By Chris Rose
It’s almost 2022, and when you evaluate technology for education, interoperability should be the baseline expectation — the essential starting point for achieving a much broader objective.
The purpose of educational technology is simple in theory but complex to execute: it must serve the entire learning community. That community includes teachers and students, of course, but it also includes every school employee who supports learning — administrators, administrative assistants, aides, coaches, custodians, bus drivers, and other staff. Consider the combined concept of staff and faculty — “staffulty” — and include students’ families (parents, grandparents, siblings, and other caregivers) and community partners who support students before, during, and after school.
For software to truly serve users, it cannot be “one more thing” that creates extra work. Effective EdTech should give time back to the user and enable them to reach their goals more easily. Interoperability is a core part of that: think of it like standardized building blocks. When components share a common size and shape, they connect seamlessly, so educators and administrators can focus on creating and teaching rather than wrestling with integrations. In the same way that Lego bricks interoperate, educational systems that adhere to common standards let people concentrate on outcomes instead of connection logistics.
At our organization we implement educational interoperability standards like IMS Global OneRoster to enable data portability and consistent workflows. But technical compliance with standards is only the foundation. If a vendor does not provide reliable, standards-based ways to move data in and out of their system, that should be an immediate deal breaker. Beyond that, vendors must design solutions that center on the user experience.
UI/UX is the most important element of any EdTech product. Educators enter the profession to teach students, not to manage complex software. Most educators don’t care about interoperability for its own sake; they care about the outcomes it produces — primarily, ease of use. Technology should be an unobtrusive tool that helps educators maximize the time they spend with students.
When interoperability is combined with technology that prioritizes the user experience for everyone — staffulty, students, families, and community partners — truly powerful results follow. Users should be able to access tools and workflows without having to think about the underlying product. Like building with Legos, the focus becomes creation and learning rather than assembly. A seamless experience allows educators to dive into their work immediately, relying on the system to support them without friction.
Delivering that level of simplicity and coherence typically requires an All-On-One platform approach. A platform that not only supports interoperability but is also designed around the needs of end users offers a single, consistent place to begin the day, access data, and use features that support the whole child. Trying to stitch together disparate products often creates a “Frankenstein” user experience that can be worse than keeping systems separate. Imagine if the iPhone had been sold as several interoperable devices rather than a single integrated product — the result would be confusion and inefficiency. Users want to benefit from technology, not spend time managing it.
As Arthur C. Clarke observed, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Educators do not need to understand every technical detail to benefit from great software; they need solutions that make their work easier and more effective. When an All-On-One platform achieves both interoperability and intuitive design, that kind of practical “magic” becomes possible.
Review your school or district technology with the user experience in mind. Is your ecosystem designed to be easy for all school employees — teachers, administrators, aides, coaches, bus drivers — and inclusive of families and community partners? Your technology provider should deliver a platform that starts with the user, giving everyone a single place to start their day, access essential data, and use tools that help serve the whole child and the broader learning community.
About the author
Chris Rose is co-founder and VP of Product at Abre, where he develops and drives the company’s product strategy. Previously he served as Associate Technology Director at Hamilton City Schools and worked as a high school math teacher. An experienced developer and designer since high school, Chris wrote most of the early code for the Abre project while at Hamilton City Schools, drawing on firsthand classroom experience to solve real challenges.
Today he leads a growing team of developers and focuses on product strategy, sales engagement, partner and customer feedback, marketing, and thought leadership.
This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media hub focused on providing context for the shift in education to digital curriculum.