EdTech Hub Commissioned Research on Covid-19
Primary research on the use of EdTech in the Covid-19 response from 10 partner organisations
The Covid-19 pandemic reshaped our world. Schools were closed around the world, leading to 1.6 billion children and their teachers moving to remote education. Governments and other education providers were forced to respond quickly, and experiment about how best to reach all children.
To support and empower policy makers by giving them the evidence they need to make decisions about technology in education, we opened a funding window for small-scale (up to £50k), short-term research into the use of EdTech in the Covid-19 response.
In November 2020, 175 applicants responded to our call for small-scale, short-term research grants to build an evidence-base on EdTech used in response to Covid-19 – with reference to government priority areas – in our countries of work. Ten projects were selected and throughout 2021 have carried out primary research on topics including radio-based learning with girls in rural Kenya, remote teacher training and data systems in Sierra Leone, tech use to increase participation in Pakistan, and the use of text-message nudges to influence caregiver behaviour in Ghana. These studies were commissioned prior to identifying our themes but nevertheless are well aligned. EdTech Hub Covid-19 research partners were chosen for their focus on outstanding EdTech evidence gaps and government priority areas in the respective countries.
Findings are already being used by governments in their ongoing response to Covid-19.
Education Development Trust
Read the research: “The Power of Girls Reading Camps: Exploring the impact of radio lessons, peer learning and targeted paper-based resources on girls’ remote learning in Kenya”
Fab Inc. Limited
Read the research:“Learning from experience: a post-Covid-19 data architecture for a resilient education data ecosystem”
T-TEL
Read the research:“T-TEL Covid-19 Impact Assessment Study”
Rising Academy Network
Read the research: “Dialling up Learning: Testing the Impact of Delivering Educational Content via Interactive Voice Response to Students and Teachers in Ghana”
Busara
Read the research: “Understanding Barriers to Girls’ Access and Use of EdTech in Kenya During Covid-19”
Beyond Peace
Read the research: “Integration of Technology in Education for Marginalised Children in an Urban Slum of Dhaka City During the Covid-19 Pandemic”
Participatory Development Associates Ltd.
Read the research: “Voices and Evidence from End-Users of the GLTV and GLRRP Remote Learning Programme in Ghana: Insights for inclusive policy and programming”
SDPI
Read the research: “Investigating the Impact on Learning Outcomes Through the Use of EdTech During Covid-19: Evidence from an RCT in the Punjab province of Pakistan”
Monash
Read the research: “Delivering Remote Learning Using a Low-Tech Solution: Evidence from an RCT during the Covid-19 Pandemic”
IPA
Read the research: “Nudges to improve learning and gender parity: supporting parent engagement and Ghana’s educational response to Covid-19 using mobile phones”
read thematic review of all commissioned research on covid-19
