About this Research Topic
Society has seen an exponential growth in the number of technology-assisted educational interventions. Large-scale, national efforts to use technology to support remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic are evolving quickly. Educators and scholars heavily rely on remote-learning educational technologies (EdTech) to educate students when traditional face-to-face instruction is not available.
However, the levels of effectiveness of EdTech interventions may differ significantly because various interventions are developed based upon different theoretical frameworks, designed by different engineering teams, and targeted for different student populations. Even for the same EdTech intervention, the duration of and variations in implementation have a strong impact on the effectiveness of student learning. Also, educational stakeholders in diverse contexts have different perceptions of EdTech interventions. Therefore, it is critical that scholars, policy makers, school leaders, teachers, and parents have access to the best evidence about the effectiveness of EdTech interventions.
This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of the theory, design, implementation, and impact of educational technologies and initiatives, particularly those which facilitate student learning and teacher professional development. Studies conducted in both laboratory and real education settings are welcome. We encourage submissions with meaningful results, whether significant or insignificant, but when we can learn from the development and evaluation of these interventions, ultimately helping improve the quality of the EdTech interventions.
Specifically, we welcome manuscripts that address:
• Theories of evaluation of EdTech (e.g., Theory of Change)
• Advances of rigorous assessment measures to be used in evaluations of EdTech interventions
• Methodological advances in the evaluation of EdTech using data analysis and modeling
• Implementation and cost of EdTech interventions
• Perceptions of adopting EdTech
• Digital and information literacies needed for integrating EdTech into teaching and learning
• High-quality and rigorous EdTech efficacy studies
• Evaluation and assessment of EdTech using recent technological developments such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques
• Meta-analyses and syntheses of EdTech efficacy studies
• EdTech interventions designed for learners across all ages: from Pre-K to adult learners
However, the levels of effectiveness of EdTech interventions may differ significantly because various interventions are developed based upon different theoretical frameworks, designed by different engineering teams, and targeted for different student populations. Even for the same EdTech intervention, the duration of and variations in implementation have a strong impact on the effectiveness of student learning. Also, educational stakeholders in diverse contexts have different perceptions of EdTech interventions. Therefore, it is critical that scholars, policy makers, school leaders, teachers, and parents have access to the best evidence about the effectiveness of EdTech interventions.
This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of the theory, design, implementation, and impact of educational technologies and initiatives, particularly those which facilitate student learning and teacher professional development. Studies conducted in both laboratory and real education settings are welcome. We encourage submissions with meaningful results, whether significant or insignificant, but when we can learn from the development and evaluation of these interventions, ultimately helping improve the quality of the EdTech interventions.
Specifically, we welcome manuscripts that address:
• Theories of evaluation of EdTech (e.g., Theory of Change)
• Advances of rigorous assessment measures to be used in evaluations of EdTech interventions
• Methodological advances in the evaluation of EdTech using data analysis and modeling
• Implementation and cost of EdTech interventions
• Perceptions of adopting EdTech
• Digital and information literacies needed for integrating EdTech into teaching and learning
• High-quality and rigorous EdTech efficacy studies
• Evaluation and assessment of EdTech using recent technological developments such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning techniques
• Meta-analyses and syntheses of EdTech efficacy studies
• EdTech interventions designed for learners across all ages: from Pre-K to adult learners
Keywords: educational technology, digital education, online learning, evaluation and assessment, efficacy study, data analysis
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
