EDUCATION MATTERS
When IEA Hamburg began developing the very first version of the tool in 2013, it was in response to a growing need to handle increasingly complex survey preparation tasks in a consistent and privacy-compliant way. With the major update of OSE in 2023, the platform became more accessible and modular. It introduced two main user environments: the Survey Designer module, for setting up and configuring studies without advanced technical skills, and the Survey Production module, which enables schools and national data managers to enter data and manage participation information. This structure has made the system easier to maintain and more intuitive for users at various levels.
The current stage of development focuses on the features required by international studies. These include expanding the language capabilities, adjusting workflows, and providing support for national data managers, school coordinators and multi-level access management. One of the planned enhancements is the ability for OSE to retrieve participation statuses and relevant data from other systems. This approach will enable more responsive coordination and improved monitoring across all levels of study implementation. Although the system is not yet live for international use, IEA is laying the groundwork now, through careful development and piloting, to ensure a smooth transition. The decision to follow a staggered approach—first perfecting the system nationally, then scaling it internationally—has allowed IEA to learn from real-world use and iteratively improve the platform. Each enhancement, whether technical or functional, is made with the dual goals of reliability and flexibility in mind. As the education community prepares for the next cycles of ICILS and PISA, OSE stands as a reflection of IEA’s commitment to innovation rooted in practical experience. With its evolving capabilities, the system is poised to become a cornerstone of an efficient, secure, and globally coordinated platform for study preparation and implementation. ■
“OSE has proven itself as a secure, efficient, and user friendly solution for schools and administrators.”
Before its national rollout, an external security penetration test was conducted in 2023 to validate the system’s safety and resilience. A new round of testing is scheduled for 2026, ahead of the international release, to ensure continued compliance with evolving security standards.
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