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, in collaboration with OAMK LABs, Ifous, and the Helsinki Education Hub.
The event brought together participants from Finnish municipalities, schools, EdTech companies, and research institutions, creating a space for cross-sector dialogue on how educational technologies are currently being evaluated in Finland — before, during, and after adoption.
Opening the day, the Finnish National Agency for Education underlined interoperability as a national priority, highlighting the wide variation in local evaluation approaches across Finland’s decentralised education system. Speakers from Swedish EdTest, EdTech Impact, UNICEF, and the EEA contributed comparative perspectives on frameworks and practices used elsewhere in Europe and globally.
Key areas of discussion included:
The need for a shared language between educators and developers to align expectations
The limited time and resources available for teachers to evaluate EdTech tools in practice
The potential of public-private partnership models that are replicable and clearly structured
The role of municipal leadership in setting evaluation criteria and priorities
As part of the programme, participants also had the opportunity to visit TEKLA, a mobile EdTech testbed developed by the City of Helsinki. The testbed enables real-world experimentation with digital tools directly in schools, offering a concrete example of collaborative, practice-based evaluation.
This workshop is part of a broader series of EmpowerED EdTech Week events designed to gather insights and build capacity across Europe’s EdTech ecosystem. For more information and upcoming events, visit the EmpowerED website.
