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Last month, Digital Promise launched a crowdsourcing effort on how companies use scientific research to design and develop their educational technology products. With a growing number of tools making their way into the classroom, entrepreneurs must recognize how scientific research can help them better understand students and improve outcomes. By highlighting examples of research-based product development, we aim to help all stakeholders use scientific and user research to improve student outcomes and better understand learners.
Developers responded with examples of specific research, both basic and applied, that inform their product design, and described partnerships with academic researchers that influence their work.
Below you can see the responses that best highlight what we’ve learned from ed-tech developers so far. If you’re interested in sharing your company’s research-based approach, be sure to submit them here.
MyON is a personalized digital literacy platform that encourages reading skill growth with digital books. It provides unlimited access to more than 8,000 enhanced digital books with multimedia supports, real-time assessments, and reading tools.
How do you use research?
“The product management team at myON does a regular literature review of existing research to inform product strategy, design, and development. In addition, the team at myON relies on the myON advisory board (which includes several researchers), focus groups (which often zero in on particular research studies to consider), and reports from companies like SIMBA.”
The science!
Multiple formats increase comprehension
Importance of reading supports and scaffolds
Efficacy of using a digital reading environment