Project Website: https://www.learnplatform.com

Video Demonstration of the Phase I Prototype: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-PNDsDe4Pw&feature=youtu.be

Purpose: LearnPlatform previously developed a platform to host a library of education technology products created by independent developers, as well as tools for schools to track usage of those products and conduct rapid-cycle evaluations of the effects of those products. In this project, the team will fully develop and test a dashboard that generates insights for teachers to support the selection and implementation of education technology products in classrooms. Educators responsible for selecting and implementing education technology products lack access to valid and reliable information necessary for informing what interventions to use and how to integrate interventions into practice. Further, education technology developers are creating products without a systematic resource for collecting evidence on their effectiveness in various contexts.

Project Activities: During Phase I in 2019, the team developed a prototype dashboard where teachers enter data on their experience implementing education technology products. The prototype presented the summary data as reports to teachers to inform the selection and implementation of products. At the end of Phase I, in a pilot study with 30 teachers using the prototype, researchers found that teachers were able to enter information, reports were automatically generated, and new teachers were able to use the reports to guide decision making for implementing products.

In Phase II, the team will fully develop the dashboard and its components, including the user interface and reporting template and a matching analytic tool that customizes recommendations based on specific contexts within which products are used. After development is complete, the team will carry out a pilot study to examine the usability and feasibility, fidelity of implementation, and the promise of the platform to inform teacher insights and guide decision making and implementation. The study will include approximately 400 educators, half of whom will be randomly assigned to use the platform and the other half assigned to a business-as-usual control. The researchers will collect information on education technology products the educators are selecting, implementing, and evaluating; how educator experiences vary by the level and type of use; the cost of implementing the platform; and whether the use of the platform relates to differences in student academic learning outcomes from pre-test to post-test scores.

Product: LearnPlatform developed a platform that hosts education technology products used by school districts across the country as well as information on product usage and impact. They also built a tool that supports the rapid-cycle evaluation of products that schools use. In this project, the team will develop the Learn-Implementation Exchange in Context (Learn-IXC) to provide educators with contextualized implementation data and reports to inform decision making. The dashboard will provide a tool for teachers to enter information on their experiences implementing products and will automatically generate customized information that educators can use to make decisions based on the contexts in which students and educators are using products.

Related IES Project: Learn-Implementation Exchange in Context (91990019C0027)