Workshop: Transitioning Research-Developed Learning Technologies into Broad Use Phases, Challenges, and Needed Infrastructure

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

We propose a 1-day workshop designed to seed a cross-agency analysis of the infrastructure that is needed to bring research-developed learning technologies to broad use. While technology transfer programs exist within NSF and the Department of Education, we believe the challenges of bringing learning technologies to broad use go beyond what general-purpose technology transfer organizations are designed to provide. The workshop will be held on December 14, 2010, in Washington, DC. It will bring together individuals who have successfully taken their research-developed learning technologies to broad use with representatives of organizations that have brought some of those technologies to market, that help researchers develop learning technologies with scale-up in mind, that provide infrastructure for transitioning technologies from research to use, and organizations that fund design and development of learning technologies and research on learning with technology (the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the Institute for Education Science (IES)). Our objectives for this workshop are as follows: (1) Identify pathways for taking research-developed technology to broad use, (2) Identify phases in each of those pathways, and for each phase, identify the challenges to successfully completing it, (3) Identify infrastructure that is available for addressing those challenges, (4) Identify gaps in that infrastructure, and (5) Provide an opportunity for a broad range of program officers at NSF, IES, and ED to come together to consider this set of important issues. The end product of the workshop will be a document that identifies pathways for transitioning learning technologies to broad use, phases along each pathway and the challenges to success at each phase, available infrastructure for enabling the processes and mitigating the challenges, and infrastructure that is missing. Our hope is that these lists will enable and empower appropriate communities to continue the discussion and plan toward the needed infrastructure. Intellectual Merit: The workshop will build on the experiences and research of those who have worked towards bringing learning technologies to broad use and identify challenges and some of the ways of addressing those. Broader Objectives: An infrastructure that can help researchers transition worthy learning technologies to broad use will enable rich and effective learning experiences for the entirety of the country?s school-age population and beyond.