Extending the Triple Helix model: Collaboration through “moments of community” among edtech, university and government

Over the last few decades, the rise of educational technologies has disrupted educational practices within universities. Routinely, edtech enterprises have received criticism that their product development is more aligned with service provision of software rather than pedagogically oriented products. This paper explores collaborative and contentious practices observed in a government-funded, large-scale innovation project that enabled edtech companies to work with university researchers in critically improving their products, processes and practices, in short, their ‘efficacy’. Drawing on and challenging the Community of Practice as a conceptual framework, the thematic and discourse analysis was conducted on the semi-structured interviews and written reports collected. In this Triple Helix space, the paper frames ‘moments of community’ as a construct that reveals what makes the joint enterprise, mutual engagement and shared repertoire work to drive the success of such innovation projects. Limitations of the study will also be outlined.