Alison Clark-Wilson | Professorial Research Fellow
UCL Institute of Education

Alison is a former school mathematics teacher, whose 30-year career has spanned the education technology (“EdTech”) ecosystem. From digital resource and curriculum design, to teacher professional support and the mentoring of hundreds of EdTech start-ups, she is committed to bridging the gaps between academic research, educational innovation and real-world practices. Alison’s most recent research is focused on the design, implementation and evaluation of systemic EdTech Testbeds, which offer a more democratised and scalable approach to support purpose-driven innovation efforts. She is a co-founder of the Global EdTech Testbed Network, a collaborative effort to share knowledge, practice and research on regional and national testbed efforts.

Appearances:

EDUtech Asia 2026 Conference Day 1 @ 13:50

Keynote: The million-dollar question: how do we know if our EdTech actually works?

Every institution is investing in EdTech, but how do we know what's actually making a difference? As AI and digital technologies rapidly reshape education, the ability to distinguish meaningful impact from marketing hype has never been more important. In this keynote, Alison challenges traditional approaches to evaluating EdTech, introducing the growing global movement of EdTech Testbeds that bring educators, researchers, policymakers and innovators together to generate real world evidence. Expect to challenge your assumptions about what "works" in EdTech and discover how evidence can become your institution's most powerful innovation strategy.

Alison Clark-Wilson, Professorial Research Fellow, UCL Institute of Education