Deep Dive I
Evaluation Mechanisms:
A Way to Increase Trust in Educational Technologies?
The EdTech Strategy Lab is excited to announce the launch of our first research paper - a Deep Dive into the lack of solid evidence and the absence of a common understanding of what constitutes good evidence.
The first edition of our Deep Dive series, entitled Evaluation Mechanisms: A Way to Increase Trust in Educational Technologies? focuses on how these key issues are complicated further by the shortage of testing environments and lack of resources for thorough evaluation.
We look at the crucial role trust plays in the EdTech sector and explore how it can be strengthened. We also identify three key types of evaluation frameworks relevant to EdTech: those led by the public sector, those driven by research, and those aimed at commercial validation. We believe that connecting these diverse approaches to quality and evidence assurance in education is essential.
Building trust in EdTech will require a collaborative effort to ensure evaluation mechanisms are not only effective but widely recognised across the sector.
Deep Dive II
Evidence in EdTech:
Who needs it and why?
This second edition of the EdTech Strategy Labs Deep Dive series explores how, despite each type of certification or evaluation of EdTech contributing to a comprehensive evidence ecosystem, there are still some fundamental gaps emerging in addressing the needs of key stakeholders these evaluation frameworks are aiming to support.
To help better understand how to address these issues, we delve into some of the complex intersections and interactions of key stakeholders looking into their different motivations, goals, skillsets and, importantly, their needs. By looking more in depth at the needs and requirements that some of the key stakeholders express, we start to understand what support mechanisms could look like, which could aid the implementation of some of these evaluation frameworks.
It will be imperative to support knowledge exchange and collaboration between existing and developing evaluation systems so that the ecosystem can work toward a future where technology serves not only as an enhancement but as a carefully integrated component of educational quality and equity across global contexts.
Deep Dive III
The EdTech Evaluation Ecosystem
A brief overview
How can we ensure EdTech tools are safe, effective, and aligned with educational goals? Taking a different approach with this deep-dive, we aim to provide a brief overview of some of the motivations, outputs, challenges and possibilities of the various types of evaluation frameworks, highlighting feedback that has been gathered throughout the EdTech Strategy Labs work in 2024, and briefly outlining key factors for the development of a sustainable evaluation ecosystem.
Highlighting findings from workshops, listening sessions, and interviews, the report reveals the critical role of evidence-based practices in driving trust and innovation. By mapping 140 frameworks, it emphasizes the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration and improved transparency to bridge gaps between research, policy, and practice. This deep dive argues for a sustainable, interconnected ecosystem that empowers educators, developers, and policymakers to make informed decisions and deliver impactful learning outcomes.
The report further stresses that evidence means different things to different stakeholders, whether it be related to academic rigour, technical compliance, or real-world applicability in classrooms. The different evaluation frameworks rarely interact effectively, creating barriers to adoption and understanding. By fostering knowledge exchange and aligning evaluation outputs with stakeholder needs, this deep dive report calls for a more integrated, flexible approach to EdTech evaluation—one that promotes innovation, trust, and actionable outcomes for educators and learners alike.