Nearpod Awarded Research-Based Design Product Certification

Nearpod, the platform K-12 teachers use to make every lesson interactive, has earned the Research-Based Design product certification from Digital Promise. The new product certification is intended to serve as a rigorous, reliable signal for consumers, including school administrators, educators, and families, looking for evidence of research-based educational technology (edtech) products.

Recognizing the importance of validated educational approaches, Nearpod submitted evidence to Digital Promise confirming a link between research on how students learn and the product’s design.

“As more and more districts and teachers look for reliable products to bridge distance learning and create meaningful, standards-based learning experiences from anywhere, we wanted to be able to provide even greater evidence of efficacy,” shared Jennie Kristofferson, Chief Academic Officer of Nearpod. “We’re honored to have the Digital Promise Research-Based Design Product Certification for our platform and bring greater assurance that we’re providing the highest quality solution we can in teachers’ greatest time of need.”   

Nearpod’s interactive instructional platform provides engaging slide-based and video content, with a catalog of over 8,500 ready-made lessons and videos. All of Nearpod’s content is pedagogically sound, standards-aligned and customizable, and much of the lesson library was made in partnership with leading education brands such as BBC, Common Sense Education and Smithsonian. Teachers can also upload their own content and build-in Nearpod’s flagship engagement features and formative assessments. The design of Nearpod’s platform and approach to formative assessment was determined by Digital Promise to be based in learning sciences research in relation to how technology can enhance instruction. 

“Schools and families want to know which edtech products can actually help students learn,” said Karen Cator, president and CEO of Digital Promise. “Digital Promise’s Product Certifications are designed to help strengthen consumers’ confidence in choosing research-based products, while recognizing product developers doing the important work of incorporating valid research into their designs.” 

After nearly a decade of edtech marketplace research, Digital Promise recognized that while consumers want to know whether a product will improve learning, there is a strong distrust of product-authored studies. Additionally, edtech efficacy or pilot studies conducted once products were already chosen were found to be largely impacted by contextual factors like educator buy-in or a school’s technology infrastructure. Through Product Certifications, consumers can narrow their options as they select products by identifying edtech that is truly based in research about learning before trying it out in their classrooms.

The Research-Based Design product certification uses a competency-based learning framework, developed in consultation with Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Project advisory board, expert researchers in the Learning Sciences field, and dozens of educators across the United States. Further detail about its development can be found in Digital Promise’s new report, “Designing Edtech that Matters for Learning: Research-Based Design Product Certifications.”

All developers, educators, edtech investors, and families are also encouraged to sign the Research-Based Product Promise and demand high-quality, research-driven products that support each unique learner. More information on Digital Promise’s product certifications can be found at productcertifications.digitalpromise.org. 

About Nearpod
Nearpod offers an interactive, instructional platform that merges formative assessment and dynamic media for live and self-paced learning experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Nearpod is a device-agnostic platform that engages students with activities such as Virtual Reality, PhET simulations, and Desmos, and features more than 8,500 ready-to-run interactive lessons and videos created in partnership with leading brands like Common Sense Education and Smithsonian. In 2019, Nearpod acquired Flocabulary, a learning platform that engages students in academically rigorous K-12 curriculum while promoting literacy through hip-hop videos. Together, Nearpod and Flocabulary reach educators in 99 of the 100 largest school districts in the US. In 2018, Nearpod was named EdTech Digest’s Company of the Year. To learn more, visit www.nearpod.com.

About Digital Promise
Digital Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds powerful networks and takes on grand challenges by working at the intersection of researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Our vision is that all people, at every stage of their lives, have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit the Digital Promise website and follow @digitalpromise for updates.
 

Contact Information

Rachel Stoczko

Communications Manager

Nearpod

Contact via E-mail