About us
About us
A common and critical theme across education is the need to address fundamental limitations of traditional models and practices. For instance, assessment too often places undue emphasis on rote learning and recall. Although a range of EdTech solutions are promising, the market is oversaturated and the quality of solutions addressing core needs in education are diluted as a result.
Our mission is to provide more avenues where developers, educators and institutions can work together to consolidate, integrate and build upon existing technologies and resources. Rather than the status quo of working in silos, collaboration provides a promising foundation for meaningful and lasting improvement. Anyone in the world should feel empowered to make a contribution, without feeling beholden and trapped within inflexible systems. Join us in an amazing endeavor to transform teaching and learning, together!
“Alone We Can Do So Little; Together We Can Do So Much.” - Helen Keller
EdTech Refinery aims to become a foundational player in the educational technology sector by providing robust tools and platforms that enable developers, educators, and institutions to build, integrate, and scale educational solutions. Our suite of APIs, customizable platforms, and shared data services are designed to catalyze innovation in education, making it more accessible, effective, and personalized.
Our starting point for collaboration is a range of proof of concept (POC) projects. Although far from perfect, the aim of these software tools is to illustrate the potential applications of technology, with the aim to enable and attract a vast talent pool to iteratively design and enhance the software, leading to collaborative masterpieces.
A software solution where teachers can upload question papers, mark schemes and student scripts. The papers are then automatically graded with the use of an AI assistant, with teacher oversight over the following processes:
Question and MS Extraction from various formats including PDF files
OCR text recognition and use of AI to ascertain and interpret student responses
Automated feedback and marking, along with suggested avenues to improve performance
Our vision includes data tracking and analysis to provide opportunities for more comprehensive feedback and reporting.
A software solution that challenges the traditional status quo of accreditation and reporting in schools. We aim to shift the emphasis from ranking and standardized tests to a more holistic, continuous assessment method that values individual growth and the application of learning in real-world contexts.
Critical priorities include:
Growth and progress NOT ranking
Rich experience and application NOT rote learning
Intrinsic thirst for knowledge NOT prescribed requirements
Our vision includes the use of portfolios and integration of formative assessment to provide a rich and authentic learning profile.
A software solution that recognizes and adapts to the unique learning trajectories of each student, valuing both traditional and non-traditional learning environments. Key features include:
Adaptive learning paths to adjust learning objects based on real-time performance data
Recognition of existing learning, particularly outside the classroom setting
A balance between hard and soft skills, based on the principles of student inquiry
Our vision includes the use of AI tutors or advisors to act as an intermediary between teachers and students, enabling real-time feedback with teacher oversight and automated data tracking. Additionally, we aim to integrate with and leverage existing solutions for self-paced online or hybrid learning, particularly ones that specialize in skills that are specific to a subject or discipline.
A software solution that emphasizes the integration of educational systems and resources into a single network that manages and delivers formative outcomes. We aim to provide essential information and insights to ensure that pedagogy is informed by existing networks and frameworks. Key features include:
Curriculum comparison tools, highlighting overlap, differences and sequences of skills development
Comparative assessment metrics that leverage existing strategies within a more holistic model, focusing on skills and meta-learning rather than prescribed content knowledge
Modular resource management systems that assist with a range of differentiated learning activities, so that they can seamlessly fit in and flexibly adapt within any system or context
Our vision includes bridging the gap between systems that are seemingly disparate. By focusing on overlap and common skillsets, redundancy is reduced through more effective sharing of resources. Differences in assessment types and metrics can also be bridged to ensure an optimal balance between consistency, comparability and customizability across schools all over the world.
Building upon the above projects, we aim to provide a comprehensive suite of tools and platforms that support homeschooling families in providing an organized, rich, and customizable educational experience for students learning at home. Key features include:
Customizable curriculum builders that are aware of specific contexts such as curriculum frameworks
Progress tracking and reporting tools that help parents monitor their child's progress across various subjects and competencies.
Networking platform to facilitate learning communities, routines, structure, activities and expert guidance
Our vision includes taking what is best about homeschooling and remote learning whilst still retaining the most important aspects of being at school, including social supports, networks and communities. We are also interested in exploring innovative hybrid models. For instance, one day a week where students learn from home.
To fully realize the potential of our suite of educational tools and platforms, EdTech Refinery proposes a collaborative architecture that leverages the power of APIs to integrate, enhance, and scale educational services across different platforms and applications. This approach not only promotes interoperability among various educational technologies but also accelerates innovation by enabling developers, educators, and institutions to utilize our functionalities in their unique solutions.
Modular Design: Our users can pick and integrate specific functionalities as needed
Scalability: Our systems can scale automatically to handle demands from a few users to several thousands
Security and Compliance: All interactions through our APIs must meet stringent data protection standards
By focusing on an API-first approach, EdTech Refinery positions itself as an essential backbone for educational technology innovation. Our tools will not only power individual solutions but also enable a broader ecosystem of applications that work seamlessly together, ultimately leading to more coherent, engaging, and effective educational experiences. This strategic focus on collaboration and integration aims to create a new standard in educational technology, where flexibility, scalability, and user-centric design lead the way in shaping the future of learning.
Free Tier: We offer basic API functionalities for free, provided usage volumes are small. We especially want to encourage and provide opportunities for small educational institutions, pilot programs, non-profits, or startups
Paid Tiers: For large usage volumes or additional features, we propose a pricing model which scales accordingly with level of use
Partnerships: Custom agreements may be negotiated which may include shared revenue, grants or funding in exchange for extensive API usage, support, and customization
Impact Reporting: We encourage anyone, as partners, to provide data, feedback and reporting on how the APIs are being used and more importantly, the impact on educational outcomes
Private and Public Data Usage: Enabling technology to impact learning outcomes relies heavily upon gathering high quality data, as well as managing how that data is used. This requires distinctions between what data is owned by individuals and organisations, as well as what can be used publicly and anonymously.
Open Source Collaboration: Some parts of the API will be completely open-source, so that we can encourage anyone to contribute to the codebase
Compensation for Intellectual Property and/or Services: Other parts of the API will belong to individuals or organisations, including EdTech Refinery. Although the aim is collaboration and integration, we recognise the importance of financial compensation, particularly for more advanced and groundbreaking features.
Targeted Sponsorship Programs: We actively seek sponsorships from corporations and philanthropic organizations interested in advancing educational technology. These sponsorships can support specific projects, such as developing new features, expanding into underserved regions, or subsidizing costs for low-income educational institutions.
Grant Opportunities: EdTech Refinery applies for grants from educational foundations, government bodies, and international agencies that fund innovative educational initiatives. These grants help sustain our operations and fund research and development efforts, ensuring ongoing innovation and improvement.
Shared Grant Initiatives: We facilitate and participate in shared grant programs where we collaborate with educational institutions, other nonprofits, and private entities to apply for funding. This collaborative approach allows us to pool resources and expertise, increasing the chances of securing substantial grants while fostering joint development and research projects that benefit all parties involved.
At EdTech Refinery, ensuring equitable access to education is paramount; it forms the cornerstone of our ethos, driving us to develop and deliver educational technologies that are innovative, inclusive and lead to optimal outcomes. By balancing free and paid access, as well as open source and private code bases, we aim to create a community that contributes to and benefits from the API ecosystem. Our not-for-profit ethos ensures that we remain focused on outcomes that are sustainable and impactful.