Staff
Dubai, Sept 3, 2026: Are digital teaching tools saving teachers time, or is it just a novelty? Assessment is moving away from periodic testing towards continuous, low-stakes feedback, and artificial intelligence is being positioned mainly as a productivity layer for teachers rather than a replacement for them.
“Evidence and outcomes are becoming the selling point,” says Christian Viland, Growth Director for MENA at Kahoot!, the game-based learning platform. “Schools and districts increasingly demand proof of efficacy before even considering a tool, so vendors are increasingly looking for third-party validation. This has quickly become a license to operate.”
That demand for evidence is reshaping assessment itself, says Viland. “Formative assessment is shifting from grading, to real-time diagnostic feedback. The trend here is a move away from assessment as a periodic, summative event and toward continuous, low-stakes checks that inform same-day instructional adjustments.”
Artificial intelligence’s role within these platforms is narrower than its reputation suggests, he argues. “AI’s in-platform value is its impact on prep-time, not as a content replacer. AI education tools are now almost exclusively focused on providing time savings for teachers, be it prep, differentiation, adapting existing material.”
Underpinning all of this, Viland adds, is a need for consistency: “Technology needs to be built to provide flexible, consistent delivery that functions even when students and teachers are not physically in the same space.”
