Welcome to the Tools Competition, a global ed tech competition that encourages innovators at all stages of development to build tools pioneering innovation in learning and instruction, while advancing cutting-edge research and development.
This year’s competition will award funding to high-impact tools supporting learners from K-12 through postsecondary education. Tracks include:
- Strengthening Teaching
- Reimagining Assessment
- Navigating Postsecondary Learning and Work
- Building Better Datasets
Innovation starts simply – with an idea. Phase I of the Tools Competition allows individuals and teams to submit a brief abstract on the idea for their tool. It’s not necessary to have everything figured out in Phase I. Reviewers look for abstracts that best articulate potential for impact at scale, novelty, support of diverse learner populations, and commitment to learning science research.
With this in mind, here are some tips to help you develop a strong abstract:
- Use Phase I to communicate the vision and what is meaningfully new. You do not need a finished product, an established organization, or a fully developed plan. Focus on presenting a compelling need, a thoughtful solution, and a clear rationale for why the idea could improve learning in a novel way. Novelty does not require inventing an entirely new technology, but be explicit about what distinguishes your idea from what already exists.
- Start with a specific learner need. Clearly identify who your tool is designed to support, the specific need they have, and why existing approaches do not adequately address it. Consider the needs and experiences of diverse learners who may be served by your tool. Describe how your tool responds to the goals and priorities of the track you have selected.
- Be concrete about what the tool will enable users to do. Describe the core experience from the user’s perspective. What will users do with the tool, and what will the tool do in response? Even if the product is still at the idea stage, reviewers should be able to picture how it would work in practice.
- Connect your idea to learning science and research. Explain how your approach is informed by research, how you use data to continuously improve your tool, and how the tool could generate insights that advance understanding across the field, beyond the development of the tool itself.
- Detail any existing evidence of impact. If you have an existing product, highlight any evidence that demonstrates the product’s impact to date. Compelling evidence can build confidence in the plans for the new feature or element.
- Make it clear why yours is the right team. The team you assemble and the experience they bring are an important part of the abstract. Highlight your team’s accomplishments, expertise, and track record to give reviewers confidence in your ability to execute the proposed idea. Focus on the details most relevant to the work rather than simply listing team members and titles.
- Write in clear, accessible language. Technical language and terminology can be useful, but relying too heavily on jargon or buzzwords can make it harder to see the substance of your idea. Share your proposal with a friend to ensure it’s comprehensible to an unfamiliar audience.
- Be early and prepared. We strongly encourage you to submit before the October 13 deadline to allow time to address any difficulties. Please note that we cannot accept proposals after the submission deadline. If the form is not working for you at the last minute, you can submit a complete version of your proposal via email using this template as long as it is BEFORE the submission deadline.
Additional resources.
- Need inspiration? Learn from previous winners. Review winning tools from past competition cycles for examples of competitive ideas. Exploring these tools will give you a sense of what compelling tools look like and may help spark your ideas!
- Utilize available resources. Take advantage of the resources and events designed to support you as you develop your abstract. This blog post includes a full list of supports available for Phase I of the competition.
