Towards high quality in Australian educational technology

Improving educational outcomes – especially for students experiencing disadvantage – should be our highest priority across the education sector and a key focus for government. This relies on the skilled delivery of high-quality curriculum, which is increasingly mediated by educational technology (edtech). Yet a crowded and rapidly growing market makes it difficult for teachers, schools or parents to know which applications are high quality and useful. This report considers a selection of international and Australian quality assurance mechanisms for educational resources, to identify key quality domains assessed and common components of the processes themselves. The report argues for a national quality assurance process for edtech, with clear criteria and robust and transparent assessment process. At a minimum, the criteria should assure curriculum depth, coherence and fidelity; evidence-based pedagogy and support for effective teacher use; and safe and ethical use of data (including disclosure of AI use and source).