Evaluating EdTech in Context: Insights from the EmpowerED Workshop in Helsinki
On 22 May 2025, the European EdTech Alliance co-hosted a full-day workshop in Helsinki as part of the EmpowerED EdTech Week. Organised in partnership with OAMK, Ifous, and the Helsinki Education Hub, the event brought together representatives from Finnish municipalities and schools, alongside EdTech companies and researchers from across Finland and beyond.
The day focused on how EdTech tools are currently being evaluated before, during, and after their adoption, what challenges, needs and opportunities exist, and how elements from international evaluation frameworks could be adapted to fit the Finnish education system. The keynote from the Finnish National Agency for Education highlighted interoperability as a key challenge, along with the wide variation of local evaluation approaches - a result of the highly autonomous school system.
Speakers from the Swedish EdTest, EdTech Impact, UNICEF and the EEA presented a range of national and international models. Subsequent discussions focused on the need to develop a shared language between educators and developers, ways to address the limited time teachers have to evaluate tools, and the importance of replicable public-private partnership models with a clear vision and structure.
The Helsinki workshop was part of the ongoing EmpowerED EdTech Week series, which builds on insights and partnerships developed over the three-year project to strengthen Europe’s EdTech ecosystem. Upcoming EdTech Week events can be found on the EmpowerED website: https://www.empowerededtech.eu/updates/events
