Campaign

Personalized learning

Featured project | A landscape analysis of tech-enabled personalized learning solutions in developing country contexts.

For years, educators have advocated the transformative potential of personalized learning, which can be broadly defined as an approach centred on the individual learner. Flexible and responsive to their needs, its promise lies in the ability of tech to tailor learning based on the needs and performances of individuals.

So in the last decade, advancements in information and communications technology, data science and machine learning have led to an explosion in the development of tech-enabled solutions, helping to boost the popularity of personalized learning.

These solutions have shown some evidence in improving learning outcomes in developing countries, especially in terms of closing the education gap for lower-attaining students. However, evidence from developing countries is still emerging, and research remains thin.

Students use tablet to learn in a classroom — UNICEF/UN0299590/Herwig

The Office of Global Insight and Policy, in collaboration with Office of Research - Innocenti, wanted to dig deeper, so began a landscape analysis of personalized learning solutions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

The objective of the analysis is to:

Build understanding of how tech-enabled personalized learning solutions are being operationalized in LMICs, including positive trends, promising practices, and gaps.
Cut through the hype and provide balanced insights to inform policy discourse and markets on personalized learning design and implementation.

Analysis and insight

Understand more about personalized learning with our informative series of analyses and other key resources

Explainer on personalized learning

Coming soon

Comparison of EdTech product evaluation rubrics

Coming soon

Trends in personalized learning in developing countries

View report

Database of personalized learning solutions

Coming soon

Compendium of personalized learning solutions

Coming soon

Ecosystem analysis report on personalized learning in developing countries

Coming soon

Reference group

We are grateful for the ongoing input of these experts who are helping to guide the development, execution and dissemination of the project.

Tom Kaye	EdTech Hub, Global Country Engagement Lead
Louis Major	University of Cambridge / EdTech Hub, Senior Research Associate
Gouri Gupta	Central Square Foundation, Project Director (EdTech)
Juan Pablo Giraldo Ospino	UNICEF Programme Division, Education Specialist
Sunita Grote	UNICEF Office of Innovation, Innovation Manager
Carlos Vargas Tamez	UNESCO, Chief of Section on Teacher Development & Head of the Secretariat for the International Taskforce on Teachers for Education 2030
Steven Edwin Vosloo	UNICEF OGIP, Policy Specialist (Digital)
Asyia Kazmi	Gates Foundation, Policy Lead–Global Education
Eliza Berg	MIT Solve, Lead, Learning and University Communities
Meg Hamel	ISTE, Director of Learning Initiatives, EdSurge Research
Nora Marketos	Jacobs Foundation, Co-Lead, Learning Schools
John Soleanicov	Jacobs Foundation, Co-Lead, Learning Schools
Rose Sagun	Consultant–High Touch High Tech for All, The Education Commission
Amy Bellinger	Head of Programs, Education Workforce Initiative and High Touch High Tech Initiative, The Education Commission

Project Team

Led by Andaleeb Alam and Dr. Nathan Castillo, supported by others from within and outside UNICEF at various stages of the project

From UNICEF:

Andaleeb Alam	UNICEF OGIP, Policy Specialist / UNICEF Personalized Learning Project Lead
Thomas Dreesen	UNICEF OOR, Education Manager–Research
Priyamvada Tiwari	UNICEF OGIP, Research Analyst
Mathu Shalini Sivanandan	UNICEF OGIP, Research Analyst
Marta Carnelli	UNICEF OOR, Education Consultant

External:

Nathan Castillo	University of Illinois, Assistant Professor of Global Studies in Education / Lead Consultant, Personalized Learning Project
Taskeen Adam	Open Development and Education, Associate Manager
Ghaida Alrawashdeh	University of Illinois, Doctoral Researcher in Global Studies in Education
Tingting Rui	University of Pennsylvania, Master’s degree candidate in International Education Development
Thaer Al-Sheikh Theeb	Open Development and Education, Analyst
Yomna El-Serafy	Open Development and Education, Analyst