Stephen Downes

Before we begin I want to note that I think all education products are backed by research. You can't create a product without reserach; the only difference is in how much and what type of research. Now, the Digital P{romise initiative certified 'reserach back educational products'. But they don't tell us what it is - only that it's "research about how people learn" - and that fifteen unnamed companies have somehow failed to meet this criterion. To get certified they also have to have "a theoretical framework, such as a logic model or theory of change, grounded in research about how people learn to drive product planning and decision making." I'm sceptical, very sceptical.