The discussion that took place at the Moscow International Education Fair (MMSE) shed light on the reasons motivating the market to develop unified standards for assessing digital educational products, as well as the challenges complicating this process.
One of the key points raised by experts during the discussion was the rapid growth of online schools in the current EdTech market. Ludmila Kevdina, the head of the „Quality“ department at RACIO and the director of external communications at Maximum Education, emphasized the diverse nature of these schools in terms of size and the products they offer. This diversity makes it extremely difficult for users to choose the right product for them, leading to dissatisfaction and potential conflicts in the information field. Kevdina stressed the importance of establishing clear criteria for evaluating and selecting products to ensure transparency for all participants in the educational process.
Furthermore, Kevdina highlighted the efforts of various market players, including RACIO, in developing approaches to assessing the quality of educational products. She suggested that having multiple approaches could eventually lead to the creation of a unified model that benefits everyone involved.
Kirill Savitsky added to the discussion by pointing out the challenge posed by the multitude of metrics used by EdTech companies to evaluate the quality of educational products. He raised the question of how to prioritize and weigh these metrics effectively to create a meaningful evaluation model.
Marina Kharakhordina, the head of the methodological department at Skillbox, expanded on the need for a comprehensive framework to evaluate the quality of courses. She emphasized the importance of tracking student satisfaction levels and assessing the impact of the learning process on student behavior to achieve desired outcomes.
Daria Ryzhkova, the founder of Smart Ranking agency, shared insights from a recent study conducted by her agency on the metrics used by EdTech market participants to measure quality. The study aimed to derive an integrated indicator from these metrics but faced challenges due to the absence of feedback from course graduates. Ryzhkova highlighted the evolving complexity of the metric system and the industry’s interest in a unified methodology for comparison.
Nikita Podlipsky, the managing director of Ultimate Education, echoed the need for a unified methodology for measuring quality but cautioned against oversimplifying the evaluation process. He emphasized the importance of considering individual factors, such as completion rates, in context to avoid misinterpretation of quality.
In conclusion, the experts at MMSE agreed on the necessity of a unified methodology for evaluating educational products in the EdTech market. While challenges exist in developing such a model, the industry’s collective efforts towards standardization will benefit both market players and customers. The ongoing discussions and research in this area aim to create a transparent and effective framework for assessing the quality of digital educational products.