As the UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti, we conduct research to inform policymaking and implementation. This project brief summarizes our research on digital learning.
2. Overview
As digital technologies have proliferated, investments
in their application in education have increased as a
means to improve, expand and accelerate learning.
Introduction of technology alone has been shown
to have little impact on learning. However, when
implemented according to a clear pedagogical
approach, digital learning has demonstrated great
potential for accelerating quality learning. Building
evidence on key conditions for delivering quality digital
learning at scale for marginalized children is critical.
Approach
Research is framed around two key themes:
1) understanding the impact of digital learning
solutions on children’s education outcomes; and
2) unpacking the key steps to achieve effective and
inclusive digital learning within education systems.
Working closely with UNICEF education teams at
global, regional and country levels, research looks
beyond introduction of technology to generate
evidence on how digital learning can be implemented
effectively in different settings, from no to low and
high connectivity, and modalities of use such as
blended and remote learning.
Embedding research into digital learning program-
mes occurs in three phases:
1. Co-creation of relevant research aims and
strategies at country level with key implementing
partners;
2. Rapid action research using rapid surveys,
application back-end data collection and in-class
observation and user testing; and
3. Testing for scale using experimental methods
to investigate impact along with qualitative
methods to understand key processes and steps
for successful use and scale.
Countries with digital learning research: Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Greece, Lebanon, Mauritania,
Serbia andTimor Leste, expanding to Bangladesh,
Zimbabwe and Nigeria.
Goal
The digital learning project provides timely evidence
to improve the design, implementation and
effectiveness of digital learning to operationalize
Reimagine Education.To achieve this goal research
is embedded into the delivery of large-scale digital
learning initiatives such as the Learning Passport
and the UNICEF-Akelius Foundation partnership.
Project Highlights
Ticket to Quality Digital Learning:
Embedding Research for Action
into the Learning Passport
(2021–2022)
Embedding research for action
within the Learning Passport
(currently in stages of deployment
in over 20 countries) will generate
timely, actionable evidence across
various settings (no/low/high
connectivity, blended/remote
learning modalities) and for
various populations and education
goals.
PROJECT BRIEF
Contact Info
Thomas Dreesen
Education Manager
tdreesen@unicef.org
Unlocking Learning: Research on
the co-creation, implementation,
impact and scale of digital learning
for refugees, migrants and
linguistic minorities (2021–2022)
Building on the research of the
effectiveness and implementation
of digital learning for refugees and
migrants in Greece, research will be
conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovi-
na, Lebanon, Mauritania and Serbia.
Research will explore: (i) sustaina-
bility of digital learning effects over
time and in new contexts; (ii) the
implementation for various use cases
for digital learning, (ii) the steps and
conditions for digital learning at scale
in systems; and (iv) co-creation as the
digital learning course scales.
Digital Learning at Scale: Building
resilience for times of crisis (2021)
Research on the steps and
conditions necessary to implement
effective digital learning rapidly
during times of crisis. Exploring
steps related to choice of device
and learning software, content
curation and development, human
resources and capacity develop-
ment, and learning management
systems.