Online learning project secures research finance from Covid innovation fund
EDUCATION technology specialist Klik2learn has secured a five-figure grant to evaluate the impact of online learning on students during and beyond the coronavirus pandemic.
The £93,000 award is from the Sustainable Innovation Fund run by Innovate UK in support of projects to mitigate the health, social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak. Working with The Data Lab and City of Glasgow College, Klik2learn will provide educators with analytical insights to understand how learning happens in the digital space, and tools that lead to better educational outcomes.
Ann Attridge, chief executive of Klik2learn, said other sectors of the economy such and finance and retail have sophisticated methods to analyse huge amounts of data to improve services, with the education sector behind the curve in this respect. The project will examine the learning networks of teachers, resources and learners to recommend effective interventions and measure their success.
“Educators have risen to the challenge of Covid-19 by adopting a range of online learning systems at speed and with limited resources,” Ms Attridge said.
“What is not understood is the impact of various online activities; self-directed, peerto-peer, tutor-supported, immersive learning and gamification on young people and their educational outcomes.”
Based in Glasgow, Klik2learn creates online courses and learning management systems for educational institutions, local authorities and private employers. It runs the Digital Learning Hub in conjunction with City of Glasgow College, which gives tutors a platform to teach, assess and track student progress.
Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is investing up to £191 million through its Sustainable Innovation Fund during the next two years. Its aim is to help all sectors of the UK rebuild in the wake of Covid-19.