The EdTech industry is constantly evolving as it seeks to adapt to advancing technology, changes in student needs, and wider-scale macro changes to how society thinks about education. The types of jobs and roles within the industry are also in a state of continuous flux, and that’s often what makes our mission at The Renaissance Network so exciting.
In this article, we thought we’d highlight five new positions that are becoming more common among our clients—with the hope that they might be thought-provoking for your organization. Each brings with it a new era of opportunities, risks, and potential that needs to be well navigated if it is to add value to the long-term prospects of your Education company.
1. Digital Accessibility Engineer.
One of the key trends we’re seeing is a critical and positive paradigm shift related to prioritizing accessibility. Barriers to effective solution use exist in the digital realm as much as they do in physical environments, and EdTech providers need to be more aware of accessibility challenges and dedicate more time and resources to ensuring that their products and services are as inclusive as possible. To give you context, only 3% of the internet is accessible to individuals with disabilities. This is where a Digital Accessibility Engineer comes in. This person has the skill, knowledge, and awareness required to look at a digital solution and find ways to make it more accessible to those with specific challenges. This can include a loss of eyesight, hearing, or physical capacities, but it can also include mental obstacles such as learning difficulties, autism, and other neuro-divergent challenges.
These engineers will become increasingly important as they represent those who previously could not interact with certain types of software because their needs were not accounted for. A competent Digital Accessibility Engineer will not only advocate for such considerations during the product design and development phase but will also seek to push the boundaries of research and testing to ensure that the software is continuously being adapted for as wide a range of user profiles as possible.
2. EdTech Ethicist
The study of ethics typically sits within the realm of philosophy, but its real-world nature means that it touches every industry with a unique set of circumstances, norms, and requirements. As such, an ethicist who specializes in education technology is becoming a highly sought-after person because of the unique domain expertise that can be applied to the specific challenges within education. This is going to become even more important as we move further into technology-augmented education and specifically into AI-driven teaching, grading, and usage by students.
An EdTech Ethicist will be concerned with topics such as data privacy, digital accessibility, surveillance, non-discrimination, intellectual property, the ethical use of generative AI, governance, fairness, and much more. These topics are challenging both intellectually and operationally, and they require a fascinating combination of skills to make real progress. EdTech Ethicists certainly have their work cut out for them, but it’s clear that they will make significant contributions as we work toward creating the education industry of the future.
3. AI Education Specialist
The rise of generative artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm over the past few years, and it is starting to transform every industry it touches. Education is acutely impacted by this and it is forcing educators and administrators to reconsider what their learning experience will look like, and what sorts of usage they will allow from their students. Research from Forbes shows that 60% of educators are using AI in their classrooms for educational games, adaptive learning platforms, automated grading, chatbots for student support, tutoring, and more. But there is a broad divide between allowing AI to infiltrate educational paradigms so that students are ready for an AI-first world and forbidding AI use so that students are forced to learn to think, write, and reason completely without the aid of artificial intelligence.
AI Education Specialists are the experts that EdTech companies and their clients will turn to as we try to determine how to move forward in the best interests of the students. They will come in all shapes and sizes, and ideally, they will combine technical knowledge about what AI is capable of, educational expertise about what is best for learning outcomes, and a wider macroeconomic view of where the world is going.
4. Educational Data Scientist
As EdTech continues to integrate into more aspects of the educational value chain, we are unearthing new data that allows us to track, monitor, and evaluate our decisions, both as technology providers and as educational institutions on the ground. Educational Data Scientists analyze this data using statistical models to find insights that can then guide strategic and operational decisions moving forward.
These Data Scientists should have (or should quickly acquire) domain expertise in the specific type of education that they’re working with so that they can analyze the data efficiently and effectively – with specific objectives in mind. Data science is often about understanding where to focus your efforts and to avoid red herrings – so the more focused they are on education-specific challenges, the better the results will be.
5. Student Engagement Analyst
EdTech providers know that a digital solution can only be effective if it is sufficiently engaging enough that students actually use it. Engagement is a core focus for educators as well with 45% of teachers predicting that motivation and engagement will continue to be their biggest challenge moving forward. Student Engagement Analysts provide usage statistics and guidance on how engagement can be improved.
There is an element of data science within this role, but it also requires the ability to gather qualitative data and insights that can add color to the underlying analysis. This is collected by speaking directly to users and administrators to find pain points, friction points, and reasons why a solution isn’t as sticky as hoped. Student engagement analysis also requires a commitment to constant iteration and testing. Often, small-scale AB testing is required to identify bottlenecks and areas of improvement—and these results can frequently be counterintuitive.
TRN: Building World-Class Teams to Impact Education and Communities
If you’re looking for a partner to help you unearth top talent to fill the five positions above, look no further than The Renaissance Network. We are positioned to help you transition your leadership and teams into a more future-looking structure with heightened capabilities that can adapt to the myriad of changes coming your way. Get in touch today, and let us show you how we can help!
