Irish Educational Technology
Research
Scientific research is subject to normativity: its structure and direction is determined by the standards used to evaluate it. In Ireland, in-industry research regarding educational technology is subject to two standards: those set by the Department of Education (DES), and those set by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE). The DES’ ontology and evaluation of educational technology remains as it was observed to be in its educational technology policy. However, the DETE is a distinct entity designed to better Ireland’s economy and seeks to couple academic and industry research; intuitively, its ontology and evaluation of educational technology must differ. These distinctions are evident in the center of Irish educational technology research, the Learnovate Technology Centre, and peripheral research entities such as the Irish Learning Technology Association and EdTech Ireland.
The DETE first explicitly coupled general scientific research with industry demands under their 2007 Competence Centre Programme, as described in their “Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation 2006~2013” (“Strategy for Science”). Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. “Strategy for Science, Technology, and Innovation 2006~2013.” Stationary Office, June 18, 2006. https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/publication-files/forf%C3%A1s/strategy-for-science-technology-and-innovation-2006-2013.pdf. Generally, competence centers are institutions working in close collaboration with higher education institutes and relevant industry members. However, like its educational policy, Ireland’s enterprise policy is situated in the rapidly evolving demands of the information or knowledge economy. For example, in a related press report, Marcy Cryan, Chair of the DETE’s Advisory Science Council, regards the strategy as a demonstration of Ireland’s intent to “stay with the leading pack of countries in this transition [into a knowledge economy] and to develop as one of the most attractive locations for world-class researchers and knowledge intensive enterprises.” Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. “Major Boost for Ireland’s Attractiveness to Leading Researchers and Knowledge Intensive Experiences: Advisory Science Council Welcomes Government’s Strategy for Science, Technology, and Innovation 2006-2013.” Stationary Office, June 18, 2006. https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/publication-files/forf%C3%A1s/press-release-strategy-for-science-technology-and-innovation-2006-2013.pdf. Thus, the competence centers introduced in the strategy are situated in a broad effort to ensure Ireland keeps pace with its international peers in research, development, and the general production and use of human capital. At the normative level, the motivations for competence centres appear no different than those for educational technology in the DES’ initial policies. Further, the economic character of these institutions is made clear in “Strategy for Science” itself. The DETE regards competence centers as tools to “differentiate Ireland as a highly attractive environment” for “advanced industrial research” and limit their scope to industries of “strategically important technologies where a clear industry need is established”. Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. “Strategy for Science, Technology, and Innovation 2006~2013.”, pg. 47. Therefore, the research conducted in competence centres is performed with the explicit intent for application in the relevant industry so as to produce an attractive environment for research and investment. It is appropriate, then, the DETE delegated the responsibility of these centres to Ireland’s indigenous and foreign investment agencies: Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland. Ibid., pg. 47
The The author has been unable to locate legislation or similar documents from either the DETE, Enterprise Ireland, or IDA Ireland explicitly stating the creation of and terms for the Technology Centres Programme. This is discussed in further detail in Appendix: From Competence Centres to Technology Centres Competence Centre program continues to operate today as a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland but under a new name: Technology Centres. Further, in 2012, the technology-enhanced learning research institute Learnovate Technology Centre launched in Trinity College Dublin. The centre provides bespoke educational technology research and innovation to the private enterprises or institutions within its membership. Learnovate. “About – Learnovate.” Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.learnovatecentre.org/about/. As previous Learnovate Centre Director Owen White characterizes it, Learnovate is ostensibly industry-motivated as it is always, “trying to make sure that what we do is meeting real demand” and “aligns with [members’] customer needs”. Donnelly, Ellie. “Can Learnovate Help Your Organisation? We Sat with Owen White and Peter Gillis to Find Out.” Independent.Ie, July 8, 2017, sec. Irish Business. https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/can-learnovate-help-your-organisation-we-sat-with-owen-white-and-peter-gillis-to-find-out/35886655.html. As a normative object, what Learnovate presents is an instance of educational technology being driven simultaneously by educational practice, as a consequence of what has been established to work in research, and industry demand. This union is further evidenced in the nature of its projects. For example, in 2022, the Learnovate Centre received €300,000 through Enterprise Ireland’s commercialisation fund to realize project ALPACA: an application to assess children’s phonemic skills through a gamified experience. Gowran, Leigh Mc. “Digital Tool to Detect Early Reading Issues Gets Enterprise Ireland Funding.” Silicon Republic, January 10, 2022. https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/enterprise-ireland-funding-digital-reading-alpaca; Learnovate. “ALPACA Assessment Tool | Detecting Literacy Difficulties in Young Children – Learnovate.” Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.learnovatecentre.org/alpaca/; TechCentral Reporters. “Irish Project Developing Digital Tool for Early Literacy Screening Secures Funding.” TechCentral.Ie (blog), January 10, 2022. https://www.techcentral.ie/irish-project-developing-digital-tool-for-early-literacy-screening-secures-funding/. ALPACA proposes the integration of formative assessments through technology, allowing learners and teachers to better direct learning. With respect to the DES’ educational policy, the project is ostensibly aligned with the learner and practice-centered principles enumerated in its most recent iteration.
Today, Learnovate has broadened its scope to include the research, development, and commercialization of workplace learning technology, aligning itself with Ireland and the EU’s life-long learning framework. In 2023, Learnovate secured €3,000,000 to initiate a phase of transition away from innovation in educational technology and towards research in facilitating “ongoing learning” through online, adaptive, and soft-skills learning. Learnovate. “Learnovate Secures €3m of Phase 3 Funding to Develop next Generation of Workers – Learnovate.” Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.learnovatecentre.org/learnovate-secures-3m-on-phase3/. This pivot from innovative educational technologies in schools most reveals Learnovate’s origins as an initiative from the DETE and, pointedly, the collaboration evident in Ireland’s educational and economic policy. The impetus for this pivot, a rapidly changing knowledge economy, is well-aligned with the norms observed in Ireland’s educational policy. Education, or more broadly learning, is a point-of-interest not merely for the pursuit of knowledge or actualization of the student but for the opportunities it provides the student to become and remain economically competitive. This new direction in research has since manifested in a €4,000 project between Learnovate and its patron members Cisco and Skillnet Ireland designed to close digital skill-gaps through an online self-assessment and development platform. The close collaboration between Ireland’s education and economic policy is further evidenced by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science Simon Harris’ construing of the project as assisting “Ireland to continue in its aim to develop a workforce that is technologically advanced, highly-skilled, and ready for the future of work.” Carroll, Joanne. “Unique National Skills Platform Will Help Close Ireland’s Digital Skills Gap.” Trinity College Dublin. Accessed July 27, 2023. https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/2023/unique-national-skills-platform-will-help-close-irelands-digital-skills-gap/. Learnovate’s pivot demonstrates educational technological encompasses a far larger domain than classroom technology and software: to Ireland, and international companies insofar as Ireland exports its achievements to them, it represents an opportunity to remain economically competitive in a changing economic landscape.
Learnovate is far from the only Irish educational technology research institute intersecting with the industry. The Irish Learning Technology Association (ITLA), for example, is an independent community of industry professionals and academic researchers specializing in the study of technology-enhanced learning or, plainly, educational technology. Irish Learning Technology Association. “The Irish Learning Technology Association.” Accessed July 9, 2023. https://ilta.ie/. The ITLA contributes to the industry’s knowledge in two ways: first, by publishing the Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, a peer-reviewed academic journal; Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning. “About the Journal | Irish Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning.” Accessed July 9, 2023. https://journal.ilta.ie/index.php/telji/about. second, by supporting a network of Irish educational technology industry leaders through two annual conferences. For example, the ITLA’s 2018 EdTech Conference saw presentations from enterprise leaders such as TurnItIn, Panopto, IT Tralee, Cleverbooks, and PebblePad in addition to the expected universities such as Maynooth University, National University of Ireland Galway, and Trinity College Dublin. Exordo. “TEL Quality Matters - People, Policies and Practices Programme.” Accessed July 30, 2023. http://programme.exordo.com/edtech2018/. There exists a clear coupling between academic and in-industry research beyond the technology centres of the DETE. Further, many of the attending enterprises are multinational, such as TurnItIn and Panopto. This diversity shows that ITLA’s EdTech Conference and similar conferences represent entry-points into the educational technology sector and its research at the international level.
The scope of educational technology research widens further when one considers organizations such as EdTech Ireland. An innovation network founded in 2022, EdTech Ireland boasts 41 industry members within its network, containing multinationals such as Learnosity, ESI, and Akari Software. EdTech Ireland. “EdTech Ireland Innovation Network.” Accessed July 30, 2023. https://www.edtechireland.ie. Critically, though, EdTech Ireland represents a funnel outwards into the European Union (EU) insofar as it is a member of the European EdTech Alliance, a network of educational technology enterprises and trade associations set upon growing the industry across Europe. European Edtech Alliance. “European Edtech Alliance,” May 5, 2023. https://www.edtecheurope.org. Among their many initiatives is EmpowerED, a project funded by the EU and aiming to map the European educational technology sector and support like-minded enterprises and start-ups. EmpowerED: EdTech Ecosystem for Better Learning. “Empowered ED Project.” Accessed July 30, 2023. https://www.empowerededtech.eu/. There evidently exists a rich ecosystem of educational technology organizations, researchers, and enterprises within Ireland and the EU, each of which represent a unique interest in such technologies.
In summary, the research component of Ireland’s educational technology sector demonstrates an intertwining of the normativity of educational and economic imperatives. At first glance, the DETE appears to contrast the DES’ established fusing of educational and economic imperatives by investing in educational technology research as a means to differentiate Ireland from its global competitors. However, the role such research plays in the sector, as represented through the Learnovate Technology Centre, demonstrates an alignment of the two imperatives. Further, organizations like ILTA and EdTech Ireland not only further the purely educational imperative of educational technology but also link the country’s enterprises to academic research and international networks spanning the EU. This broad confluence of educational and economic norms and rhetorics underscores the partnership between the DES, DETE, and enterprise in Ireland and shows that such unions are feasible.