Universities should be wary about adopting new technologies because of a lack of impartial evidence about their effectiveness in improving teaching, according to a new Unesco report.
Many of the claims made about the “transformative” nature of new products are asserted by those trying to sell them, based on studies they have funded themselves that have not been peer reviewed, authors warned.
Technology in Education: a tool on whose terms – published on 26 July – highlights how, in the UK, studies have shown that only 7 per cent of education technology companies had tested their products using randomised controlled trials, and 18 per cent had engaged in academic research.
Decisions on whether to adopt a new technology are commonly made by administrators using anecdotal recommendations rather than a robust evaluation of its potential impact, it says.
