Germany - Nordrhein-Westfalen Listing
Germany is a federal republic consisting of sixteen federal states. All decisions regarding educational policies are made by the state ministries of education within the scope of federal regulations.
Depending on which state, Digital Literacy is referred to as Informationstechnische Grundbildung, Informations- und kommunikationstechnische Grundbildung, or Medienkunde. Informatics is always referred to as Informatik.
| Data Mode | Data Value | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Data Availability | Data available |
The data for all German states has been derived from public documents of the Federal Ministries of Education and from I.Starruss' thesis "Analyse der informatischen Bildung an allgemein bildenden Schulen auf der Basis der im Jahr 2010 gültigen Lehrpläne und Richtlinien". |
| Informatics: First Contact | Lower Secondary |
Informatics can be studied as an elective subject in middle secondary school starting in grade 8. |
| Informatics: Availability of Courses | Yes |
In all German states, Informatics can be taken as an elective course in high school. |
| Informatics: Curriculum Consistency | State |
The curriculum is consistent in higher secondary education ("Zentralabitur"). The core curriculum covers object-oriented modeling, data structures, networks, databases, and formal languages. Schools can decide on their curriculum for lower secondary education. |
| Informatics: Enrolment | less than 10% |
See this document (in German). |
| Digital Literacy: First Contact | Primary |
Computer shall be used, e.g., in English and Art classes. |
| Digital Literacy: A Separate Subject? | Separate subject |
With the exception of high schools, where Digital Literacy is taught integrated in other subject, Digital Literacy is taught as a separate subject ("Informations- und Kommunikationstechnische Grundbildung"). |
| Digital Literacy: Curriculum Consistency | State |
There is a state-wide curriculum for Digital Literacy. It dates back, however, to 1990(!). As a consequence, many schools have updated the curriculum within the scope of the state-wide curriculum. The exact way how Digital Literacy taught depends on the type of school; in high schools, for example, Digital Literacy is taught as an integrated subject. Students are expected to be taught 60 hours of Digital Literacy. The focus is in grade 8. |
| Digital Literacy: Enrolment | less than 10% |
Not offered; see this page (in German). |
| Teacher Training: Special Qualifications | Special qualifications |
"The system of teacher education in Germany consists of two mandatory parts: in part one, prospective teachers study two subjects at the university (e.g., CS and mathematics), corresponding domain-specific education and pedagogy, as well as general education, pedagogy, and learning sciences [...]. After their graduation from university, they then enroll in in-service training (“Referendariat”), which lasts 18 months. The in-service training finishes with a state examination that provides a teaching license in the two subjects studied and admits the graduates to the teaching profession." [Knobelsdorf et al., 2015], Section 3.1. Depending on the state and district, fast-track entries to the teaching professions for trained professionals may be possible. |
| Teacher Training: Number of Subjects | 2 |
See this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Entry Requirement | M.Ed. / M.Sc. + pgc. |
See Sec. 3.2 of this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: In-Service Length | 13-18 months | |
| Teacher Training: Stand-alone Digital Literacy Curriculum | No |
See this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Stand-alone Informatics Curriculum | Yes |
See this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Typical Path Availability | Yes |
See Appendix II.1 of this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Professionals as Teachers | (Yes) |
See this page (in German). |
| Teacher Training: Professional Experience | No |
See Sec. 3.2 of this document (in German) of the "Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany". |
| Teacher Training: Mathematics Teachers | Minor Training |
See this page (in German). |
| Teacher Training: Physics Teachers | Minor Training |
See this page (in German). |
| Teacher Training: Business Teachers | Minor Training |
See this page (in German). |
| Teacher Training: Engineering Teachers | Minor Training |
See this page (in German). |
| Teacher Training: Teachers from other Disciplines | Minor Training |
See this page (in German). |
| Teacher Training: Security of Employment | Tenure |
All teachers have tenure (derived from Article 33.4 of the German Constitution (translation)), though 20-25% do not have civil servant status. |
| Educational Policies | State | |
| Learning Objectives | State |