EUROPEAN EDTECH POLICY MAP
1.1. Definition of EdTech
1.1.1. Include a definition in all relevant policy documentation and working groups
Summary of suggested actions
Integrating the term “EdTech” into official EU glossaries, databases, and policy frameworks, and developing a collaboratively built, regularly updated terminology guide that ensures shared understanding among educators, policymakers, innovators, investors, and researchers.
Description
A lack of common terminology around “EdTech” and related concepts undermines the coherence of European education and innovation policies. Without agreed definitions, comparisons across research, procurement, and policy contexts remain inconsistent, leading to fragmented understanding and uneven application.
To address this, relevant EU institutions, agencies, and sector stakeholders should jointly establish a framework for defining EdTech and associated terms through recognised EU term-defining mechanisms. This should include definitions for “EdTech,” “EdTech ecosystem,” “digital learning tools,” and other key concepts. The process must be collaborative, inclusive, and iterative, reflecting the perspectives of educators, policymakers, researchers, and both commercial and non-commercial providers.
The resulting terminology guide should make clear distinctions between:
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Digital tools and services designed for education and those merely used within educational contexts.
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Pedagogically grounded tools and services and products lacking educational focus.
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Technology aligned with European values (equity, inclusion, transparency, and privacy) and those that may undermine them.
Clarifying these distinctions will enable consistent evidence generation, better-targeted policymaking, and more coherent funding and procurement decisions.
Clarifying these distinctions will enable consistent evidence generation, better-targeted policymaking, and more coherent funding and procurement decisions.
Major enabling factors
Bodies such as CEN and CENELEC and advisory platforms like the European Multi-Stakeholder Platform on ICT Standardisation facilitate stakeholder dialogue and provide procedural templates for cross-sector definitional work.
The Digital Education Action Plan (2021–2027) and the Digital Decade targets highlight the need for evidence-based, interoperable frameworks that rely on precise and shared terminology.
Educators, policymakers, and investors increasingly recognise the confusion created by inconsistent use of the term “EdTech” and support the creation of a common definitional reference point.
The EU has processes in place for defining terminologies, particularly through various bodies and initiatives that aim to standardise and harmonise terms across different domains. These bodies could be leveraged to accommodate or adopt this work.
Major enabling factors
A lack of common terminology around “EdTech” and related concepts undermines the coherence of European education and innovation policies. Without agreed definitions, comparisons across research, procurement, and policy contexts remain inconsistent, leading to fragmented understanding and uneven application.
To address this, relevant EU institutions, agencies, and sector stakeholders should jointly establish a framework for defining EdTech and associated terms through recognised EU term-defining mechanisms. This should include definitions for “EdTech,” “EdTech ecosystem,” “digital learning tools,” and other key concepts. The process must be collaborative, inclusive, and iterative, reflecting the perspectives of educators, policymakers, researchers, and both commercial and non-commercial providers.
The resulting terminology guide should make clear distinctions between:
-
Digital tools and services designed for education and those merely used within educational contexts.
-
Pedagogically grounded tools and services and products lacking educational focus.
-
Technology aligned with European values (equity, inclusion, transparency, and privacy) and those that may undermine them.
Clarifying these distinctions will enable consistent evidence generation, better-targeted policymaking, and more coherent funding and procurement decisions.
Clarifying these distinctions will enable consistent evidence generation, better-targeted policymaking, and more coherent funding and procurement decisions.
Major enabling factors
Bodies such as CEN and CENELEC and advisory platforms like the European Multi-Stakeholder Platform on ICT Standardisation facilitate stakeholder dialogue and provide procedural templates for cross-sector definitional work.
The Digital Education Action Plan (2021–2027) and the Digital Decade targets highlight the need for evidence-based, interoperable frameworks that rely on precise and shared terminology.
Educators, policymakers, and investors increasingly recognise the confusion created by inconsistent use of the term “EdTech” and support the creation of a common definitional reference point.
The EU has processes in place for defining terminologies, particularly through various bodies and initiatives that aim to standardise and harmonise terms across different domains. These bodies could be leveraged to accommodate or adopt this work.
Major roadblocks
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Challenges can occur due to diverse interests and perspectives of key stakeholders. EdTech companies, especially for-profit ones, may prioritise marketability and profitability, emphasising terms that align with their business goals (Hackman & Reindl 2021). In contrast, educators and policymakers might focus on educational outcomes, inclusivity, and accessibility, which can lead to differing priorities and definitions (OECD, 2023).
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Definitions must remain adaptable to accommodate emerging technologies and pedagogical innovations while maintaining conceptual consistency.
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EdTech currently falls between education, digital, economic, and research policy domains, resulting in unclear institutional responsibility for definitional authority.
Suggested actions:
Defining EdTech and consistently including definitions
WHO (Potential actors)
TermCoord, CEN CENELEC, Erasmus+, EU Council of Europe Youth Partnership, European Multi-Stakeholder Platform on ICT Standardisation, in collaboration with EdTech ecosystem representatives.
WHAT (Goal of suggested activities)
Leverage existing EU institutional processes to establish a formal definition framework for “EdTech” and related terms, ensuring inclusion in official glossaries, databases, and policy documents. The framework should clarify scope (digital tools and services), ownership models (commercial and non-commercial), and overarching purpose (educational innovation and societal benefit).
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HOW (Suggested activities)
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Establish a joint working group bringing together EU term-defining bodies, standardisation entities, and external experts from the EdTech sector, including educators, innovators, investors, and researchers.
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Use existing EU processes to formalise the agreed definition framework and ensure its inclusion in all relevant official resources.
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Develop a collaboratively built terminology guide that reflects the diverse needs of stakeholders and provides clarity for policy, funding, and procurement processes.
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Create a hierarchy of definitions that distinguishes between tools with a purely educational purpose and those with broader functions but features that can enhance learning, ensuring such tools are not excluded from consideration due to overly narrow terminology.
Existing steps in the right direction
TermCoord’s IATE database
Terminology Coordination Unit (TermCoord) of the European Parliament. TermCoord supports the standardisation of terminology within EU institutions to ensure clear and consistent communication. It provides resources and tools, such as the IATE (Inter-Active Terminology for Europe) database, which is an interinstitutional terminology database used by EU institutions and agencies to collect and manage terms in various languages. The terms “EdTech” and “educational technology” have recently been included in the IATE database, with “EdTech” referring to “hardware and software solutions designed to support and enhance teacher-led instruction and improve students' learning outcomes”.
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Specific support required to achieve the Goal:
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Facilitating cross-organisational exchange to ensure key international bodies are aligned with their definitional work.
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Communicating the urgency and need of specific EdTech definitions.