Edtech Solutions: Experts call for partnerships in design process to achieve improved learning outcomes

Experts in the education technology field have advocated for partnerships in the design process to enable edtech solutions deliver the desired learning outcomes for students.

This was the takeout at the just concluded April edition of Edtech Mondays, an initiative of the Co-Creation Hub (CCHUB) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation’s Centre for Innovative Teaching & Learning in ICT. The engagement session themed “Sustainable Partnership for Effective Edtech Design” was moderated by Chinyelu Akpa, Practice Lead, Education, CcHUB.

One of the panelists, an instructional designer, Bisayo Adewole noted the critical role of the instructional designer in the success of any edtech solution. Adewole stated that for edtech solutions to deliver learning outcomes that would be effective and translate to desired knowledge, instructional designers must be involved in the process from start to finish.

In her view, the contribution of instructional designers should not be limited to coming up with user-friendly solutions but to having one that hits on learning outcomes.

“From the moment you start defining the problem, bring the designers into the conversation. We must understand that the customers are different from the learners. So, you need designers when you start having conversations around edtech solutions. You need them because they understand the learning experience. Besides, you must ensure that the team involved in the building of edtech solutions is cross-functional. Ensure that the instructional designer is in your team when you start pitching to investors”.

Another panelist, Founder, Xtra Teacher Initiative, Victoria Abiola, explained the need for teachers to be involved in the design process of edtech solutions because their collaboration with instructional designers would go a long way to making the solution implementable and effective.

Abiola emphasized the necessity of professional development opportunities through adequate training on edtech solutions for teachers to help them deliver on their task of improving learning outcomes for students.

Urging edtech designers to come up with innovative solutions that do not require internet connectivity to increase access to education, especially for those in underserved communities, she said “I wish more edtech solutions do not need access to the internet. By that, I mean solutions that can be universally applied, either integrated into games. Another thing is to ensure that the solution is domesticated. That is, the edtech solutions are adapted in different languages to suit the interest of the learners and teachers”.

Also speaking, Co-founder, 9ijakids, Titi Adewusi called for the adoption of a partnership model that would help determine the efficacy of edtech solutions. She supported this by citing an example of an edtech solution created by her firm where everything was done to make learning fun for all users.

“All the relevant stakeholders in the edtech ecosystem need to come together to understand how well to create a solution that would achieve the intended goal. Although the process of designing a solution may be slow, it is subject to fine-tuning, in the long run, depending on the feedback,” she said.

In her remarks, the Programme Manager, The Education Partnership Centre, Utibe Henshaw stressed the need for partnerships that lead to scalable edtech solutions. Henshaw stated that doing so will guarantee quality education, improve learning outcomes for students, and consequently strengthen the education system.