UTTELTPilots & ProjectsPlatform Educational Applications

Platform Educational Applications

Project status (last update: Dec 2024)

During the first half of 2024, the TELT-team has been running a small pilot with the Platform for Educational Applications at UT. A small group of UT teachers and information managers were involved in testing and evaluating the platform. The pilot was completed in July 2024 and the results have been summarized in a report and summary (both in Dutch). In 2025, the platform will be further developed by SURF and TELT will investigate whether or not the UT can adopt this platform.

Curious? Visit https://pea.surf.nl/ to have a look at the platform yourself (logging in with SURFconext is required). Feel free to contact the TELT team if you would like to know more. You can also read the article that has been published on the Service Portal earlier.

INTRODUCTION

How to get a better grip on the landscape of educational IT tools that are being used within our institution? How to give users better insight into which tools they can safely use? With this project, called 'Platform Educational Applications', we are looking for a joint solution for sharing information about tools via an online platform'.

Why?

From a teacher's perspective

Teachers are regularly looking for online tools that match the type of education they offer. In some cases a clear overview of tools that are available (or recommended) within the institution is lacking, so we often see teachers consulting multiple (internal and external) online sources or asking colleagues. The information can be very scattered and there's not always enough attention for the consequences of using a certain IT tool, for example in relation to privacy, security, or licenses. That's why we’re working on the development of a platform that provides a comprehensive overview of available IT tools that our institution offers and that can safely be used in education. In addition, the platform will provide ways to share experiences (reviews) about IT tools you’ve been using with colleagues from inside and outside our institution.

From an institutional perspective

On the other hand, is it is important for the institution to have insight into and to gain control over the use of educational IT tools by lecturers and students. This may involve licensing costs, but also possible risks when using applications. This is especially important for information managers that are involved in selecting and supporting educational IT applications.

How?

Several initiatives already exist to provide overviews of educational IT tools. Together with SURF we will build on this and investigate whether a joint solution is possible. A solution in which as much information as possible is shared between institutions while, at the same time, educational institutions can make their own choices and selections to personalize the way they want to share information.

Impression of the Edutools platform (mock-up image)
Impression of the Edutools platform (mock-up image)

The following institutions have been participating in the pilot project:

Contact

For more information about this project, please read this article on the Learning & Teaching Portal or visit the SURF website (currently only in Dutch). Please contact the TELT team if you want to know more about this project, if you would like to contribute or if you want to stay updated about the outcomes.