders, including students.

Digital education in Slovenia began in 1994 with the Computer Literacy programme (1994–2000, extended to 2006). In 1998, the role of ‘ICT/digital coordinator’ was established in primary education. Since 1995, progress and achievements have been promoted nationally and internationally.

In 2006, the Programme Council for the Informatisation of Education adopted the Informatisation of Education Action Plan, setting new goals for all stakeholders. After 2006, various projects maintained momentum in digital education. From 2008 to 2013, the E-education project (E-šolstvo) developed the ‘e-competent teacher standard.’ During this period, extensive training was provided through seminars, conferences, and workshops. Over 10,000 teachers and students participated in e-communities (Moodle) for educational purposes.

Since 2015, the main project has been Innovative Learning Environments – Pedagogy 1:1, focusing on new teaching methods and digital competencies. Erasmus+ Action 3 projects have also been developing digital education practices (e.g., ATS STEM, AI4Teachers). The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital skills and technologies in education, revealing both opportunities and challenges in remote learning. Slovenia’s educational system adapted rather well to these new realities.

For digital education to have wide-ranging impacts, active societal participation and alignment with national goals (e.g., AI, digital transformation, green transition, literacy, mental health, and safe learning environments) are crucial. In 2019, the Programme Council for Digital Education was tasked with preparing a new national Digital Education Action Plan (ANDI), involving various stakeholders in its creation.

Slovenia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) further underscores the importance of digital education. It allocates substantial funds to enhance digital infrastructure in schools, develop digital curricula, and provide training for educators. The RRP funds support calls for proposals aimed at improving both digital competencies and fundamental computer science knowledge.

It is important to note that in Slovenia, computer science is not a mandatory subject in primary school. The curriculum includes an optional elective course in computer science for grades 4 to 7 and an elective course for grades 7 to 9. Computer science becomes a mandatory subject only in the first year of gymnasium (upper secondary school).

Three projects funded by the RRP that develop fundamental computer science knowledge will be described in the following section.

Innovative Pedagogy 5.0

This project builds upon and enhances the results of previous projects, which have already begun transforming learning environments and teaching paradigms with modern technology in Slovenia. These projects include E-šolstvo, Innovative Pedagogy in Light of 21st Century Competencies 1:1, E-school Bag, EU-folio, ATS 2020, NA-Ma Paths, Raising Digital Competence, SETCOM, A-SELFIE, and others. They aim to advance the results, experiences, and guidelines in digital competencies for learners and teachers and fundamental computer science and informatics content for students. They will achieve this with a comprehensive approach, considering all seven fundamental areas of change. For successful transformation and paradigm shifts in education, they will prepare innovative learning scenarios, presenting concrete examples and teaching approaches to enhance learners’ digital competencies and fundamental computer science knowledge.

These scenarios will be tested in 40 selected educational institutions with innovative departments and selected faculty. They will be supported by external providers and an innovative work organization that includes connecting consortium partners, building a learning community, an innovative teacher training model, and advanced research on introducing modern technologies into the learning process (from e-services and e-content to artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and humanoid robots).

An independent evaluation will be included to continuously assess the set results and indicators, alongside effective management. This approach will lead to comprehensive models for developing digital competencies and fundamental computer science content for learners in educational institutions, supported by appropriate didactic recommendations.

B-RIN

International and domestic analyses of the state of affairs in Europe and Slovenia show a need for the systemic integration and enhancement of teaching fundamental computer science and informatics content. The project aims to develop an experimental plan for introducing, implementing, and evaluating fundamental computer science and informatics content in innovative groups of kindergartens and school departments.

Consortium partners will personalize and differentiate didactic strategies and teaching approaches for learning in: i) preschool education, ii) the transition between preschool and primary education, and iii) primary school up to grade 5. They will adapt the selection of educational institutions, dynamics, and the concept of involving innovative groups/departments to the content goals. They will place special emphasis on adapting didactic strategies for teaching fundamental computer science content to the learning characteristics of students at different developmental stages (early, middle, and beginning of late childhood).

The project will achieve the following results:

• Survey and analysis of the current state in educational institutions regarding computer science and informatics, identifying needs, and forming content foundations for the implementation plan.
• Development, implementation, and evaluation of sample learning scenarios for introducing fundamental computer science and informatics content in preschool and primary education up to grade 5.
• Preparation of a Catalogue of Fundamental Computer Science Knowledge, enhancing the curricular framework for defining essential content, knowledge standards, and criteria for assessing student progress.
• Establishment of a learning community with a key national role, making materials and teacher experiences available to all members.
• Dissemination and promotion of introducing fundamental computer science content in the educational sphere locally and internationally, fostering positive attitudes towards integrating computer science content as both interdisciplinary and standalone mandatory activities in educational institutions.

KataRINa

The project KATARINA aims to develop didactics to enhance digital competencies and fundamental computer science knowledge among secondary school students by introducing innovative approaches and using modern digital tools to support the transformation of the educational process. This enables students to have equal opportunities to face modern societal challenges and operate successfully in the future.

The Faculty of Computer and Information Science at the University of Ljubljana leads the project, which runs from January 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026. Developmental research will be conducted in 10 secondary schools. Students (from the gymnasium and preschool education programs) will participate in 24 annual teaching hours focusing on fundamental computer science and informatics during the school years 2023/2024, 2024/2025, and 2025/2026. Activities began with first-year students in the 2023/24 school year, with new students joining in the next two years.

All projects are co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Education, and the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The projects are implemented in accordance with the Recovery and Resilience Plan within the developmental field of Smart, Sustainable, and Inclusive Growth, component: Strengthening competencies, especially digital ones, and those required by new professions and the green transition (C3 K5) for investment measure E: Comprehensive Transformation (Sustainability and Resilience) of Green and Digital Education.