Is Technology Actually Helping?

Use practical evidence to decide whether a technology-rich learning design is improving access, thinking, feedback, collaboration or outcomes—and what to change if it is not.

• Start with the impact claim — You cannot evaluate technology until you know what improvement it was meant to create.
• Match evidence to the contribution — Different technology claims require different indicators.
• Compare with a realistic alternative — Impact is easier to judge when the technology choice is not evaluated in isolation.
• Look for benefits and costs you did not plan — Technology can change the learning environment in unexpected ways.
• Make a continue, change or stop decision — Evaluation is useful only when evidence changes what happens next.