The advisory group will support the Chartered College of Teaching who will deliver the pilot phase of the EdTech Evidence Board (EEB) project, funded by the Department for Education (DfE). 

The past five years has witnessed rapid expansion in EdTech innovation, notably by the mainstream shift towards technology-mediated learning necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

However, EdTech products frequently fall short of their educational promises. Despite substantial investments, student learning outcomes remain inconsistent. Additionally, EdTech can introduce adverse and unintended outcomes, including supporting misguided models of learning and exacerbating learner exclusion. 

The EEB project has been set up to address the need to reliably assess the effectiveness of EdTech products and services. 

The advisory group will consist of experts in the education and EdTech sectors, who will provide specialist advice that will inform the EdTech Evidence Board’s approach as they establish a set of defined evaluation criteria in the next project phase. It will also shape guidance for EdTech companies, aiding them in evidencing the efficacy of their products. 

Professor Alison Clark-Wilson brings substantial expertise in the EdTech field. A former secondary school mathematics teacher, her primary research interests concern the design and use of mathematical digital technologies; the related professional development experiences for teachers; and wider issues associated with scaling-up EdTech innovations. 

Her subsequent engagement with national and international policy groups and experience in the EdTech and wider education sector has facilitated greater connection between research and industry. This has led to global research studies on the design, implementation and evaluation of system-wide approaches for EdTech ‘testbeds’, including the creation of the Global EdTech Testbed Network. 

As the Principal Research Lead for the ERDF-funded EDUCATE project, Professor Clark-Wilson directed the research strategy and training for 252 EdTech industry founders and subsequently coordinated the project’s founding partnership in the European EdTech Network.

She commented: “There is no doubt that more scrutiny is needed on the wide range of impacts that educational technologies can have on learners, teachers and their communities. Whilst it is easy to call for better evidence of these impacts, it is challenging to know if the evidence collection is sufficient due to the very dynamic nature of EdTech developments. I welcome the opportunity to support the Department of Education’s mission to address these globally recognised challenges.” 

The Chartered College of Teaching’s announcement, said "We believe that the EEB will have a positive impact on the sector by driving critical thinking among schools and EdTech providers about the impact and measurement of EdTech products, helping education settings feel confident that they are choosing products that work well for them and for their classrooms."

The Chartered College of Teaching are currently inviting input from interested organisations and individuals through an open survey and call for evidence. 

Related links: