Helpdesk Overview - What is a technical assistance Helpdesk and how has it been valuable in addressing education technology policy questions

• In Event: The Impact of tailored, rapid-response technical support on EdTech policy – evidence from the EdTech Hub’s Helpdesk

Proposal

The Helpdesk was envisioned as a means to provide targeted technical assistance on critical evidence gaps in EdTech. When the Helpdesk was launched in late 2019, little did we know how quickly digital tools would be top of mind for everyone in the education sector. Given the timing, many of the early Helpdesk requests were focused on how to adopt remote learning tools, often in contexts with limited ICT coverage and experience. Over the last five years, there has been an evolution in the kinds of requests fielded by the Helpdesk. The Helpdesk offers a range of tailored responses, often based core support mechanisms such curating lists of EdTech resources, creating topic briefs or rapid scans on specific issues, providing expert consultation or providing quick turn around impact evaluations. As low and middle income countries have emerged from the pandemic and their needs around EdTech continue to evolve, the Helpdesk is often asked to provide support on developing regional digitalization plans for partner organizations, supporting the development of national edtech strategies and providing input on targeted strategies and approaches. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of lessons learned in establishing a mechanism to provide tailored, rapid-response technical assistance and the themes we’re seeing across a wide range of countries. This will include experiences in southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Author

• Jessica Lowden, EdTech Hub