SBIR-STTR Award

In prior research and development, the team and their partners developed EdSurge Concierge, an online platform to facilitate school improvement. With this Phase I funding, the project team will develop and test a next prototype of the platform with improved capability to generate information administrators need to make decisions on selecting technology tools to drive school improvement. The prototype will also provide a venue for education technology developers to propose tools to meet school needs. At the end of Phase I in a pilot study with 10 school administrators, the researchers will examine whether the prototype functions as planned and if the platform saves time and generates lists of tools to meet the needs of administrators and schools.

Purpose: This project team will fully develop and test Concierge, an online platform for school administrators to identify, select, and evaluate education technology products used for school improvement. The platform addresses the critical challenge faced by administrators of finding educational technology products that best address school needs. Project Activities: During Phase I (completed in 2016), the project team developed a prototype of Concierge, including the front end user interface, needs assessment, portal for education technology products, and an information management system. At the end of Phase I, the research team conducted a pilot study with 10 administrators who were tasked with selecting a learning management system. Administrators reported that the prototype functioned as intended, improved understanding of the types of technologies that may address needs, and saved time in researching information. In Phase II, the team will fully develop the architecture of the platform to host diverse products, a filter to sort the products by relevant school characteristics and needs, and a portal for administrators to evaluate products that have been selected and implemented. After development is complete, the research team will conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility and usability, fidelity of implementation, and the promise of the platform for supporting administrators in selecting education technology products. The pilot study will include 50 administrators, half of whom will use the platform. The study will investigate whether the platform improves administrators' knowledge and decision making on what education technology product to use in schools. Product: Concierge is a platform for school administrators to discover and select education technology products to support school improvement. The intended users are principals, technology coaches, and curriculum directors who are responsible for selecting and implementing education technology in K–12 classrooms or schools. Concierge will include components to guide administrators through the product discovery, selection, and implementation process, including: an indexed database and taxonomy of education technology products; a diagnostic for administrators to determine the specific school needs; an automated matching program to identify available products in the index to address needs; a tool for administrators to evaluate the products selected and implemented; and a content management system for managing data and communications.