Co-Creating Meaningful Edtech: An Investigation of Edtech Testbeds

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Sigrid Hartong
• Subject Area: Education Systems and Educational Institutions ; Empirical Social Research
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 559936404

Over the past decades, there has been a rapid evolution of the education technology (edtech) sector, but equally a growing field of Critical Edtech Studies (CES) that scrutinize the oftentimes ambivalent impacts of edtech on educational systems and pedagogical practices. Yet even though CES have evolved significantly over the past years, profound research gaps have remained, particularly regarding the growing complexity and transformation of edtech actor and governance constellations, a nuanced evaluation of edtech impact, as well as newer developments in the direction of (critical) edtech co-design. This project is situated at the intersection of these three dimensions, focusing on a recent development in the edtech field: the global emergence of edtech testbeds. Testbeds are settings of edtech testing and (re)design that aim at a more holistic impact assessment, as well as at a better inclusion of both scientists and practitioners. Edtech testbeds have been mushrooming in various countries as well as on a more global level over the past years, oftentimes driven by international actors such as the European EdTech Alliance. However, no research is yet available that scrutinizes the testbed phenomenon as a multi-scalar and interrelated field of policy, governance and practice. This project aims at closing that gap by investigating testbeds from an edtechcrafting lens, informed by the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS), and through a methodological framework of hybrid ethnography, bringing together network, document and platform analysis with onsite/online interviews, as well as participant observation of testbed practices within different countries. In doing so, the project will not only generate original knowledge on edtechcrafting enacted through testbeds, but equally more broadly on questions around participation with regard to technology development and (re)design.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Mathias Decuypere