Eighteen months ago at the Transforming Education Summit in New York, the Hub released our Challenge to the Sector and launched a global movement for an evidence-driven future in EdTech. Since then, our team and partners have been working hard to drive this movement forward, alongside many others across the sector. We want to see a substantial shift take place, where evidence is generated, made accessible, and actually used in all EdTech decision-making. We know this is the most significant way to ensure that technology is effectively used to help address the global learning crisis.
It is hard to quantify the progress of a movement: as we all know, the process of change is collaborative, complex, often contested and takes time. So in this blog we want to share a few snapshots that illustrate the kind of work EdTech Hub is doing to help drive the movement for an evidence-driven future in EdTech. We are encouraged by the progress made and the impact we are seeing, and recognise that there is much more to do!
Generating leading-edge academic evidence, and packaging it for decision-makers
Central to the EdTech Hub’s mandate is to generate high quality academic research on EdTech, addressing evidence gaps on important topics that can provide a better foundation for decision-making. So far the EdTech Hub research portfolio has resulted in the publication of 25 academic articles, with another 25 in the pipeline, each one targeting high-priority issues on how technology is used in education.
The 50 articles will make a major contribution to knowledge — but academic articles alone are not enough. We need evidence that is accessible for busy decision-makers. So alongside the ongoing research work associated with these publications, the Hub is now focused on synthesising evidence from across our portfolio and beyond into concise documents that can be easily put to use. We have just released the first suite of EdTech Hub Learning Briefs, each one drawing on multiple evidence sources and full of practical insights. They focus on topics such as Digital Personalised Learning, Messaging, Cost-effectiveness and more. We will be publishing additional Learning Briefs, and spin off supporting toolkits and resources, in the months to come. Look out for them and please let us know if there are particular new topics that would be valuable for you and your context.