Webinar: "New Digital Education Policy Landscape" by European Commission's Joint Research Center

We recently participated in the second session of the 2024/2025 Labour, Education, and Technology (LET) seminar series. The LET seminar series, organized by the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC), provides a platform for discussing the latest developments and research in key areas.

The New Digital Education Policy Landscape: From Education Systems to Platforms

The webinar introduced "The New Digital Education Policy Landscape: From Education Systems to Platforms" (Routledge, 2023), edited by Cristóbal Cobo and Axel Rivas. This session explored the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to reshape education and the necessary policies. Aimed at educational tech and policy experts, the book covers the global platformization of education

During the event, the editors discussed the importance and methods of incorporating global perspectives, as well as the role of ICT in modern education, offering insights on policy changes. The webinar also featured insights from a chapter focusing on the Dutch education system's transition towards digital platforms, authored by Professor Niels Kerssens. [More information about the book, chatpters, key topics, authors, etc.].

Summary of the Webinar

The webinar explored the significant shift in the educational landscape from traditional systems to platform-based models. This transformation, driven by digital technology and big tech companies, presents new challenges and opportunities for education policy and practice.

Importance for Stakeholders

This webinar aimed policymakers, educators, technology developers, and researchers in the field of education. It addressed the implications of digital transformation in education, providing insights into how policy and practice must adapt to ensure equitable and effective learning outcomes in a rapidly changing technological environment.

Key Questions Explored

1. What is the role of educational policy in the era of platform-based digital technology?
2. How should the balance between national education policies and the influence of big tech educational solutions be managed?
3. Is there evidence that learners benefit more from these platforms in terms of efficiency and effectiveness?
4. What impact will AI have on the educational landscape?
5. Who is responsible for creating these educational platforms?
6. Can these platforms expand the right to education?
7. How will platforms transform the pedagogical and sociological aspects of learning?

Compilation of the 10 Key Takeaways

1. New Digital Education Policy Landscape:

   • A new field of digital education policy is emerging, characterized by platform-based technologies driven by private sector innovation.

2. Contrasts Between Systems and Platforms:

   • Traditional educational systems are state-regulated, slow-moving, and focused on national identity, whereas platforms are decentralized, market-driven, dynamic, and personalized.

3. Risks of Privatization and Commodification:

   • The shift to platforms carries risks of education becoming privatized and commodified, with potential loss of public control and equity.

4. Challenges of Data Protection:

   • Significant challenges include data vulnerability, extraction, and monetization, with educational data often being harvested and sold by a few major players.

5. Impact on Teachers:

   • The role of teachers may be enhanced or displaced as platforms potentially act on behalf of educators, influencing how education is delivered and managed.

6. Institutional Control and Dependency:

   • Increasing reliance on big tech companies can lead to a loss of institutional control, creating dependency and unequal power dynamics between governments and technology providers.

7. False Promises of Free Access:

   • Claims of free access to educational tools and platforms often result in lock-in relationships, making it difficult for educational institutions to switch providers without significant costs.

8. Commodification and Inequality:

   • The commodification of education through digital platforms can exacerbate inequalities, particularly in regions with weaker institutional capacities and regulatory frameworks.

9. Need for Regulatory Frameworks:

   • There is a critical need for robust regulatory frameworks to manage the deployment and use of educational technologies, ensuring they serve public interests and educational goals.

10. Future Implications and Strategies:

    • Governments need to build institutional capacities to handle data-intensive education, enforce interoperability, strengthen governance, and develop sustainable, effective procurement strategies.

These key takeaways underscore the importance of thoughtful integration of digital technologies in education, balancing innovation with regulation to protect public values and ensure equitable access to quality education.

Speaker's bio

Cristóbal Cobo is a Senior Specialist in Education and Technology. Additionally, he serves as an associate at the University of Oxford’s SKOPE (Centre for Skills, Knowledge, and Organisational Performance), and holds the position of Senior Fellow for the Inter-American Dialogue’s Education Program. Furthermore, he is the founder and former director of the Ceibal Foundation’s Centre for Studies. His work has garnered attention from major media outlets such as CNN, Deutsche Welle, and Le Monde. With nearly 100 publications to his name, Dr. Cobo has authored extensively on education, technology, and innovation.

Axel Rivas is an Associate Professor, Researcher and Dean of the School of Education at Universidad de San Andrés. He is also the Academic Director of the San Andrés Center for Applied Research in Education (CIAESA). He is the author of 15 books on comparative education policies.

Niels Kerssens is assistant professor in the Department of Media and Cultural Studies at Utrecht University (the Netherlands). For his current research project, titled “Platformisation of Primary Education: Public Values at Risk,” he was awarded a Veni grant by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), which provided funding for this research.

[Watch the webinar]