APA is developing a research informed summary and set of science-based recommendations on children’s and adolescents’ learning with educational technology. For this effort, educational technology is defined as digital tools intentionally designed to support learning, including learning videos, AI enabled tools, adaptive software, and other digital instructional platforms used by children and adolescents in schools, homes, and other learning environments.
Using psychological and learning science, we seek to determine what criteria might we use to evaluate when educational technologies are developmentally appropriate and supportive of learning, motivation, and well-being, and when they may undermine attention, comprehension, engagement, or learning outcomes, particularly in a rapidly evolving landscape where educators, families, and policymakers are seeking clear, evidence based guidance grounded in psychological science?
We have experts across many divisions and sub-disciplinary fields whose work is directly relevant to these questions. This message is to ask each of you to please identify members of your division that we may consider for a rapid expert advisory panel for this effort.
We are seeking nominees who have
- Demonstrated expertise in psychological science as it relates specifically to children’s and adolescents’ learning with educational technology, including research, practice, design, or evaluation of digital learning tools.
- Relevant areas of expertise may include learning and cognition, developmental and educational psychology, motivation and self-regulation, attention and executive functioning, human factors and human computer interaction, accessibility and disability, assessment and measurement, instructional design, or youth mental health and well-being. We also want this work to represent the breadth of psychology and to intentionally incorporate diverse perspectives, populations, and methodological approaches.
The rapid expert advisory panel will meet only 2–3 times over a two-month period to develop and review a brief recommendations report that will be appropriate for educators, families, policymakers, clinicians, developers, and the public.
Please send suggested names to Elizabeth Deegan, APA’s Science Program Associate, at edeegan@apa.org by April 17.