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Learning and Instructional Technologies for the 21st Century pp 1–22Cite as

Robust Designs for Scalability

Abstract

One-size-fits-all educational innovations do not work because they ignore contextual factors that determine an intervention’s efficacy in a particular local situation. Identifying variables within the intervention’s setting that represent important conditions for success and summarizing the extent to which the impact of the intervention is attenuated by variation in them can provide prospective adopters of the innovation a better sense of what level of effectiveness they are likely to enjoy in their own particular circumstances. This study presents a research framework on how to conduct such an analysis and how to design educational innovations for scalability through enhancing their adaptability for effective usage in a wide variety of settings. The River City MUVE, a technology-based curriculum designed to enhance engagement and learning in middle school science, is presented as a case study.

Keywords

  • Educational innovations
  • Adaptability
  • Scalability
  • Engagement
  • Learning
  • Heuristics
  • Dimensions of scale
  • Sustainability
  • Robust design
  • Instructional design
  • Instructional technology
  • Technology infrastructure
  • Multi-user virtual environment (MUVE)
  • Ruggedization
  • Professional development
  • K-12
  • Teacher ownership
  • Collaboration
  • Sustainability

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Acknowledgments

Our development of the scalability index would not be possible without the participation and insight of Dr. John Willett and Ms. Liane Moody at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, 323 Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Jody Clarke

Authors
  1. Jody Clarke
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  2. Chris Dede
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jody Clarke .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, University of South Dakota, E. Clark Street 414, Vermillion, 57069-2390, U.S.A.

    Leslie Moller

  2. Dept. Media & Instructional Technology, University of West Georgia, Maple St. 1601, Carrollton, 30118, U.S.A.

    Jason Bond Huett

  3. Dept. Instructional Technology, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, 08240, U.S.A.

    Douglas M. Harvey

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Clarke, J., Dede, C. (2009). Robust Designs for Scalability. In: Moller, L., Huett, J., Harvey, D. (eds) Learning and Instructional Technologies for the 21st Century. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09667-4_3

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