Outcomes and Learnings from a Testbed Program

The Global Victorian EdTech Innovation Alliance Symposium was formally opened by Tim Pallas the Victorian Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Trade. It was a hybrid event recorded on Tuesday 27 September 2022 at The Investment Centre Victoria, 55 Collins Street Melbourne.

“Victoria has a thriving EdTech industry that delivers excellence locally and around the world – and it’s vital that businesses are supported to continue to develop and grow.”
“Our International reputation as the education state is top rung and each new success means more jobs for Victoria.
Tim Pallas, Minister for Trade

Read the full Media Release ‘Taking Victoria’s Education Technology to the World’ from the Victorian Government www.premier.vic.gov.au/taking-victorias-education-technology-world

Learn about efficacy in EdTech and how the innovation alliance program is activating testbeds, engaging the research community, creating collaboration opportunities and enabling commercial outcomes and export market development for EdTech companies.

The Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance program, delivered by EduGrowth, supports collaboration between Victorian EdTech companies, education providers, researchers and international organisations to undertake efficacy research within a testbed trial program.

The program awarded financial grants to nine Innovation Sprint Teams, led by Victorian EdTech companies, supported by an independent research partner to design and implement a six-month pilot program with consideration for the education or learning environments, EdTech implementation and onboarding, evidence and data collection, efficacy metrics, and overall interpretation of the results and findings.

This symposium reviews each of the Innovation Sprint testbeds and brings together the perspectives of researchers, educators, learners and EdTech companies to explore the benefits and opportunities of a program of this size and scale.

The program features multiple ‘In conversation’ sessions exploring five key themes: Efficacy, Product Refinement, Educator Engagement, Learner Impact and Exporting EdTech.

Official Opening

Tim Pallas Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Trade | Victorian Parliament
Fiona Letos – Director International Education & Study Melbourne  | Global Victoria
David Linke – Managing Director | EduGrowth

The Impact of Efficacy

What is the impact of an efficacy trial and why is it important?  The lead researchers outline the essential role of efficacy in the implementation of EdTech solutions through the lens of the Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance.

Michael Henderson – Professor, School of Curriculum & Inclusive Education | Monash University
Margaret Bearman – Professor, CRADLE | Deakin
Phill Dawson – Professor & Associate Director, CRADLE | Deakin University

Connecting Research

Education requires rigorous pedagogical consideration in the design of EdTech products. When developing a solution for learners and educators, a research-informed approach to EdTech products is essential. Hear from research mentors who partnered with EdTech Innovation sprint teams as they unpack their journey.

Rebecca Awdry – Academic Integrity Researcher | Deakin
David Linke – Managing Director | EduGrowth

Learner Impact

Engaging with learners is key to creating a positive impact with users. Hear from EdTech founders on how their solution shaped innovative learner experiences. They will detail the trial and error and incredible success of collaboration between industry and academia.

Domenic Saporito – Co-Founder & Director | Intern Match
Steph Wood – Brand & Community Marketing Lead | Ziplet

Pivot for Success

The process of product refinement through the EdTech Innovation Alliance Efficacy trials was an opportunity for unprecedented learning. EdTech’s yielded findings both expected and unexpected, utilised to create a more innovative and efficient solution for users.  Hear from our EdTech Innovation Sprint teams as they discuss how they used research findings to refine their solution to help solve and enhance learning outcomes.

Rowan Freeman – Head of Product APAC | Intellischool
Gianni Pannozzo – Director Customer Engagement | Genix Ventures
Melinda O’Halloran – Project Manager | Edalex

Export Market Development

The challenge of taking an EdTech solution into new markets is a process that requires solution pivots and refinements to find the right product market fit. Hear from Sprint teams that took their solution global and their learnings from deploying and innovating their solution to meet the needs of their users.

Colin Wood – CEO & Co-Founder | Verso Learning
Sharanya Yoganathan – Product Marketing Lead | Cadmus
Sarah Higman – Senior Learning Designer | Cahoot Learning

Triple-Helix Model of Innovation

Supporting partnerships between EdTech entrepreneurs, educators and researchers to drive the efficacy of EdTech products. This session explores the value of partnerships from the perspective of the various stakeholders and unpacks the Triple-Helix Model for collaboration as a framework as delivered through the Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance.

Herk Kallis – CEO | Cadmus
Margaret Bearman – Associate Professor CRADLE | Deakin University
David Linke – Managing Director | EduGrowth

More information

EduGrowth Melbourne EdTech Summit 2021 speaker Belinda Tynan

The Global Victorian EdTech Innovation Alliance Framework

This document provides an overview of the Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance, the successful Innovation Sprint pilots, the types of EdTech solutions being trialled, the educational settings participating, and the key benefits of this type of program for EdTech companies, education institutions and the state of Victoria.

Designing an EdTech Efficacy Research Report - Cover - Global Victoria EdTech Innovation Alliance

Designing an EdTech Efficacy Research – Whitepaper

This whitepaper explores evidence, efficacy and interpretation, framed as provocations, by expert researchers Professor Margaret Bearman, Deakin University, Professor Michael Henderson, Monash University and Professor Phillip Dawson, Deakin University.

The whitepaper was developed to guide EdTech companies and education providers considering designing, or participating in, an EdTech testbed research trial. It should act as a reference tool for developing a successful solution for the Australian education market.