The most successful EdTech businesses combine technological innovation with an understanding of the needs of learners. Within the EDUCATE Programme, we use our expertise in educational research to build capacity in EdTech companies so that they can develop evidence-informed products that have a measurable impact on learners.
Helping EdTech startups make an impact
The EDUCATE
Programme
The EDUCATE Programme promotes excellence in the EdTech community by providing training and mentoring to support and promote the use of evidence-informed EdTech. Our research-focused accelerator, based on the Golden Triangle, bridges the gaps between EdTech designers and developers, researchers in education and EdTech, and users, to ensure that EdTech products live up to their promises.
Implement cutting-edge research methodologies into the design and development of EdTech
Leverage existing data and discover the best ways to capture more
Develop research proposals with expert mentors, practitioners, and industry icons
Since 2017, we have worked with 325 startups and some of the brightest and best innovators throughout the world. Our companies are at the cutting edge of technological advances in EdTech, and understand how to harness the power of emerging technologies, like AI, to serve the needs of their users. Entrepreneurs and innovators can be confident that access to reputable evidence will assist them in developing world-class products and services that are effective and commercially viable. Furthermore, our focus on “what works” and the importance of an evidence-base, helps developers conduct their own research into their designs and products, helping to communicate effectiveness and shape future development.
The EDUCATE Programme:
Building Evidence in EdTech
Workshop 1
Logic Model,
part 1: Evidence in EdTech & Theory of Change
Workshop 5
Why Reinvent the Wheel? Using Existing Research For Your Product
Workshop 9
Learning Analytics: Streamlining
your Data
Processes
Workshop 2
Logic Model,
part 2:
Review & Assumptions
Workshop 6
Research in Practice: Developing your Questions
Workshop 10
Working Responsibly with User Data: Ethics, Regulations, Policy
Workshop 3
EdTech in Context: Addressing the Needs of Users in Education
Workshop 7
Research in Practice:
Data
Collection
Workshop 11
Developing your Research Proposal: an Interactive Session
Workshop 4
Product Development: Using the Lean Methodology
Workshop 8
Research in Practice:
Putting Data to Work
Workshop 12
Evidence Applied: Using &
Presenting your Findings
Learning Outputs
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Logic Model
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After the first two workshops, participants will have completed a Logic Model
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Research Proposal
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Over the course of the other workshops, participants will construct a research proposal, with the result being a draft (or drafts) that can be used in developing impact evaluations, applying for grants, or as a way to demonstrate evidence and research capacity/capabilities to other funders
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The EdWards
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EdWard Level 1: Evidence Aware
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Companies who complete the programme can apply for EDUCATE's EdWard Level 1, the internationally recognised evidence in EdTech award that declares the significance they place on understanding how their product works, when, and for whom
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Bespoke Mentoring
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Support Sessions
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Designed to support companies at every stage, our team of entrepreneurial PhD-level researchers have years of experience working with EdTech companies and can guide them through the development of research questions and design, data gathering, analyses, the publication of findings, and more
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Mentoring can be integrated into the EDUCATE Programme at strategic points, or offered separately to companies (typically sold in blocks of 3 sessions)
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The Golden Triangle Masterclass
Drawing on the expertise of the research team, the Golden Triangle Masterclasses help EdTech companies build their skills in working with key stakeholders, integrating research and data into their educational intervention, and enhancing product-market fit.
Example Masterclasses:
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Product Development for EdTech
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Research Proposals
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School Stakeholder Perspectives
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The Quantitative Researcher's Toolbox
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AI Readiness & Data Science
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Overcoming Barriers & Working Effectively with Schools
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The Benefits of a Mixed-Methods Approach to Applied Research
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Understanding your Learners: Using Individual Progress Tracking in Effectiveness Assessments
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Data Analysis
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Presenting Findings for Different Stakeholders
Testimonials and
Research Outcomes
Demonstrating the value of EDUCATE to EdTech startups and SMEs in the ecosystem, you can find quotes below from businesses who undertook our research training when the programme was part-funded by the ERDF.
We also have research reports that have been conducted on the process and impact of our unique training programme. 8 research studies and 1 thesis, for which a doctorate was awarded in 2020, were conducted on the EDUCATE Programme in it's initial 2017-2019 incarnation, and 4 of those studies, as well as the thesis, have now been published.
