Use of online learning resources during lockdown

1st October 2020 by Timo Hannay [link]

We're delighted to be collaborating with Nesta and a group of edtech industry partners to provide new insights into the use of online maths platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We strongly recommend that you read the full report on Nesta's website, but to summarise our findings briefly:

• Usage during lockdown increased considerably – typically between 2 and 7 times baseline levels.
• Before lockdown, it was common for these products to be used disproportionately by schools with fewer poor pupils, located in more affluent areas or with higher Ofsted ratings. To some degree, these imbalances were reduced, or even reversed, during lockdown.
• However, these previously under-represented schools often showed lower levels of student engagement during lockdown. As a result, gaps in student activity (as opposed to teacher activity) frequently widened.
• Furthermore, students at these relatively disadvantaged schools were more likely to access online learning platforms using phones rather than computers.

We see this not just as a one-off study providing (hopefully) useful insights into education during the 2020 pandemic, but also as an example of the kind of ongoing analysis that is possible now that so much learning occurs online.

As always, we welcome your thoughts: [email protected].