In today's digital age, a simple search for course content yields a long list of EdTech products in school education. While this abundance offers opportunities, it also presents a challenge to identifying tools that are pedagogically sound, user-centric and effective.  

For end users including educators, learners and parents, understanding what makes an EdTech product truly valuable is essential. It is therefore important to focus on developing quality indicators and labelling to help users select the right product. 

At ACER India, we conducted research on EdTech products as part of a commissioned project on evaluating the effectiveness of learning videos. The standards we used for the review were based on existing EdTech quality standards.  However, more work is needed to understand the impact of the existing standards used in India and other parts of the globe in improving student outcomes, with a focus on quality indicators.  

Key quality considerations 

User-centric design 

Learners, particularly teenagers, exhibit increasingly shorter attention spans. They are accustomed to consuming information in brief, 2-minute segments, making it difficult to engage them in deeper exploration or sustained learning.  

Research also indicates that many EdTech solutions are developed under financial and time constraints, often leading to compromises in quality.  

EdTech products must effectively address the genuine needs of all learners — either by solving educational challenges, supporting the mastery of academic skills, or fostering lifelong learning. Therefore, products need to place users at the centre — for the benefit of individual teachers and learners.  

One potential solution to this issue is the establishment of benchmarking systems that could help in distinguishing between products of various quality. 

Digital pedagogy 

Effective EdTech transcends the mere digitisation of traditional textbooks or the replication of classroom practices such as writing on a blackboard. It should:  

• foster innovative teaching methodologies, including pedagogical principles such as scaffolding, mastery learning, and effective feedback to support deep conceptual understanding 

• leverage assessment tools enhanced by advanced learning analytics to monitor learner progress and identify gaps 

• use AI-driven personalisation to adapt content and motivation strategies to individual learners’ profile to encourage engagement and improved outcomes.  

Moreover, learners are often immersed in a digital landscape filled with captivating animations and immersive virtual reality experiences. As a result, conventional approaches within digital products often fail to engage them, leading to a preference for visually appealing yet pedagogically weak educational tools. Striking a conscious balance between substantive knowledge and contemporary presentation remains a rare achievement among freely available educational resources. 

Teachers of this generation are largely informed by traditional pedagogical frameworks. The selection of content developers who possess both academic expertise and digital proficiency is critical to producing balanced and effective EdTech products. Unfortunately, this aspect is often overlooked by many EdTech companies, resulting in products that fall short of educational expectations. 

Contextual products  

Most online EdTech products are accessible globally, transcending geographical boundaries. As such, they may be used in countries with well-established media and information literacy (MIL) policies and strategies, in countries where such policies exist but lack structured implementation, and even in regions where no formal MIL policies are in place.  

An essential expectation from any EdTech product is to deepen the user's knowledge and transversal skills and enhance digital skills. High-quality EdTech should support the development of digital competencies in both teachers and learners, regardless of their geographical or policy context. This includes enriching learning content with components that promote digital literacy, responsible technology use, digital citizenship, and work-ready skills. 

However, academic knowledge and these broader digital competencies often remain siloed within most EdTech offerings. Few products successfully integrate both domains. Adopting a dual-focus approach to EdTech development — one that combines academic rigour with real-world digital skills — can transform these tools from mere academic supplements into comprehensive platforms for professional and life skill advancement. 

Evidence-informed approach 

It is natural for individuals to be drawn to what appeals to them rather than what is genuinely useful. Users, particularly teachers, may choose an EdTech product based on its bold claims of high impact, especially if the product aligns with strategies they have previously implemented. However, this can sometimes lead to a significant waste of their most valuable resources, that is, time. 

Developing and validating a pedagogical approach is a time-intensive process. Although EdTech products have been available since the widespread adoption of the internet, the education community is yet to comprehensively document what works and what does not in digital pedagogy. 

Initially, many EdTech products simply adapted face-to-face teaching methods to digital formats. However, it is now recommended that such products should be grounded in research and transparent about their design principles. Best practices include sharing efficacy data, iterating designs based on user feedback, building a portfolio of evidence, and supporting user-led evaluations. 

This should not discourage education enthusiasts from adopting digital pedagogy in EdTech products. Rather, it calls for a cautious and transparent approach — one that informs users of potential risks and prepares them with appropriate mitigation strategies when implementing these tools in classrooms. 

Accessibility 

Another challenge in EdTech is with accessibility. Not all products are accessible to children with disabilities. Hence, compliance with international standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is essential for enhancing accessibility. 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2 underscore 4 foundational principles—Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR) — which collectively aim to ensure that digital content is accessible to individuals with diverse disabilities, including visual, auditory, motor and cognitive impairments. These guidelines are structured around testable success criteria categorised into 3 conformance levels: A, AA, and AAA. A key recommendation is that web pages and applications should incorporate both natural content — such as text, images, and audio — and structural elements defined through code or markup to facilitate presentation and interaction.  

Furthermore, the integration of assistive technologies, or ‘user agents,’ such as screen readers, alternative input devices, and scanning software, is essential for enabling equitable access.  

Importantly, the development process should actively involve individuals with disabilities—including designers, developers, and content authors—whose lived experiences can inform intuitive and practical design decisions. Their inclusion within EdTech teams enhances accessibility and fosters innovation that benefits all users. 

Adopting an EdTech solution 

As the school community increasingly relies on EdTech, the need for robust evaluation frameworks becomes more urgent.  

End users must be empowered to assess EdTech products not simply based on popularity or peer recommendations, but on pedagogical merit and evidence of impact. Before adopting an EdTech solution, users should ask themselves 3 critical questions: 

• Does it work?  

• If yes, for whom and under what circumstances?  

• Will it work for us? 

One of the most effective ways to answer these questions is by consulting peers within the same educational environment. Colleagues who have previously used the product can offer valuable insights into both its effectiveness and potential challenges.  

The ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions are particularly important, as the overall impact of an EdTech product often depends on how it is implemented. Every educational context is unique, and considering personal experiences and preferences is key to effective use. 

By working together as a thoughtful and informed community of EdTech developers and users, we can fulfil the broader purpose of education and contribute to a better future for all. 

If you would like to know more about ACER India’s work on EdTech evaluation, write to: india@acer.org.