Abstract
Abstract Evaluations of educational technology (EdTech) increasingly demonstrate that observed outcomes are shaped not only by the design of an intervention, but also by the extent to which the conditions required for implementation are adequately accounted for. Despite advances in implementation science, the field still lacks a standardized and holistic framework for integrating these conditions into EdTech evaluations. This gap leaves providers, researchers, and funders without clear guidance on which implementation dimensions are critical to explain, support, and incentivize for effective use in real-world contexts. Our paper addresses this gap by drawing on a systematic review of the academic literature, textual analysis of keywords and consolidation of criteria with expert review, to harmonise implementation-related criteria into a conceptually grounded set of benchmarks that are operationalized as measurable and traceable indicators, which together constitute an EdTech Viability Index. Operationalized through a rubric and corresponding measurement guide, the Index is structured around four core dimensions: technical, economic, human, and system viability. These dimensions complement earlier work by a global research consortium on the 5Es framework of educational impact by extending the efficacy, effectiveness, ethics, equity, and environmental impact evaluations beyond demonstrated effects to the conditions under which those effects can be realized in practice. By integrating evidence of educational impact with evidence of implementation viability, the Index provides the first research-derived set of criteria for calculating and interpreting EdTech impact as both an outcome and a function of contextual readiness. The paper offers a measurement-oriented instrument through which the viability of interventions can be systematically assessed, documented, and followed over time.
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