Research-based design: edtech products should derive their purpose, framework, and design decisions from learning sciences research¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 4 studies (2 associational, 1 review, 1 design), q1–q2 · 0 of 4 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Research-based design is the organizing account of this report: edtech quality is judged by whether a product articulates a learning purpose and explicitly consults learning sciences research to drive design decisions, from a theoretical framework down to specific features. The report argues this is a more timely and generalizable quality metric than efficacy studies, which take years and generalize poorly. It claims that products using this approach "more clearly name the expected impact on learning" and can track progress toward a research-based goal.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A specific articulated learning purpose
• An explicit, documented connection between learning sciences research and design decisions

Constraints¶

• Efficacy studies remain the field's dominant quality metric; research-based design is proposed as a complementary leading indicator, not a replacement

Target Learners¶

• learners using K-12 and adult edtech products

Target Learning Objectives¶

• any learning goal the product articulates, from literacy to mathematics to language acquisition

Claims¶

• Edtech Developers Report Research Clarifies Impact [+M]
• Survey Products Rooted In Research Greatest Impact [+M]
• The report calls for reframing edtech certification applications to help developers identify equity gaps in the research they use [+W]
• Sesame Street is presented as a model of research-based educational media whose curriculum-plus-formative-and-summative-research model drove measurable impact [+W]

Related Theories¶

• A four-type hierarchy of evidence for judging educational technology effectiveness, ordered from weakest to strongest
• Five EdTech Quality Indicators framework for evaluating edtech products

Examples¶

• Digital Promise Research-Based Design Product Certification
• Plan and design backwards from a research-based learning goal to features, metrics, and measurement tools
• Digital Promise Product Certifications Pilot and Learning Sciences Research-Based Design certification
• Digital Promise Product Certifications ecosystem

Key Sources¶

• Van Nostrand, P., Noakes, S., Shah, Z., & Luke Luna C. (2022, February). An overlooked indicator of edtech quality: The use of learning sciences research. Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/150