Lessons from the GEC: technologies for pedagogies and assessment

This paper draws on the experiences of the Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) to explore ways in which the use of technologies can contribute to sustainable educational futures for marginalised girls. The GEC is a £350... [ view full abstract ]

This paper draws on the experiences of the Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) to explore ways in which the use of technologies can contribute to sustainable educational futures for marginalised girls. The GEC is a £350 million UKAid fund reaching up to 1 million marginalised girls, with evaluation of learning and retention outcomes.
Marginalized girls are not the typical beneficiaries of education technology interventions. This focus provides a learning opportunity regarding the potential for technologies to improve quality education for the most marginalized.
Across the GEC, technology is being used in a range of ways for pedagogical and assessment innovation. Partnerships with the private sector are being used as one vehicle for this change, including projects in Myanmar, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. Projects include innovations to learning content, connectivity, assessment and school management. This includes varying emphasis on the school, teachers and students, with some large and complex interventions, as well as smaller scale innovations.
The GEC provides a unique opportunity to learn from a portfolio of projects. The paper will capture a range of theories of change, focusing on how technology is anticipated to transform learning for marginalised girls, and use case studies to explore the challenges and opportunities emerging from implementation. The paper will be the first in which the technology-specific lessons from the GEC have been shared publicly. The paper provides an opportunity to map the emerging evidence as a contribution to the growing body of research.