EduGrowth Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance - Evidence

Effects, Outcomes and Impact: An Illustration of Evidence

What are the stages of evidence? This illustration is a result of the Innovation Workshop, as part of the Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance, and highlights the learnings on evidence. 

EduGrowth Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance - Evidence

Evidence: Key Takeaways

The three stages to observe in evidence are effects, outcomes and impact. Effects are the changes. Some questions you might consider are:

What effects are expected/desired?
What are the possible undesired effects?

Outcomes are the specific and measurable effects. They tell us if the changes have occurred. Some questions to consider are:

What are your objectives?
What effects will help you demonstrate progress in your objectives?

Impact tells the story of the previous, focusing on the long-term results or changes. They can be difficult to measure. Impact is tied to the experiences of people.

What are your impact goals?

If we aren’t careful about what we’re measuring or why we’re measuring it, this can have a negative impact on teaching and learning. It’s for this reason it is important to be critical of evidence itself. Be careful of jumping to conclusions or of correlations.

Quantitative isn’t always better than qualitative — it depends on what you’re observing. What are observable patterns? And which are measurable?

Consider the nature of evidence — in relation to both validity and reliability. It’s important to check if it is reliable, and whether you will get the same results again if tested subsequent times. In a different context with different variables, the results can change. Validity, in contrast, is asking if the phenomenon measures or reports on what it claims.

 

This workshop was led by two researchers, Professor Margaret Bearman, Deakin University, and Professor Michael Henderson, Monash University. 

The Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance program is funded by the Victorian Government as part of the $3.6 million International Research Partnerships program under the International Education Short-Term Sector Recovery Plan.

For more information about the initiative visit Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance.