MIND Research Institute was founded on the principles of rigorous, evidence-based research in the fields of neuroscience, mathematics, and education, and it continues to be guided by these principles today. At MIND, innovative research isn’t just something we did once—it’s the foundation of how we drive change. Equally important, we believe in having clear, accessible conversations that translate formal research findings into edtech effectiveness for all teachers and students.
Too often, discussions about edtech focus on what researchers call “inputs” (i.e., edtech placement, purchases, licenses, and access) while neglecting the crucial aspects of successful large-scale implementation and understanding how these tools are designed to achieve specific outcomes. Inputs alone are insufficient to produce desired results. There are risks on the path to achieving these results, and without serious and thoughtful risk assessment, both learning outcomes and students are left vulnerable. To address and mitigate these risks, we offer insights and strategies for better evaluation and decision-making in edtech sourcing, adoption, and implementation to help achieve desired outcomes in real-world school environments.
In the Edtech evaluation blog series, Edtech Through the Lens of Risk, we explore ways to help district-level decision-makers in their selection, use, or renewal of educational technology programs. It serves as a primer on risk mitigation and provides a strategic yet practical approach for educators. By lowering the risk associated with evaluating, adopting, and implementing edtech products, the series aims to assist educators in making more informed decisions.
The primary goal of the series is to make educators and administrators aware of various potential pitfalls. It encourages proactive management strategies to address these risks and aims to maximize the success of achieving Edtech goals in schools.
Andrew R. Coulson, Chief Data Science Officer at MIND Research Institute, chairs MIND Education's Science Research Advisory Board and drives and manages all research at MIND enterprises. This includes all student outcomes evaluations, usage evaluations, research datasets, and research partnering with grants-makers, NGOs, and universities. With a background in high-tech manufacturing engineering, he brings expertise in process engineering, product reliability, quality assurance, and technology transfer to edtech. Coulson holds a bachelor's and master's degree in physics from UCLA.
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