How can evidence-based blended learning solutions be scaled in low-resource contexts?

During COVID-19, many school networks were able to nimbly and innovatively develop low-tech and blended-learning solutions to ensure continuity of learning in the short-term. However, given the uncertainty in school reopening, the possibility of intermittent closures, and the pressing need to remediate for learning loss, it is of vital importance that school operators and supporting organizations develop blended learning tools that can serve as an effective medium- to long-term teaching approach. 

Along with the delivery of multimodal learning it is critical to track learning outcomes to ensure the effectiveness of solutions and support organizations in scaling their blended learning methods. Currently, tools and methods that can meet this more long-term need have only been developed as stop-gap measures, and little is known about the effectiveness of these blended learning solutions, both factors that prevent their adoption at scale. To that end, Global Schools Forum seeks low-tech solutions for blending learning that:

• Use data-driven approaches to align to existing curriculum standards yet allow for self-paced learning

• Allow for periodic and rigorous measurement of student learning 

• Allow teachers to easily upload, modify and review learning material

• Provide for continuous learning in low-data or offline scenarios and limit the number of hours of device learning per day

• Contain security features to account for multiple device users or possible loss/theft of device

• Are cost-efficient and can be easily deployed in low-resource contexts

• Set forth a clear process for evaluation of the solution itself and benchmarks against which its effectiveness can be monitored over time

About Global Schools Forum

Global Schools Forum (GSF) aims to strengthen the education sector by working with non-state organisations in developing countries who are serving children from low income backgrounds. GSF is the only international membership network to work with and advocate for the non-state education sector. Our 60 members operate in 46 countries from India to Uganda to Colombia, collectively running or supporting 18,000 schools that provide quality education to over 2.5 million children.