SEERNet is a network of platform developers, researchers, and education stakeholders working together to create and expand the capacity of digital learning platforms (DLPs) to enable equity-focused and rigorous education research. SEERNet is funded by the Institute of Education Science, with a deliberate intention to fund both DLPs and researchers, as well as a growing network connecting DLPs, researchers, and practitioners. It is called “SEERNet” in reference to IES’s SEER principles, a set of aspirations for educational research.
Abstract: SEERNet is a network of Digital Learning Platforms, researchers, and practitioners with the vision to leverage DLPs as research infrastructure, enabling researchers to ask and answer important questions about learning in ways that are grounded in realistic, widespread use of learning technologies. A first wave of work established the foundation for the research community. The network looks now towards a second wave of work that clarifies research opportunities and builds capacity for the types of research that can be supported. A third wave seeks to expand the network’s efforts towards broader aspirations for better science, engineering, practitioner engagement, and community.
One of SEERNet’s aims is to enable alignment of research on digital learning platforms to practitioner needs. Office Hours: A Conversational Series was SEERNet’s first initiative to convene practitioners and researchers in identifying problems of practice relevant to digital learning platforms (DLPs) and co-designing research questions. Participants discussed their experiences, goals, challenges, and vision related to DLP use. The conversations were synthesized and feedback from the participants led to refined research questions. In addition, we asked the participants to reflect on the value of the Office Hours process.
More than 90 percent of middle and high school teachers report using the internet to source instructional materials, but there is a dearth of rigorous evidence on the effects of providing teachers with access to online materials. Researchers evaluated the impact of providing teachers with access to high-quality online lessons and implementation support on student achievement in mathematics. Providing teachers with access to the lessons, reminders, and implementation support significantly increased student achievement. Researchers also found suggestive evidence that providing access to the lessons alone had a positive effect on math scores.
The National Center for Education Statistics releases the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) High School Transcript Study (HSTS) User’s Guide and Technical Report on November 9, 2023. This…
The National Center for Education Statistics releases the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) High School Transcript Study (HSTS) 2019 restricted-use datasets for analyzing HSTS 2019 results. The 2019 NAEP…
In the first of a series of blogs, IES Director Mark Schneider outlines some of his thoughts on the building blocks that will lay the strongest foundation for NCADE.
This project is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305N210034 to Digital Promise. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.