EdTech Hub: Clear evidence, better decisions, more learning
It’s been a busy month here at the Hub. This month we feature articles on:
Actionable guidance for governments on how to reach the most marginalised
How to monitor distance education - a brief for Bangladesh and beyond
Call for ideas to respond to Covid-19
And much more!
BBC Podcast - People Fixing the World
How to put the internet in a box: A great podcast featuring our very own Taskeen Adam. Have a listen for more on what to think about when implementing an EdTech intervention and how evidence can inform scalability.
French digital education resources
Check out this blog about our partnership with Learning Equality. Vahid Masrour reflects on our effort to crowdsource digital education resources in French and how to make them more accessible to Francophone learners who don’t have access to the internet.
Introducing our Specialist Network
A new blog introducing our 20 specialists who work with the Hub to deliver on-demand rapid evidence-based advice. Their expertise ranges from open educational resources, using tech for basic education, curriculum reform, teacher professional development, EMIS, and more!
Engaging with equity: Insights from our first Sandbox meetup
EdTech Hub has several “Sandboxes” in which we support partners to improve their EdTech interventions. Last week we brought together the participants of our Sandboxes for a knowledge-sharing session to discuss “How can we engage caregivers and communities when introducing EdTech interventions?” This is something we care about a lot at the Hub, and the group had fascinating insights. You can read their reflections here.
Open Innovation Competition for Maths
Our friends at the mEducation Alliance are working to raise $50,000 to bring maths games to low-income countries. They have launched a crowdfunding campaign for
The report identifies five key ways to deliver better quality and more resilient education systems that enable everyone to have access to equitable learning opportunities:
Create a whole society approach that delivers equity in education.
Enable access for all to digital technologies by providing resilient funded infrastructures for learning, funded by central government rather than Ministries of Education.
Be context-specific at all times, especially in terms of the technologies used in education and the content crafted for learners.
Ensure that appropriate pedagogies are used in the practices of teaching and learning.
Use digital technologies wisely and safely.
Distance education - A brief for Bangladesh and beyond By Tom Kaye, Caspar Groeneveld, and Amreen Bashir
Monitoring distance education is a complex task. In our latest brief, we take a look at this challenge, with a particular focus on Bangladesh. We argue that countries should be monitoring distance education in multiple areas: availability, access, usage, and learning. We showcase a number of innovative approaches that countries have used to monitor outcomes in these areas.
This brief was produced by the Hub’s Helpdesk in response to a request. Check out this blog to read more about our Helpdesk and what we have learned from six recent publications about monitoring and evaluation, curriculum reform, blended learning, and teacher education.
Call for ideas to respond to Covid-19 By Daniel Plaut
More nuanced data collection focused on users’ experience rather than “vanity metrics” (e.g., user numbers or download counts)
Focus on inclusivity in intervention design, with special attention to the most marginalized learners
Increased coordination with education systems rather than parallel efforts
Fewer “tech-first” approaches and more that take a holistic approach, considering users’ challenges and daily needs, need for tech training, and additional support.
For more detailed insights, we invite you to read, comment, and critique the report directly in this public document.
Check out these resources from others:
The Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel’s Smart Buys Report, and the discussion and critiques arising from it (e.g. on the UKFIET blog)
How to measure education outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic - INEE Technical Note
EdTech Hub is a global research partnership. Our goal is to empower people making decisions about education technology. This means that with our help, decision makers inside and outside government can make clear, evidence-based policy decisions to achieve maximum impact. Read more about the Hub and access useful tools and resources on our website: https://edtechhub.org/
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