The EdTech unit deals with technological, cultural and social innovation in the educational sector.

The EdTech unit engages with the scientific community, and studies and explores new technologies to investigate their relationship with learning. It experiments with emerging technological tools to understand if and how they can be used to learn more effectively. It investigates, designs and proposes processes that can lead to sustainable, stable and lasting change in education systems.

The main objective is to support technological innovation in learning contexts by promoting awareness, methods and competences according to 5 principles.

1. Evidence-based – the unit studies and analyses empirical evidence to identify effective models, practices and solutions in fostering learning through technological innovation.
2. Experimental approach – the unit declines and experiments with best practices in authentic and specific learning contexts (outside the laboratory).
3. Creativity – the unit promotes a creative use of technology and, at the same time, conceives technological innovation as an opportunity to learn by creating, to express oneself and to empower oneself.
4. Critical spirit – the unit promotes a critical use of digital technology. It conceives technological innovation as an opportunity to expand information possibilities, self-determination and civic participation.
5. Scientific thinking – the unit conceives technological innovation as an opportunity to enhance logical, mathematical and scientific thinking and, in particular, it promotes problem-solving and computational skills in learning contexts to enable the critical and creative use of technologies.

The research area of the EdTech unit is the relationship between emerging technologies and learning. In this field, the unit proposes:

• training and capacity building
• research and development
• dissemination and technology transfer
• consultancy and instructional design

Activities are designed and curated for the following targets:

• School system
• Formal and informal learning contexts
• Universities
• Research centres
• Cultural and social third sector
• Public Administration