Why This App? How Ratings and Rankings Impact Educators’ Selection of High-Quality Educational Apps (Poster 12)

• In Event: Sunday Poster Session 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Multiple Perspectives of Technology as an Agent of Change in Teaching and Learning

Abstract

High-quality educational apps can be effective learning tools; yet, choosing them can be difficult. Educators should rely on their professional knowledge to choose apps that include educational benchmarks (i.e., curriculum, development team, scaffolding, feedback, learning theory). However, user ratings and Apple’s rankings may impact selection as well. The present study examines how ratings and rankings impact educators’ app preferences. One hundred fifty educators from North America and the UK evaluated 18 educational apps that varied in containing educational benchmarks or buzzwords, user rating, and ranking. Results indicate that while educational benchmarks do impact educators’ decision-making when choosing educational apps, educators are also swayed by others’ judgements (i.e., ratings and rankings).

Authors

• Emma Liptrot, McGill University

• Heather Ann Pearson, McGill University

• Armaghan Montazami, McGill University

• Adam Kenneth Dubé, McGill University