The goals of the Human Technology Interface: Pathways to Products for Lifelong Learning Workshop Series (or HTI), which was a three workshop, multi-institutional (University of Wyoming, University of Central Florida, and Carnegie Mellon University) series included:

(a) convening a diverse group of HTI experts and researchers from a variety of fields to exchange ideas and best practices;

(b)  providing entrepreneurs from every corner of the nation the opportunity to hear from the experts who are discovering transformational innovations that could move the needle on large problems facing the nation;

and

(c) creating a dialogue to spark innovators in every corner of the nation to think big about the ways that innovations at the Human-Technology Interface for Pathways to Products for Lifelong Learning are commercialized into relevant products that can move the needle on improving the future for all our nation's citizens.

Three, online, free, multi-day, HTI workshops presented in November 2021 (focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), December 2021 (focused on Impacts of COVID), and January 2022 (focused on the Missing Millions in Rural Spaces), collectively brought together over 700 participants in over 40 sessions for two to three days each month.

Content can be accessed freely online -

https://www.accelevents.com/e/nsfhtiworkshopseries

https://www.accelevents.com/e/nsfhtiworkshopseries2

https://www.accelevents.com/e/nsfhtiworkshopseries3

The HTI Workshop Series was inspired by The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small-business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program, programs meant to invest in businesses that bring innovations to the public realm. America's Seed Fund (seedfund.nsf.gov), has helped startups/small businesses transform their ideas into marketable products/services, in which we focused on educational technology (edtech). SBIR focuses on high-risk, high-impact technologies (awarding $200 million annually) to entrepreneurs, and the HTI workshop series encouraged participants to explore this funding.

The workshop series gathered insight of industry experts in relation to society's challenges and potentials for commercialization. Current research and discussion topics were expanded by probing successes and challenges of HTI participants as well as stretching their new proposal ideas. Common themes identified included:

1. Support for seed funding efforts is crucial.
An immediate goal is for creators/developers of desired products to reach out to academic institutions to raise awareness about their products and research opportunities. An intermediate goal of developing partnerships with academic institutions should be pursued to connect potential developers with experts and researchers.

Attendees expressed some frustration at the difficulty in gaining access to the insight/expertise of the research community. A long-term goal to address this need could be the creation of a database for developers that contains a list of researchers willing to contribute to a project, a description of their expertise, availability, and contact information.

2. A key to creating edtech is engaging multiple, diverse stakeholders. 
Edtech should encourage building partnerships with educators, not replacing them. An immediate goal could be determining the stakeholders that would benefit from a product and engaging them in the preliminary stages of planning/development of the product.

     A. Addressing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
Attendees differed on how to address DEI with edtech products (e.g., Universal Design for Learning principles, marketing). Participants discussed the significance of iterative feedback from diverse groups, and a common participant theme emerged: The desire to "serve all people" and a need to "include successful diversity and inclusion attributes" in their products and/or proposal.

     B. Addressing Impacts of COVID 
At the K12 level, attendees included a focus on opportunities in classrooms (e.g., AI, 3D technology, free-play spaces, digital bades, connections with social media and messenger services). Challenges included scale-up, mismatches between curricula and available jobs, questions regarding socializing, and the need for non-disruptive ways for large-scale classroom testing. 

     C. Addressing the Missing Millions 
 Via survey, workshop attendees identified populations and offered opportunity suggestions to address their needs. These populations include: (a) learners/educators in rural communities, (b) low-income families, (c) those suffering from mental health challenges, and (d) those with physical limitations. Lack of access to academic resources to support research and development was cited as an additional obstacle to unlocking STEM in the community.

Immediate goals include tackling issues of access, particularly related to members of rural communities who require assistive technology to communicate.

3. Edtech benefits to students start with the whole student.

 Key edtech learning ideas from all breakouts included:

#1 - Emphasis on real-world problems/creativity
#2 - Allowing students to direct and choose what they learn
#3 - Focusing on career readiness and funding
#4 - Exploring STEM engagement opportunities in multiple venues with multiple stakeholders
#5 - Promoting wellness and improving mental health

Post-survey data indicated most attendees (85+%) found the workshop presentations and breakout discussions valuable and the information relevant.

The workshop benefits expressed in survey data included: (a) learning more about the SBIR/STTR proposal and award process, (b) hearing educators' perspectives about the use of edtech in practice, (c) exposure to new technologies/platforms, (d) connections and networking, and (e) presenting personal research for feedback.

Last Modified: 09/10/2022
Modified by: Andrea C Burrows