Leveraging Technology for Teacher Professional Development: Testing TaRL Innovations for a Digital Future in Education

• In Event: Exploring Teacher Effectiveness, Technology Integration, and Equity Across Global Contexts

Proposal

Background
Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) is a remedial program designed to improve foundational literacy and numeracy for learners in grades 3 to 5 through simple assessments, targeted instruction based on student learning level rather than grade, and learner-centered, engaging instructional activities and materials. While TaRL has an extensive evidence base, quality implementation of TaRL by teachers requires mentoring and continuous professional development (CPD). Yet in many sub-Saharan Africa contexts, conducting in-person mentoring is costly and logistically challenging. In our digital era, there is promise through technology to leverage innovations that can boost teacher support.
Against this background, we conducted implementation research between 2021 and 2024 in three countries across sub-Saharan Africa with the overall objective of establishing opportunities to integrate technology into government TaRL programs to enhance teacher support. We specifically focused on these two key questions:
I. What is the potential for using technology to support teacher continuous professional development (CPD)?
II. How can remote mentoring complement in-person mentoring?
This paper presents the results and conclusions from a series of adaptive pilot studies conducted in 2022-2024. Across Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria, the series of mixed-method studies assesses how technology and innovations can enhance teacher CPD and mentoring within large-scale TaRL programs by integrating digital tools into the mentoring and CPD processes. The research also explores sustainability, scalability, and equity considerations related to technology innovations.

Research context
In Zambia, we conducted pilot research exploring the use of biweekly 3-4 minute pre-recorded videos and one-page briefs shared via WhatsApp to demonstrate TaRL classroom activities. For remote schools, hard copies of the briefs were also provided. A chatbot (EngageSpark) was used to send questions via SMS to assess teachers' understanding, receive their responses, and award points. This innovation was then scaled in an ongoing randomized controlled evaluation (RCT).
In Côte d'Ivoire, we piloted a hybrid mentoring model combining data-driven in-person visits with remote phone call support. This approach aimed to address the logistical challenges of in-person school visits by focusing on schools needing the most support. Simple data templates helped identify which schools required in-person versus remote support.
In Nigeria, exploratory research evaluated teachers’ preferences for mentoring through telephone calls, toll-free phone call lines, Facebook chatbots, WhatsApp chats, SMS, and Secure Digital (SD) cards. The study identified telephone calls, toll-free phone lines, and WhatsApp chats as preferred, as these methods were easy to use, affordable, and allowed two-way communication.

Research findings
1. What is the potential for using technology to support teacher CPD?
Results from Zambia indicated WhatsApp enabled peer engagement and mentorship, demonstrating potential to reduce the need for frequent in-person mentor visits; while short instructional videos sent via WhatsApp presented a potential approach to offer digital refresher training and teacher CPD. Further, use of a chatbot (EngageSpark) indicated user friendliness to send SMS questions to assess teachers' understanding, receive their responses, and award points. Results from Nigeria highlighted challenges related to smartphone access and internet connectivity as key bottlenecks when using WhatsApp for teacher support.

2. How does remote mentoring complement in-person mentoring?
In Côte d'Ivoire, research results from the pilot found hybrid mentoring (phone calls and in-person visits guided by simple data templates) had the potential to result in more frequent and targeted guidance to teachers. It has led to a large-scale implementation study and RCT to study this innovation during a critical time in CIV where the TaRL program is scaling rapidly.
In Nigeria, pilot tests with both TaRL and government mentors showed that toll-free phone lines were operationally feasible for remote mentoring. However, it was noted that teachers and mentors had a low willingness to meet the costs of making phone calls. These findings have catalyzed a follow-up implementation study of toll-free phone lines to enable structured remote mentoring for more frequent, targeted teacher support and CPD in a resource-constrained environment.
Overall, the tested innovations yielded promising results, particularly in addressing cost and operational challenges associated with traditional in-person mentoring and refresher training for teachers in at-scale education programs.
Key insights on embedding technology for teacher mentoring and support
The findings also generated critical reflections on the role of innovative technology as it relates to scalability, accessibility, and cost for governments in sub-Saharan Africa.

1. Success factors and scalability
Tech-supported mentoring has great potential for broader adoption. In Zambia, WhatsApp emerged as a scalable, cost-effective tool due to its familiarity among teachers, though smartphone access and internet connectivity remain challenges. These can be mitigated through teachers sharing smartphones or accessing the internet from areas within the school compounds or communities that have good internet (‘hotspots’). In Côte d'Ivoire, data-driven mentoring approaches using phone calls or in-person visits show promise. In Nigeria, toll-free lines and peer mentoring hold potential to support teacher development, demonstrating scalable alternatives to traditional in-person mentoring.
2. Teacher collaboration in tech innovation
Across the three countries, teachers were actively involved in evaluating the potential innovations to test and in development of the tools, ensuring that the solutions were practical and responsive to their needs. However, challenges such as limited smartphone access and network reliability need to be navigated to fully realize the potential of these innovations and ensure equity.
3. Government adoption and support
Governments are more likely to adopt low-cost innovations like WhatsApp but resource-intensive options, such as chatbots and toll-free lines, require external support. Collaboration between governments and development partners is essential to scale these solutions.

Conclusion
As we envision education in a digital society, leveraging technology to support teacher CPD and mentoring is critical. Our research demonstrates that tech-supported innovations can enhance the effectiveness of teacher mentoring, reduce costs, and overcome logistical challenges, paving the way for more sustainable and scalable solutions in education. By continuing to involve teachers and mentors in the design process and fostering collaboration between governments and development partners, we can ensure that these innovations are scalable and have a lasting impact on education systems.

Authors

• Denis Kyalo Wambua, Teaching at the Right Level TaRL Africa

• Daniele J Ressler, Teaching at the Right Level Africa

• Sabina Obere, Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa

• Theresa Lubozha, Health Learners

• Kodjo Aflagah