can technology genuinely reduce teacher workload? · 2018-09-27 · can technoogy geniney redce...

Can technology genuinely reduce teacher workload? by John Roberts

February 2016

www.advanced-learning.co.uk@advlearning

Version 1.0 0116 Copyright Advanced Learning 2016

Efficiency. Visibility. Control.


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Contents

Contents 2

The five bullet summary 3

The workload problem 3

The role of technology in education 4

Learning Technologies 4

Workflowandadministrativetechnologies 5

Defining the direction 8

Opportunitiestoreduceworkload 8

Creatingworkloadreducingsolutions 9

Whatdoesgoodimplementationlooklike? 9

Collectingeverythingbutinputtinglittle 9

Interoperablyworkingtogether 10

DrivenbyimpactandUser-Centricdesign 12

Removing the barriers 13

ForSchools 13

Embracingtechnology 13

Purchasewithsophistication 13

Minimiseandoptimiseinordertomaximise 13

ForDevelopers 14

Collaborateforimpact 14

Optimiseworkflow 14

ForGovernment 14

RegulationandStandardisation 14

Infrastructure 14

Can technology genuinely reduce teacher workload? 14

References 15

About John Roberts 16

About Advanced Learning 16


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The workload problemWorkloadisoneofthemostcommonfactorscitedasthereasonforteachersconsideringleavingtheprofession.InresponsetosignificantGovernmentlobbyingbyteachersandunionsinOctober2014theDepartmentforEducationlaunchedtheWorkloadChallengesurvey.ByNovember2014,over43,000teachershadrespondedgivingtheirsuggestedsolutionstoworkloadissues.

Oneoftheseissues,‘Reducetheneedtoinputdata’,isaclearissuewithtechnology.Respondentswerealsoaskedspecificallyabout‘Unnecessary

andunproductivedatarelatedtasks’showingasignificantdissatisfactionwiththeburdenofrecording,inputtingandmonitoringdata.

Withspecificreferencetorecording,inputtingandmonitoringdata,45%ofteachersstatedthatdataduplicationaddedtotheirworkloadburden.Teachersalsohighlightedthefollowingtwotechnologyspecificissues:

• toomanysourcesofinformationtomanage(e.g.email,virtuallearningenvironment,bulletin)

• poor/unreliableInformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)equipmentandlackofsoftwaretraining

Notonlydothesurveyresultsclearlyhighlighttheissueswithteacherworkload,throughdaytodayinteractionwithteachersindistressatEdapt,wehearworkloadasthemaincauseofstaffsicknessduetostress.Qualityteachersandteachinghavemoreofanimpactonpupilsthananyotherfactorandifwe’retorecruitandretainahealthyandmotivatedprofession,wemusttackletheseissuesheadonincollaborationwithallstakeholders.

Citingwhatworkswell,teachersrespondedthatthe‘useofspecialistsoftwareformarking,trackinganddatarequirements’wasasolutiontoreducingworkload.AlongsideacombinationofsensibleGovernmentpolicyandschoolleadershipfocussedonprioritisingworkload,it’sclearthatwelldesignededucationtechnologyalsohasaroletoplayinthis.

The five bullet summary1. The potential for edtech to be

a significant factor in reducing

workload is unrealised

2. We should not stand for

mediocrity in all aspects of edtech

design

3. Existing edtech “monopolies” are

stifling innovation

4. Interoperability will be a key

factor in optimising edtech

5. Digital illiteracy is a barrier to

realising edtech’s potential


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The role of technology in educationLearning Technologies

“Digital technology has great potential, but we are not yet reaching this”1-Oliver Quinlan, NESTA

Educationhasnotkeptupwithmanyprivateandpublicsectorindustriesinitseffectivedeploymentanduseoftechnology.Theconsumertechnologyweusedaily,boththehardwareandthesoftware,generallyoutperformsthatwhichisavailabletoeducation.WithUKschoolsspendingonICTat£600m

peryear2,thispoorperformanceisnotbecausethebudgetsorthemarketisnotbigenough.

InSeptember2015theOrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD)publishedthereport“Students,ComputersandLearning:MakingtheConnection”andtheheadlinesran:“Computers‘donotimprove’pupilresults.”3

Thiswillcomeaslittlesurprisetomanyteacherswhowillrecognisethata‘technologyfirst’approachtocomputeruseinlessonswillnotsimplyimproveoutcomesinandofitself.However,theOECDstudyfocussedonlyonthevolumeofuseofcomputers,andnothowthey

Unnecessaryandunproductivedatarelatedtasks

56

53

38

37

26

24

21

Recording,inputtingandmonitoringdata

Excessivemarking

Lesson planning

Basicadministrationandsupporttasks

Staffmeetings

Reportingonpupilprogress

Pupiltargets

Implementingcurriculumchange

0 15 30 45 60

Percentage

20

Suggestedsolutionstoworkloadissues

32

25

25

24

22

21

19

Modifymarkingarrangement

Reduceneedtoinputdata

IncreasePPAtime

Trustteachersasprofessionals

Review/ChangeOfsted

Reducefrequencyofcurriculumchanges

Delegateadminduties

0 8 16 24 32

Percentage


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wereused,norhowthetechnologywasappliedtoimpactuponlearning.

Theevidenceofthepositiveimpactoflearningtechnologiesonstudentattainmentislimited.However,NESTA’sDecodedLearningprogrammehasfoundsupportingevidencethatlearningtechnologieshaveapositiveimpact,butonlywhenthetechnologyiswellappliedwithinpedagogy.Whenbasedon‘learningfirst’approach,thereisproof,potentialandpromiseforlearningtechnologiestohaveameasurableandpositiveimpactonlearning.Onlyfurthersignificantfunding,andresearchanddevelopment,basedonthis‘learningfirst’approach,willenablelearningtechnologiestoshowmeasurablecorrelationbetweencorrectlyappliedtechnologyandimpact.

Whilstlimitedevidenceisavailabletosupportlearningtechnologyasareplacementforthetraditionalmodelsofteaching,arguablythemosteffectivewaytousetechnologytoimprovelearningistodevelopthetoolsforteacherstooptimisetheinformationflowstheyhaveaccessto.Thisallowsthemtospendmoretimedoingwhatthey’rebestat,teaching.

Workflow and administrative technologies“Senior Leadership teams applying technology that reduces workload is not top of the agenda. SLT tend to use technology to appear cutting edge and innovative.” – Joe Kirby, Assistant Headteacher

Thesourceofdissatisfactionwithdatamanagementhasthreegeneralcauses:


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• Governmentpolicy

• SeniorManagementpolicy

• Poorsoftwaredesign

Governmenthasdemandedmoreandmoredataentryfromschools,whichhasdiffuseddowninmanycasestobecomearequirementformanualentrybyteachers.

“By starting with the decisions that need to be made, only data that support the particular inferences that are sought need be collected.” 4 – Professor Dylan William

AlackoffocusbySeniorManagementondecisiondrivendatacollectionwillleadtoa‘collectasmuchaspossible’principle.Theseoverburdeningdemandswhenmetwithpoorimplementationsof

technology,andalackofdigitalliteracytousetechnologyeffectively,leadtomanualdatainputduplicationand‘datadrowning’.However,thispoorimplementationisnotsolelyasadirectresultofGovernmentandschoolleadershippolicies.

SchoolManagementInformationSystems(MIS)haveglaciallyevolvedsincetheirearlybeginningsinthe1980s.Assystemsoriginallydesignedtoreducethereportingburdensofteachers,alongsidepolicieswhichdictatelargeramountsofdatatobecollected,MISshaveevolvedtobecomecomplicitinbeingoneofthemainfrustrationscausingdatarelatedworkload.Theirdevelopmentfocusonbreadthhasmeantthatafocusontheneedsoftheactualuserhasbeenleftbehind.

Open Resource sharing

Dashboarding

Automatedtrend analysis

Consolidated communication

channels

Context benchmarking

Automated qualitative marking

Adaptive personal marking

Real-time reporting tostaff

andparents WORKLOAD REDUCTION

IMPACT ANALYSIS

LEARNING RESEARCH

Integrated Infrastructure

Meta-data colection

Environmental data

Deviceagnostic

Opencontext data

Interoperable

Automated entry

Wearable technology


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CapitaSIMSholdsan83%shareoftheschoolMISmarket.Withasingleprovideralmostmonopolisticallydominatingthismarket,disruptiveeducationtechnologyinnovationhasbeenstifled.Asthebusinessworldmovesovertothecloud,theemergenceofdisruptivemarketplacesbasedaroundcoredatasets,withrapidon-boardinghavedriventherapidefficienciesandexplosivegrowthofstart-ups,andinnovativecompanies,globally.

Aleanstart-upcannowdevelopanddeployacloudbased,softwareanddataecosysteminamatterofhours,usingcomplex,yetintuitive,applicationshowever,thedeploymentofanysoftwareintoaneducationsettingcantakemanymonths.Ofcourse,privacyandsecurityareincrediblyimportantissues,butthisisnotaninsurmountablechallengewith

appropriateregulationandstandardsofcompliance.

Schoolswhilsthavingdifferentneedstobusiness,arenotsufficientlycomplexthatexceptionallywelldesignedworkflowtoolscannotbedevelopedtosupportschools’needs,andthemarketspendingislargeenoughtosupportfarmoresubstantiveinnovation.Wearabletechnologies,personallowcostdevices,softwareasaservice(SAAS),interoperabilityandautomaticmetadatacollectionhaveenormouspotentialtodramaticallyreducetheworkloadofteachers.Theabilitytocreatesuchtechnologiesisnowreachingmaturity,buttheprovisionineducationisstilllacking.Thediverseethosandculturesofindividualschoolsonlyfurtherconfirmtheneedforatruesoftwaremarketplace.

Leadership

InfrastructureDigital Literacy

Sophisticat-edurchasing

Workload

Embrace Technology

Administrative tech

Learning tech

Workflow tech

IMPACT

Deviceagnostic

Interoperability Interoperability

Interoperability

Secure Wireless


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MultiAcademyTrusts(MATs)haveaclearrequirementforinternaldatasharing,benchmarking,andwarehousingyetexistingMISsolutionshaven’tdelivered,drivingMATstobegintakingsuchdevelopmentinhouse.

Wemusthavehigherexpectationsoftechnologyprovidersineducation.

Defining the direction “Education has the ‘radio on the TV problem’. When televisions first appeared, the programmes just showed someone sat down talking to the camera as if they were presenting on the radio. Education has the 21st century equivalent problem. We have the devices, but not the quality content to make the most of them.”

Antonio Gould, Product strategist (Teach Your Monster to Read)

Opportunities to reduce workload

Qualitydataenablesustolearnmoreaboutwhatweknow,andalsowhatwedon’tknow.Toincreaseimpactandenableourunderstandingoflearningtoimprove,wemustenablethecollectionofmoredataautomatically.Educationwillneedapivotalchangetoreachthis,includingasectorwideembracingoftechnologyandimprovementindigitalliteracy,toenablethiswithoutsignificantlyincreasingworkload.

Imagineaworldwhere,asateacher,yourregisterisautomaticallytaken,learningadaptedtotheindividualneedsofclasses,formativeandsummativemarkingcollatedautomaticallythencalculatedandreportedtoyou,thebehaviourandattainmenttrendsofyourclassesavailableinrealtime,pastoralissuesautomaticallyreported,allwhileaggregatedresearchanalysisimprovesourunderstandingoflearning.Thisisnotbeyondpossibility;thisshouldbeourunderstandingoflearning.Thisisnotbeyondpossibility;thisshouldbeourexpectation.

Ecosystem built upon MIS

The existing MIS ecosystem

Attendance

Assessment

Analysis

Behaviour

Finance

Document management

Costly read/write

individual connection

Costly read/write

individual connection

Readonly proprietary connection

Behaviour

Attendance Registration

LMSand assessment


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Creating workload reducing solutionsWhat does good implementation look like?

Thegoalistocreatesolutionsthatbuildanintegratedecosystemofcommunicationchannelsthatfeedcontent,resources,dataandanalysisthatdrivesqualitylearning;stimulatesdirectedconversationsandscaffoldseffectivepupilrelationships.Importantly,thismusthappenwhilstreducingtheadministrativeburdensofteachersandfacilitators.

Theopportunitiesforedtechtoreachthisgoalrelyonanumberofsignificantfactors:

• Digital Literate Leadership • Stable Infrastructure • User Centric Design • Interoperability

Collecting everything but inputting little

Theduplicationofdataentryhasnoplaceinthetechnologicalage.SeniorLeadershipteamsmustfocusonimplementingthemostbasictechnologyandinschoolprocessesthatremoveanyrequirementforduplicatemanualentry.

Asaninitialmovetowardsanintegratedecosystem,byimplementingsinglepurposesystemssuchasattendancetrackingbasedonwearableorcontactlesstechnologies,dataentrypointsareautomaticallyremoved.However,datacollectionmustultimatelymovefarbeyondthis.

Forincreasedunderstandingofpedagogyandthevariableswhichimpacteducationwemustmovetowardsinformation

Behaviour

LMSand assessment

Analytics Dashboard

Core MIS

Document management

Reporting Engine

Attendance

Individual Learner Profile

Ecosystem of selected standalone technologies

Standardised Interoperability

API layer

An interoperable, marketplace based ecosystem


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systemswhichautomaticallycollectthemeta-dataofstudentsandclasses:theenvironmentaldata,timetablestructureandhealthstatistics.Analysisofthisdatacanonlybedonealgorithmicallyandatscale,andonlyifitiscollectedautomaticallythroughintegratedandinteroperablesystems.

Interoperably working together

“By 2016, a quarter of respondents are likely to continue to record that digital content is not always available to teachers due to capacity and technical issues.” 5

BESA, 2015

Educationdatacurrentlyexistsindisparatesilos.DespiteschoolsandindividualshavingownershipthisdataiseffectivelyseenastheassetofManagementInformationSystems.ThemonopolisticnatureofMISprovisionandthenon-trivialandcostlymethodsofintegrationhavestifledinnovation.

AsMISprovisionhasmovedawayfromsimplecoreadministrativeneeds,providershavemodularisedtheirprovisionintomanyareasoftheschool.However,modularisationwithinasingleMISproductisunlikelytomeettheneedsofallschools.Yet,despiteschoolsbeingtheownersofthedata,thepowerofmarketplacebasedintegrationintoother,rapidlydeployableapplications,isnotaccessiblebyschools.Accesstotheirdatais,ingeneral,effectivelycontrolledbyMISprovidersasitislimitedbythecost,methodsandextenttowhichtheymakesuchdataavailabletothirdparties.

User-first edtech design

Easytouse?

Doesitsave time?

Whatpainpointdoesitsolve?

Doesitmakeataskeasier?

Isitstable, reliableanddependable?


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Theinabilityforinnovatorstoaccessthesedatasiloseasilycreatessignificantchallengesfordevelopment,salesanddeployment.Havingasolutiontosimplyaccessthedatatoautomatethepupilsregisteredtoaparticularclassorformisnottrivialandisdisproportionatelycostlyindevelopmentinrelationtoitscomplexity.

Learningmanagementsystemsandsinglepurposeapplicationscannotworkinisolation,withoutaccesstocorestudentandadministrativerecorddata.

Untilwemovetoadatamodelwithinteroperabilityatitscore,innovation

willbestifled.Disruptionhere,whetherthroughregulation,orthroughstrategictechnologydeployment,islongoverdue.Welldocumented,easytoaccess,lowcost,secureAPIsshouldbeafocusofanyMISproviderwantingtosupportinnovationandimprovementsineducationtechnologyprovision.

Onlyafteramovetowardsanecosystemofinteroperable,singlepurposeapplicationsandtechnologieswillweenableinnovationinthemarketandallowschoolstoselecttoolswhichfittheirspecifictechnologicalneeds.


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Driven by impact and User-Centric design

“I want us to set the bar really high when it comes to education technology -- both in its development and its implementation. I don’t think it’s too much to ask. I mean, we’re talking about teaching and learning here.”6

Audrey Watters, hackeducation.com

Sincethemid-00sintegratedcloudworkflowtoolssuchasGoogleApps,Dropbox,Evernote,SlackandTrellohavegrownrapidlyinfromseedideasto,insomecases,productswithover100millionusers.

Allofthesesolutionsrelyononethingtogrowtheiruser-base.Quitesimply,iftheyweren’tsoeasytouse,theywouldn’t

thrive.Ifwecouldn’tunderstandtheirpurpose,‘on-board’intotheapplicationquicklyandintegratethemeasilyintoourlives,wejustwouldn’tusethem.Wemusthavehigherexpectationsoftechnologyandqualitydesigntoensuretoolsarecreatedthatweactuallywanttouse,ratherthanhavetouse.

Developersmustworkdirectlywithteachers,notdataadministrators,tostreamlineworkflowsandreducetheburdenondatacollection.Simpleuserexperiencedesignelements,suchasreducingthenumberofuseractionsrequiredtoinputdata,haveamultipliereffectonthelikelihoodofretainedandeffectiveuseofaproduct,yetmanyexistingproductsandimplementationsfailtodothis.


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Removing the barriers

For Schools

Embracing technology

1. Accepttechnologyhasaroletoplayinlearningandinsupportingstaff

2. Approachtechnologywiththesameenthusiasmasyourpupils

3. Becomedigitallyliterate,takeownership

4. Buildthetechnicalinfrastructurethatallowstechnologyusetothrive

5. Buildacultureofinnovationatalllevels

Purchase with sophistication

1. Don’tacceptmediocrity

2. Wouldstaffusetheproductoutofchoiceifyoudidn’trequireitsuse?

3. Whatclearoperationalorworkflowproblemdoesitsolve?

4. Doesitsavetime?

5. Doesitintegratewithexistingsoftwareandhardware?

6. Whatistheopportunitycostandtheprofessionaldevelopmentrequirement?

Minimise and optimise in order to maximise

1. Neverenterdatatwice

2. Reducemanualdataentrytoaminimum

3. Ensuredecision-drivendatacollectionwheremanualentryneeded

4. Automateallreportingwherepractical

5. Condensecommunicationintoconsistentchannels


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For Developers

Collaborate for impact

1. Don’tsilodata

2. Interoperateandintegrate–offerAPIs

3. Buildintheabilitytoevaluateimpact

4. Workwithteachersfromdayone–developinschools

5. Openlicenseyourcontent

6. Collatemeta-data(withinacceptableprivacystandards)

Optimise workflow

1. CreateexceptionalUX/UIandservicedesign

2. Wheredataentryisneeded,nevermakeateacher’staskmoreinefficient,the2-clicktaskprinciple

3. Simplifyaggregateddatadashboardsanddisplays

For Government

Regulation and Standardisation

1. Incubateanedtechsectorinnovationbodytoleadonstandards,marketplacereformanddigitalliteracyinschools

2. Supportsectordevelopmentofgoldstandardsecurityandprivacystandardsspecificforeducationdata

3. CatalyseMISinteroperabilitythroughcensusstandardsframeworks

4. Ensureinnovationisallowedtoflourishthroughregulatedprocurement

Infrastructure

“36% of primary schools still expect pupils to have poor internet access by 2016.”7

BESA 2015

1. Ensurehighspeedbroadbandforall,bothathomeandschool

2. Ensureallteachersandstudentshaveaccesstoqualitydevices

Can technology genuinely reduce teacher workload?Technologyineducationischanging,thefoundationsofaninnovatingmarketareappearing,butitwillnotbearapidrevolutionuntilthereisasignificantshiftindigitalliteracy,infrastructureandinteroperability.Withoutthosethenextgenerationofedtechwillnotrevolutionisepedagogyanymoreorlessthanthelast.However,givenamovetowardsthosepriorities,wecouldmuchsoonercreatemajoropportunitiestooptimisetheworkflowsinschools.Workflowswhichcurrentlycausedamagingandunnecessaryincreasestoteachers’workloadandwellbeing.Onlythenwillwebeabletomakethenextshifttowardswiderimplementationoflearningtoolsthattrulyimpactupondeliveryofpedagogy.

Educationmustembracetheimplementationoftechnology,butweshouldinparallelchallengetheexistingmonopolies,focusondrivingimpact,andraiseourexpectationsofwhattechnologyproviderscandelivertoacceleratelearninganddecreaseworkload.Onlythenwillwebeabletorealisethepotentialbenefitsoftechnologyembeddedineducation.


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References 1Quinlan,Oliver.“EducationTechnologyOrTechnologyEducation?CanComputersMakeAnImpactInSchools? http://www.nesta.org.uk/blog/education-technology-or-technology-education-can-computers-make-impact-schools

2BESA(2015),“MarketResearch.BESA:ICTUseinschools1991–2015”, http://www.besa.org.uk/sites/default/files/his2015_0.pdf

3Coughlan,Stephen(2015).“Computers‘DoNotImprove’PupilResults,SaysOECD-BBCNews”.BBCNews, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34174796

4 Wiliam,Dylan(2014)“Formativeassessmentandcontingencyintheregulationoflearningprocesses.”aSymposiumentitledTowardatheoryofclassroomassessmentastheregulationoflearningattheannualmeetingoftheAmericanEducationalResearchAssociation,Philadelphia

5BESA(2015),MarketResearch-InformationandCommunicationTechnologyinUKStateSchools, http://www.besa.org.uk/sites/default/files/ict2015_voli_0.pdf,p28

6AudreyWatters(2012),http://hackeducation.com/2012/03/17/what-every-techie-should-know-about-education/

7BESA(2015),MarketResearch-InformationandCommunicationTechnologyinUKStateSchools, http://www.besa.org.uk/sites/default/files/ict2015_voli_0.pdf,p9


For more informationAdvancedBusinessSoftwareandSolutionsLimited,tradingasAdvancedLearning,partoftheAdvancedComputerSoftwareGroup.RegisteredinEngland.Companynumber03214465.Registeredoffice:DittonPark I RidingCourtRoad I Datchet I Berkshire I SL39LL.t: +44(0)3300602199e: [email protected] www.advanced-learning.co.uk

AdvancedBusinessSoftwareandSolutionsLimitedrecognisesthetrademarksofothercompaniesandtheirrespectiveproductsinthisdocument.

About John Roberts JohnisCEOofEdapt,whichprovidesnon-unionlegalsupportandprotectiontoteachers.Johnalsoworkswithavarietyofedtechcompaniesandcharitiesprovidingstrategyconsultancy.

Duringabreakfromentrepreneurship,JohnbecameagraduateoftheTeachFirstprogrammein2007inManchester.AfterayearofteachingJohnjoinedtheSeniorManagementTeamundertheroleofDirectorofStandardsholdingresponsibilityforschool

widedataandassessmentandperformancemanagement.UnsatisfiedwiththeexistingManagementInformationSystemsandthesoftwareavailableintheclassroom,Johndevelopedtoolstointeroperatewithexistingmanagementsystemsandstreamlinebehaviourmanagement.ThesetoolswerementionedinsubsequentOfstedreportsas“enablingpastoralleaderstomonitorveryeffectivelystudents’successesandareasfordevelopment”andtheproductswentontobecomecommercialandinvestmentbacked.

@johnrobeds|https://johnroberts.me

About Advanced LearningAdvancedLearningprovidesmanagementsolutions,FacilityandProgressotoschoolsaroundtheworld.Bybasingitssolutionsonthelatestcloudtechnologyandappreciatingtheever-changingnatureofeducation,itworkswithitscustomerstodeliversystemswhichareprimarilyfocusedonlearnersandimprovingoutcomesforthem.

TogetaninsightintothisapproachandtolearnmoreabouttheworkAdvancedLearningisdoingwithsomeoftheUK’sleadingschools,pleasecontactuson03300602199orlearning.enquiries@advancedcomputersoftware.com

can technology genuinely reduce teacher workload? · 2018-09-27 · can technoogy geniney redce...

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