Autonomy for subject experts
Subject experts should not be forced by technology to change their teaching approach or content.
Why: Maintaining autonomy for subject experts in edtech applications is crucial for teachers as well as learners and institutions. Granting autonomy to teachers acknowledges their expertise, allowing them to personalize the learning experience to meet diverse student needs. It fosters innovation, keeps teaching practices current, and ensures contextual relevance. Autonomy supports teachers' professional growth and job satisfaction while strengthening the teacher-student relationship. For learners, autonomy offers access to high-quality, expert-driven content, diverse perspectives, and personalized learning experiences. It promotes motivation, engagement, and a deeper understanding of the subject matter. By valuing subject experts' autonomy, edtech applications empower teachers and provide learners with meaningful educational experiences that enhance their knowledge acquisition. The autonomy of subject experts plays a vital role in fostering effective teaching and learning environments, ultimately leading to improved educational outcomes for all stakeholders involved.
Maturity levels
Level zero: A bad example of a lack of autonomy for subject experts in edtech would be a situation where teachers are strictly bound by predefined, rigid content and instructional methods within the application. They have no ability to customize or adapt the materials to suit their students' needs or their own teaching style. The application imposes a one-size-fits-all approach, leaving no room for creativity, personalization, or pedagogical innovation.
Junior level: (0 - 10.000 active student/year (typically 1-10 FTE): At the start you have a vision and strategy on autonomy for subject experts within your application. You are aware your vision might be to innovative for the subject experts. Look for early adopters to evaluate. The balance between your vision and subject experts’ requests is 70/30.
Medior: (10.000 - 100..000 student/y (typically 11-34 FTE): Following your vision you validate your new features with key users in relationship with the autonomy for subject experts
Senior: (>100.000 students/y & typically 35 > FTE): The balance between your vision and subject experts requests is 55/45. Sometimes you develop features because the subject experts agree on the value, where as your vision is less filled with this feature.