CRISS is part of a larger effort by the European Union to help schools and their students progress towards digital age learning. Another EU initiative to further this aim is SELFIE, the Self-assessment tool for digitally capable schools. This self analytic approach to technology allows schools and institutions to evaluate and support schools in using digital technologies. Any educational institution that is considering taking part in CRISS will find in SELFIE a perfect tool to evaluate how CRISS fits into the school’s digital age learning action plan. Thus, both EU-funded projects complement each other by providing both analysis and action, SELFIE focused on the school as an organisation and CRISS on learning outcomes.

SELFIE’s main focus is on learning instead of technology, taking into account factors such as school strategies, teaching practices, infrastructure, curricula and student experience. By using this tool, schools are able to consider their current use of digital technologies for innovative and effective learning. SELFIE offers an opportunity to see an accurate reflection of where each school stands in order to make the best decisions about how they want to evolve.

SELFIE is being developed by the European Commission, together with experts from across Europe. Participants include 600 schools from 14 countries who have the opportunity to work with the new SELFIE tool in this pilot phase, before it is further developed for interested schools in Europe in early 2018.

The key characteristics of SELFIE include self-reflection and assessment involving all main actors in a school’s environment in order to spark internal dialogue focused on the school’s digital age learning action plan.

The 2018 launch of SELFIE will involve a wide slice of the EU community including 14 countries led by 70 education experts who received input from 5000 school directors, teachers and students.

In SELFIE pilots, schools from Belgium (Flanders), Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Spain, UK (Northern Ireland) as well as from Georgia and Serbia will participate. Also, in collaboration with UNESCO’s Institute for Information Technologies in Education, a handful of schools in Russia will test the SELFIE tool.
Projects like CRISS and SELFIE are important initiatives for schools to ensure they are making the most of digital competences and technologies. In this way, students will be ready for the digital future and job market which await them.