Dr. Stella Lee, Paradox Learning Inc.
Training Industry Conference and
Expo
June 22, 2022
Photo by Peter Fitzpatrick on Unsplash
Post COVID
EdTech
Landscape – The
good, the bad,
and the ugly
My motivation for this talk
Let me start with a story or
two…
Photo by Kei on Unsplash
Photo by Tachina Lee on Unsplash
Why should YOU
care?
• It is a huge and rapidly growing
market - EdTech nearly double in
expenditure between 2019
($163b) and 2022 ($295b)
• It has the potential to transform
learning and development for
better
• It will ultimately become your
problem without your input
following types of
technologies
By Systems
Related/Adjacent
to Education
By Educational
Systems
By Educational
Purpose
By Hardware By Innovative
Technologies
• Learning
Management
Systems (LMS)
• Learning Experience
Platforms (LXP)
• Collaboration
Platforms
• Talent Management
Systems (TMS),
• Smart Classrooms
• Laptop Classrooms
• E-learning Authoring
Tools
• Content curation and
library
• AI
• VR/AR/MR
• Blockchain
Photo by Tachina Lee on Unsplash
EdTech – The
Good
• Fast growing thanks to
COVID
Photo by Tachina Lee on Unsplash
EdTech – The
Good
• Fast growing thanks to
COVID
• There is a lot of products in
the market, a competitive
landscape
Just within the LMS Market, there
are over 785 systems out there
LMS
Source: Paradox Learning
Photo by Tachina Lee on Unsplash
EdTech – The
Good
• Fast growing thanks to
COVID
• There is a lot of products in
the market, a competitive
landscape
• More niche products/also
more one-for-all solutions
There is something for everyone…
Upskilling
Professional
apprenticeship
Gamified learning
All-in-one
solution Content library
Marketing and
selling content
Photo by Anandu Vinod on Unsplash
EdTech – The Bad
• Constant technology change
requires constant upskilling
According to Emerald Works’
2022 Back to the Future
Report:
39% of L&D respondents believe
that L&D is ‘overwhelmed &
under-equipped.’
Source: Mindtools for business
Photo by Anandu Vinod on Unsplash
EdTech – The Bad
• Constant technology change
requires constant upskilling
• Snake oil – exaggerated
claims, not grounded on
learning
Photo by Jonas Kaiser on Unsplash
EdTech – The Ugly
• Black box algorithm -
potentially de-motivate people
and cause harm
• Ethical and privacy violation –
during COVID, surveillance tech
sales went up 200% between
March – May 2020 alone
Emerging
Trends
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
1. Ed tech companies have adapted
their business models to the
changing market demands
2. Recession will increase demand
for learning/reskilling and micro-
credentials
3. Historical lack of learning
investment/legacy systems will
slow the growth
4. Increased need to have new
learning models for a deeper
learning experience
Where do you stand?
Vision &
Need
Measuring
outcomes
Who are your
learners?
What motivate them
to learn? What are
their competencies?
L&D’s
motivation and
competence
Who are your L&D
people?
What motivate them
to be in L&D? What
are their
competencies?
Infrastructure
and devices
Technology readiness
Do you have the
appropriate and
adequate infrastructure
and devices in place? If
not, what does it take to
get there?
Impact of use
Does the tool truly
improve learning
and support
performance? Are
the objectives
achieved?
Learners’
motivation and
competence
Problem
definition
What business
problems you
need to solve with
EdTech
solution/s? What
are your
objectives?
Thanks
!
Connect with me:
▫ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stellal/
▫ stella@paradoxlearning.com
Photo by Igor Kyryliuk on Unsplash
Editor's Notes
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with nor I endorse any edtech companies during this presentation. Examples are mentioned for illustration purpose only.
Motivation for this webinar: decisions about ed tech selection and evaluation often are driven by IT, but L&D are the ones using them and creating and implementing learning programs with these tools, we have to get more informed and be able to participate in the selection process.
Not just north America, but many companies from each region of the world. These are not the comprehensive list, just most promising.
Not just north America, but many companies from each region of the world. Asia is the fastest growing.
It is not always clear-cut, many overlapping areas. For example, many LMS now offers content and has LXP functions, or authoring function.
We had pretty much gone past the conversation of “why do we need edtech” to how and what we need to do to select and implement edtech
EdTech has seen 38 unicorns (startups that are valued $1B or above via a venture fundraising around) so far, with 18 joining in 2021 alone.
I would say 70% of them would have very similar functions – customer service and usability are two differentiators after pricing.
There is something for everyone – it covers every market segment
Companies make conflicting claims about their products, many products have overlapping functionality and it is not always clear what different product types mean
We are also overwhelmed with all the data we collected and trying to make use of them.
At the same time, we feel under-equipped to do so.
Companies make conflicting claims about their products, many products have overlapping functionality and it is not always clear what different product types mean
Companies just want to take advantage of the AI hypes
Third-party analytic sites are often responsible for the classification
Startups that claim to work in AI attract between 15 and 50 percent more funding compared to other companies.
The issue was raised by Wolfie Christl, a researcher with Austria-based digital rights non-profit Cracked Labs.
Highly arbitrary metrics that will potentially affect employees’ daily lives
The issue was raised by Wolfie Christl, a researcher with Austria-based digital rights non-profit Cracked Labs.
Highly arbitrary metrics that will potentially affect employees’ daily lives
EdTech should not be used for the sake of technology. Instead, it should be used for a clear pedagogical purpose.