Treffer: The development of equitable edtech through the lens of learning experience design

Developments in digital technology have opened the doors to countless opportunities for educational technology but have also mirrored and magnified many social harms and inequalities. Researchers in the fields of education, technology, and social justice have attempted to build on past theories to create more relevant methods for addressing these challenges. This has led to an increased need for more intentional design methods and practices. Frameworks such as Learning Experience Design (LXD) have been developed and expanded upon to provide edtech practitioners with pragmatic and practical approaches for creating inclusive and equitable products. The research in this study attempts to analyze current methods and practices being employed by practitioners in the field along with how those methods can be used in the design of socially responsible edtech. Examples from professionals in the edtech industry are shared and discussions of culturally responsive and human-centered approaches are analyzed through the lens of LXD to provide a vision for pragmatic and equitable design approaches in the future development of educational technology. Four categories of methods and practices for developing edtech are explored, including methods that are human-centric, theoretically grounded, informed by user experience design methods, and socio-culturally sensitive. Key findings are analyzed through an external and internal lens - from the perspective of both the developers and the users of edtech. Implications for practice are discussed and recommendations for future research are proposed.