The management & governance of e-learning in universities?!
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 10:25
Welcome!
This online conference is the room for sharing you experiences and thoughts. Are we investing our resources in a good way? How can we manage and maintain the introduction of e-learning into our universities? Which changes does this trigger - and how can we use them rather than becoming their victim?
This Forum invites discussions about issues and challenges regarding the mangement & governance of e-learning in universities. Your experiences and ideas are welcome to spark the discussion!
The team of the united nations University and Science Connect
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 16:14
#2
Thanks Chahira, I got your mail inviting me for this e-conference. Some others confirm receiving the invitation too. So discussion commences.
Best regards.
Adejare
Best regards.
Adejare
Mon, 12/07/2009 - 21:34
#3
Hello, everyone.
Welcome to the online discussion on governance or management issues regarding the use of technology in African universities.
The aim of this forum is to address your issues and questions, so I encourage you to post questions or comments about your own situation regarding managing technology in your institution. I will do my best to answer questions, but I will also be looking for others in the forum to contribute from their own knowledge and experience in this area.
In the meantime, though, let me post a couple of questions for you to consider.
1. Should we treat the governance of technology any differently from the management of other issues in the university? If so, what are the special issues around technology that require different treatment?
2. Are there issues around the management of technology that are specific to African universities? if so, what are they and how should they be best addressed?
I look forward to your contributions
Best regards
Tony Bates
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 17:23
#4
Dear Mr bates, i'm very glad to be in this forum. I will try to analyse some issues around the management of technology that are specific to Nigeria universities.
Firstly,Financial crisis: the major challenge facing the management of technology in Nigeria universities is inadequate funding, considering the phenolmenon increase in student enrolment and increasing cost, which has been aggravated by inflation. Besides, government priority to education is very low. The apparent shortage of fund available to the university system has been responsible for declining library, social and laboratory facilities in Nigerian universities in recent years. This in no small way makes the governance of the university system both in technology and research a herculean task.
2. Deteriorated infrastructure: It is worrisome to note that Nigerian universities are fast decaying. All the resources required for education production process are in short
supply.(bothLecture halls, laboratories, library space, books and journals ) are all seriously inadequate .
3Political interference: It has been observed that universities these days are not totally free from the hand of politics outside the university system. Government of the day, most especially in the state-owned varsities, interfere a lot in terms of selection and choice of the chief executive, deans, departmental heads, directors of programmes
and above all the selection of vice-chancellors. A situation whereby the members of the university are not totally free to choose who becomes their head.
Firstly,Financial crisis: the major challenge facing the management of technology in Nigeria universities is inadequate funding, considering the phenolmenon increase in student enrolment and increasing cost, which has been aggravated by inflation. Besides, government priority to education is very low. The apparent shortage of fund available to the university system has been responsible for declining library, social and laboratory facilities in Nigerian universities in recent years. This in no small way makes the governance of the university system both in technology and research a herculean task.
2. Deteriorated infrastructure: It is worrisome to note that Nigerian universities are fast decaying. All the resources required for education production process are in short
supply.(bothLecture halls, laboratories, library space, books and journals ) are all seriously inadequate .
3Political interference: It has been observed that universities these days are not totally free from the hand of politics outside the university system. Government of the day, most especially in the state-owned varsities, interfere a lot in terms of selection and choice of the chief executive, deans, departmental heads, directors of programmes
and above all the selection of vice-chancellors. A situation whereby the members of the university are not totally free to choose who becomes their head.
Tue, 12/08/2009 - 21:55
#5
Hi, Osibajo
There are some issues you have raised to which I can offer a response, and others to which I can't!
First, on the question of lack of resources. I strongly commend that you take a look at the following paper: Wright, C., Dhanarajan, G. and Reju, S. (2009) Recurring Issues Encountered by Distance Educators in Developing and Emerging Nations IRRODL, Vol. 10, No. 1 [http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/608/1180] Although this is about distance education, many of the issues also apply to e-learning on campus.
The strategic issue is: where is the best return on investment of what resources there are? In more campus buildings, or in technology infrastructure to support e-learning? The answer to that question will depend on a number of things. Will students have access to technology outside the university? What subject areas would benefit most from e-learning? For instance, subjects such as history or literature lend themselves more easily to e-learning than practical subjects such as engineering; could scarce funds for campus building be moved from humanities to engineering by a greater use of online learning in the humanities? A tough decision, I know.
Second, will using technology for teaching get the government's attention regarding funding? All governments know that to build a strong nation, technology is critical, especially information and communications technologies. Many governments are supporting institutions investing in e-learning because they know it is essential for developing the skills and competencies needed in the workforce.
Third, more and more quality educational resources are becoming avaiable for free over the Internet - open educational resources such as MIT's OpenCourseware, the UK Open University's OpenLearn, and Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning Initiative. Again if resources are scarce, the question has to be asked: is it best to invest in traditional libraries and books, when in a few years most books will be available online from Google Books or Amazon?
The one thing the government should do is to ensure that there are home-grown quality e-learning materials available for free over the Internet, e.g. Nigerian history, economics,, etc., and also available in the languages of Nigeria. Again, a pitch could be made to the government that your university will develop such materials if they fund it. However, this means that you need to put in place the capacity to do this, by ensuring you have the educational and web technical staff needed. This may be a better investment of scarce resources than hiring more professors.
I can't comment on the issue of government interference, other than to say this might be an opportunity if you can get them interested in investing in e-learning.
I recognise that all my suggestions are less than ideal and require tough choices. It is a great pity that your country with its oil wealth does not invest more in the future through education, both conventional and through e-learning. Saudi Arabia is doing just that.
I'd like to hear from other participants if they have similar problems, and if they can suggest solutions or strategies,
There are some issues you have raised to which I can offer a response, and others to which I can't!
First, on the question of lack of resources. I strongly commend that you take a look at the following paper: Wright, C., Dhanarajan, G. and Reju, S. (2009) Recurring Issues Encountered by Distance Educators in Developing and Emerging Nations IRRODL, Vol. 10, No. 1 [http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/608/1180] Although this is about distance education, many of the issues also apply to e-learning on campus.
The strategic issue is: where is the best return on investment of what resources there are? In more campus buildings, or in technology infrastructure to support e-learning? The answer to that question will depend on a number of things. Will students have access to technology outside the university? What subject areas would benefit most from e-learning? For instance, subjects such as history or literature lend themselves more easily to e-learning than practical subjects such as engineering; could scarce funds for campus building be moved from humanities to engineering by a greater use of online learning in the humanities? A tough decision, I know.
Second, will using technology for teaching get the government's attention regarding funding? All governments know that to build a strong nation, technology is critical, especially information and communications technologies. Many governments are supporting institutions investing in e-learning because they know it is essential for developing the skills and competencies needed in the workforce.
Third, more and more quality educational resources are becoming avaiable for free over the Internet - open educational resources such as MIT's OpenCourseware, the UK Open University's OpenLearn, and Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning Initiative. Again if resources are scarce, the question has to be asked: is it best to invest in traditional libraries and books, when in a few years most books will be available online from Google Books or Amazon?
The one thing the government should do is to ensure that there are home-grown quality e-learning materials available for free over the Internet, e.g. Nigerian history, economics,, etc., and also available in the languages of Nigeria. Again, a pitch could be made to the government that your university will develop such materials if they fund it. However, this means that you need to put in place the capacity to do this, by ensuring you have the educational and web technical staff needed. This may be a better investment of scarce resources than hiring more professors.
I can't comment on the issue of government interference, other than to say this might be an opportunity if you can get them interested in investing in e-learning.
I recognise that all my suggestions are less than ideal and require tough choices. It is a great pity that your country with its oil wealth does not invest more in the future through education, both conventional and through e-learning. Saudi Arabia is doing just that.
I'd like to hear from other participants if they have similar problems, and if they can suggest solutions or strategies,
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 05:02
#6
Dear Mr. Bates,
It's a pleasure to participate in this forum.
The open age of digital information challenges completely the traditions of scholarship, learning, and even the act of reading, that is so true!
But the fact of "most books will be available online from Google Books or Amazon", that not means that traditional libraries or books will be death, in some time. I hope not! I do love books!
Google Books is fantastic indeed! The knowledge in bytes for all! So I am a "tech" fan too!
But there is a reason to worry about print-digitization: technicians are prepared or have the knowledge to scanning texts using the righ editions and not the wrong one, with missing pages or volumes? I wonder!
So, it will be important a serious assessment about the criteria.
"Not all knowledge can be captured in bytes, just as not all knowledge was ever captured in books. The best future will be one in which the digital and the traditional coexist". said Robert Darnton from Harvard University. And I completely agree.
I'm sorry, if I introduce these interrogations or some opinions. Just suggestions to enriched the discussion...
Best regards,
Gina Souto
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 16:03
#7
Dear Gina,
your point is very valid to me. I think it is throwing universities back onto their role as organisations for learning - and not just as organisation for information distribution.
If information becomes more and more freely available, then what is the role of universities?
it is exactly this: to provide artfully crafted learning scenarioes in which this free information are used to creat knowledge, competence and growth. professors and lecturers have then to turn into learning artists and lead learning in their organisatons. What a change?
How does it affect you - in your own organisations?
Ulf
Mon, 12/14/2009 - 05:21
#8
Dear Ulf,
I'm so sorry to reply only now.
I think on my own experiences as EAD teacher, classroom teacher ans LMS e-teacher, that schools and universities will be always organisations, I prefer the word 'places' for learning.
Yes, the knowledge is no longer owned by schools or universities, where students need to go to get it.
But, students need someone to show how to find the information and how to make sense of it.
We all know that there’s too much information out there. So how the students prioritize the information, and who do they will trust to filter or explain it?
The teacher’s role is going to shift more towards being a facilitator, towards teaching students how to learn, how to choose the good information, not how to memorize just to pass an examination or a test.
Yes, teachers, professors, lecturers have to turn 'artists' and lead learning in a different way.
There's going to be more of peer learning going on, and informal learning happening outside of the classroom.
Some teachers (professors or lecturers), we are all teachers, have been affected at the beginnig with the big explosion of Internet and social networks!
But we are doing a big effort to change the tradtional way. We do want to keep our students interested and involved, helping them to be well prepared for social and work life.
Everybody knows this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o
In Portugal, most of schools and universities are making a big change. For example, in my university (where I have been graduated) University of Porto, there is a LMS platform (moodle) and recently, a new e-learning portal.
There wil be an 'Excellence Award' for teachers who devellop a course or digital resources to be used in their courses in the e-learning network of the university. It's a interesting idea!
Gina
Thu, 12/17/2009 - 02:06
#9
Hi Ulf
Teaching (information), research, and community development are the basic responsibilities for university. If teaching (information) is available to both students and lecturers from the same source on the internet, there is a relief for the lecturers. They have just research and community development as their core activity, whereby lecturers wll source information from research and guide the students to navigate for such information. Students have more sources for the e-materials to pass their examination, even without a teacher.
Adejare AMOO
Teaching (information), research, and community development are the basic responsibilities for university. If teaching (information) is available to both students and lecturers from the same source on the internet, there is a relief for the lecturers. They have just research and community development as their core activity, whereby lecturers wll source information from research and guide the students to navigate for such information. Students have more sources for the e-materials to pass their examination, even without a teacher.
Adejare AMOO
Fri, 12/11/2009 - 00:00
#10
Hi, Gina
I tried to respond a couple of days earlier, but my message was classified as spam and rejected. Obviously they didn't like what I am about to say! I'll try again.
Thank you very much for an excellent comment.
I too very much prefer to read printed books than read large chunks of text from the screen - indeed, I even write books! However, if I have to decide on building or renovating a physical university library, and stocking it with enough books to be useful to the students, or investing in a digital library, with access to online catalogues, journals and publications, I know where I'd put my money, even acknowledging that I will need to invest at least initially in computer terminals, servers, and Internet connectivity.
Similarly from a student perspective. Students in North America can spend well over US1,000 a year on text books, and often large parts of the textbooks are not related to their studies. One college here in Vancouver decided to get rid of printed texts, bought or licensed digital versions of textbooks, and required students to get a computer so they could download their readings. Even factoring in the cost of buying a computer, over two years students saved up to 50 per cent. The cost to the college was much lower than anticipated too, because students downloaded only what they needed. As more and more quality material becomes available online, costs for digital material will come right down.
On the publishing side, organizations such as Connexions and Lulu enable on-demand printing or downloading of books at one tenth of the cost of traditional publishing (and the authors still get more in royalties).
In 10 years time, there will be no print textbook publishing as we know it. It will go the way of the dinosaur.
However, there still remains the question of what an African university should do today: continue with a traditional library - or invest in moving to digital access?
I tried to respond a couple of days earlier, but my message was classified as spam and rejected. Obviously they didn't like what I am about to say! I'll try again.
Thank you very much for an excellent comment.
I too very much prefer to read printed books than read large chunks of text from the screen - indeed, I even write books! However, if I have to decide on building or renovating a physical university library, and stocking it with enough books to be useful to the students, or investing in a digital library, with access to online catalogues, journals and publications, I know where I'd put my money, even acknowledging that I will need to invest at least initially in computer terminals, servers, and Internet connectivity.
Similarly from a student perspective. Students in North America can spend well over US1,000 a year on text books, and often large parts of the textbooks are not related to their studies. One college here in Vancouver decided to get rid of printed texts, bought or licensed digital versions of textbooks, and required students to get a computer so they could download their readings. Even factoring in the cost of buying a computer, over two years students saved up to 50 per cent. The cost to the college was much lower than anticipated too, because students downloaded only what they needed. As more and more quality material becomes available online, costs for digital material will come right down.
On the publishing side, organizations such as Connexions and Lulu enable on-demand printing or downloading of books at one tenth of the cost of traditional publishing (and the authors still get more in royalties).
In 10 years time, there will be no print textbook publishing as we know it. It will go the way of the dinosaur.
However, there still remains the question of what an African university should do today: continue with a traditional library - or invest in moving to digital access?
Mon, 12/14/2009 - 05:52
#11
Hi Tony,
I'm so sorry to reply to you only now. Some troubles with my webserver.
Thank you very much for your kind comment. However, as I wrote, I completly agree with the idea of Robert Darnton, director of the Harvard University Library that I wrote in my first comment:
"Not all knowledge can be captured in bytes, just as not all knowledge was ever captured in books. The best future will be one in which the digital and the traditional coexist".
The book will be not dead, even you think that in 10 years time, it will go the way of the 'dinosaur' :)
However the big question of at an African university should do today: "continue with a traditional library - or invest in moving to digital access?"
I really think that in its case, the traditonal library must coexist with a moving digital access. That's for sure!
African schools and universities can be more competitive. I could understand, reading the different comments of the participants in the discussion, that there are teachers and professors in Africa who are prepared to change. But time needs time.
LMS with tutorat would be a very good start! It's simple and a very complete network (we can create a lot of resources in it).
Gina
Thu, 12/17/2009 - 02:31
#12
Hello
California Governor's action on text books similar to Tony Bates Vancouva's example and it seems to be the immediate future trend.
California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has launched an initiative to ban textbooks from high school classrooms and replace them with digital material.
http://www.icwe.net/oeb_special/news129.php
Will African universities prepare for same digital change or import the "fairly used textbooks" or "second hand textbooks"?
Adejare AMOO
California Governor's action on text books similar to Tony Bates Vancouva's example and it seems to be the immediate future trend.
California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has launched an initiative to ban textbooks from high school classrooms and replace them with digital material.
http://www.icwe.net/oeb_special/news129.php
Will African universities prepare for same digital change or import the "fairly used textbooks" or "second hand textbooks"?
Adejare AMOO
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 12:47
#13
Hello Mr Bate,
I found the paper most interesting and indeed i enjoyed every aspect of it most especially issues related to lack of infrastructe, cost of bandwidth and quality assuarance
Many thanks
I found the paper most interesting and indeed i enjoyed every aspect of it most especially issues related to lack of infrastructe, cost of bandwidth and quality assuarance
Many thanks
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 14:27
#14
Dear Tony,
Our problem in Africa is that of misplaced priorities. Who said our leaders do not know that "to build a strong nation, technology is critical, especially information and communications technologies"? They very much know but they would rather invest in other things than the best technologies for education.
Internet access is so slow in Africa and that also affects those who even want to rely on e-resources.
if governments would invest in building capacity for e-learning then Technology will be of immense benefit to Africa
Our problem in Africa is that of misplaced priorities. Who said our leaders do not know that "to build a strong nation, technology is critical, especially information and communications technologies"? They very much know but they would rather invest in other things than the best technologies for education.
Internet access is so slow in Africa and that also affects those who even want to rely on e-resources.
if governments would invest in building capacity for e-learning then Technology will be of immense benefit to Africa
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 00:36
#15
Dear Tony,
thank you for the question you raised! I feel that they exactly touch on the sensitive points in institutions. I would like to offer an oppinion on the second question you raise: Are there issues around management of technology which are specific to African universities?
From my limited experience I think of course there are infrastructural issues to be taken into account, especially in many African universities in which I had the opportunity to visit.
However, much more than that I perceive that a shift in the monds has to take place - shifting education from an external transfer approach to a more learner centred focus. This - however - is not specific to African institutions. It can be found all around the world.
It just does not work any more to simply switch on "transfer mode" when technology enters the scene. Lately somenody told me "My students did not come to class anymore, after we introduced video lectures..." And I could simply reply: "Why should they - if you do the same thing in class then you do on the videoscreen".
I think the real challenge for universities with technology is to become institutions of higher learning and to use technology in a way that imporves the learning process, makes it morer exciting and active.
What do you think?
Ulf
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 21:28
#16
Hi, Ulf
I completely agree that teaching methods need to change to prepare students better for an information-rich society. However, changing university teachers' attitudes and preparing them to be better teachers is much more difficult and time consuming that putting in technology infrastructure, and my view is that the priority for all universities is to make sure the infrastructure is there so professors and students can use it. Once the infrastructure is in place, the professors will start realising, if only slowly, that they need to change their teaching method. This process of course can be speeded up by systematic training, but without the technology in place, there is little incentive for them to change.
So the issue once again comes down to priorities. What should be done first with limited resources? What do others think about this?
I completely agree that teaching methods need to change to prepare students better for an information-rich society. However, changing university teachers' attitudes and preparing them to be better teachers is much more difficult and time consuming that putting in technology infrastructure, and my view is that the priority for all universities is to make sure the infrastructure is there so professors and students can use it. Once the infrastructure is in place, the professors will start realising, if only slowly, that they need to change their teaching method. This process of course can be speeded up by systematic training, but without the technology in place, there is little incentive for them to change.
So the issue once again comes down to priorities. What should be done first with limited resources? What do others think about this?
Sun, 12/13/2009 - 14:13
#17
hi Tony
i would also like to join the discussion, what i have found most challenging is changing the attitude and knowledge delivery techniques and methods especailly when technology is introduced in most African Universities.Much as your suggestion of developing the infrastructure first would be a good strategy, there is no garantee that it will be utilised cost effectively for instance the university at which i teach has almost all infrastructure up and running but the resources are idle most of the time inspite of the number of training that have taken place. Technical limitations of the lecturers and the need of total shift in methodology also posses a hidden threat which most do not want to acknowledge.
My consolation is that we now have a digital generation in the making who appreciate how strategic technology is and it is the generation in which our training and skills development should be concentrated, of course without leaving out the experienced professors. we should be selective when dealing with the attitude issue by targeting those willing to adapt and making them epic centers for the transformation process when dealing with experienced staff
i would also like to join the discussion, what i have found most challenging is changing the attitude and knowledge delivery techniques and methods especailly when technology is introduced in most African Universities.Much as your suggestion of developing the infrastructure first would be a good strategy, there is no garantee that it will be utilised cost effectively for instance the university at which i teach has almost all infrastructure up and running but the resources are idle most of the time inspite of the number of training that have taken place. Technical limitations of the lecturers and the need of total shift in methodology also posses a hidden threat which most do not want to acknowledge.
My consolation is that we now have a digital generation in the making who appreciate how strategic technology is and it is the generation in which our training and skills development should be concentrated, of course without leaving out the experienced professors. we should be selective when dealing with the attitude issue by targeting those willing to adapt and making them epic centers for the transformation process when dealing with experienced staff
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 00:13
#18
Hi, Anthony
Thank you for your comment. I can understand that it must be frustrating to have infrastrcture in place then not have it fully used.
However, although you need to start with infrastructure, it is only the first stage. In fact now would be a very good time to start a university-wide discussion about teaching and learning in the 21st century. What kind of learning outcomes should we be seeking? Do we want students with different knowledge and outcomes now?
Second, how should we be delivering our teaching now that we have the infrastructure in place? Should all teaching be done in class, or should a substantial part of learning be done online? If so, what is best done face-to-face and what is best done online?
Third, resulting from these discussions, what kind of technology and educational support do we need to provide to help lecturers, and how should that be organized?
I'm not a great fan of detailed strategic plans, which are often just put on the shelf immediately after they have been published. But I am a great fan of on-going planning, and sometimes this needs a hook or a trigger to get it going. Thus setting up a committee to ask these questions and find answers through a university-wide consultation process, ending in a report 12 months later, is a very good way to stim,ulate professors into thinking how best they can use technology for teaching. If as you say you have a new generation of faculty who can contribute to this discussion, so much the better,
Best regards
Tony Bates
Thank you for your comment. I can understand that it must be frustrating to have infrastrcture in place then not have it fully used.
However, although you need to start with infrastructure, it is only the first stage. In fact now would be a very good time to start a university-wide discussion about teaching and learning in the 21st century. What kind of learning outcomes should we be seeking? Do we want students with different knowledge and outcomes now?
Second, how should we be delivering our teaching now that we have the infrastructure in place? Should all teaching be done in class, or should a substantial part of learning be done online? If so, what is best done face-to-face and what is best done online?
Third, resulting from these discussions, what kind of technology and educational support do we need to provide to help lecturers, and how should that be organized?
I'm not a great fan of detailed strategic plans, which are often just put on the shelf immediately after they have been published. But I am a great fan of on-going planning, and sometimes this needs a hook or a trigger to get it going. Thus setting up a committee to ask these questions and find answers through a university-wide consultation process, ending in a report 12 months later, is a very good way to stim,ulate professors into thinking how best they can use technology for teaching. If as you say you have a new generation of faculty who can contribute to this discussion, so much the better,
Best regards
Tony Bates
Thu, 12/17/2009 - 06:54
#19
Hello Anthony
Resistance to establishment of elearning in African universities could be traced to fear of unknown and ignorance which needs to be fought with all available resources for "crusade and evangelism". It could be by convinction, persuation, lobbying, motivation, promotion through slogan and mass media, rally, etc
Join fold with your colleagues of like mind and strategise to win more "converts" into elearning pedagogy. It is achievable, try more please.
Adejare AMOO
Resistance to establishment of elearning in African universities could be traced to fear of unknown and ignorance which needs to be fought with all available resources for "crusade and evangelism". It could be by convinction, persuation, lobbying, motivation, promotion through slogan and mass media, rally, etc
Join fold with your colleagues of like mind and strategise to win more "converts" into elearning pedagogy. It is achievable, try more please.
Adejare AMOO
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 13:56
#20
Hello Tony and Science Connect colleagues across the world! These are interesting and challenging questions and I'll try to open them up a bit ;) I'll start with the first question and switch to the second in a later message.
"1. Should we treat the governance of technology any differently from the management of other issues in the university?"
Clearly this is about the effective use of technology in teaching, learning, research and management rather than about the technology itself. I suspect that the technological decisions in universities are a bit different from those in a business because of the diversity of outputs and the difficulties in quantifying these as a Return on Investment figure.
This also implies tussles over the priorities for investment in technology in universities. The conflicts will inevitably have a political dimension but there are also some key issues of which capacities are needed first eg is there any point to investing in a university wide LMS if you don't have an accurate up to date registration and marks database system?
Another potential dilemma is that even if top management get it and are able to secure resources for investment then the investment may go into trusted technologies which will be outmoded in five years time or into the newest fads just because they are fashionable. How do we ensure that today's investment in technology won't turn into an expensive waste of scarce resources?
Thu, 12/10/2009 - 08:55
#21
Greetings Tony and friends.
It gives me great pleasure to participate in this enriching forum. Thank you Chahira Nouira and the entire Science-Connect team for the invitation and reminders.
I have a comment on the first issue you raised as to whether we should treat the governance of technology any differently from the management of other issues in the university.
An organization is a system with unique subsystems. It is like the human body; every part, however small or big, has a contribution to make towards the achievement of the overall mission and vision. Every part of the organization is treated differently as unique but not special. The management of Universities should appreciate the importance of all functionalities and technology should enable the smooth running of other aspects just like they enable it. The Synergetic advantages of team work should not be lost. I have had opportunity to participate is some meetings involving various representatives of units and each representative tries to emphasise the fact that their unit is the most crucial.
My opinion is that we should not treat the governance of technology any differently from the management of other issues in the university because it is part of the other issues in the university. However, it should be provided the unique support it needs, again just like other units would wish for themselves.
As Tony Carr pointed out in his post to this discussion, it is about the effective use of technology in teaching, learning, research and management. If these are the core functions of the university, then technology can enable them together with other aspects of the universities.
As regards managing technology as the business sector does, this is correct but only in part. Universities have traditionally not been profit-oriented (especially public ones) they therefore will take on almost most things that promote teaching, learning, research and outreach. However, because of the competition and challenges of modern organizations, universities have to borrow several practices of the business sector especially customer satisfaction and product quality focus. This needs investment because if the customers are not satisfied with the quality of the product, they will switch. Proper management of technology and the technology mediated systems approach within and between all units of the university will enable universities achieve their purpose.
Chinwe Anunobi’s contribution brings out some aspects in some Universities in Africa and a challenge for many of us as advocates for Distance Education and e-learning. We need to sensitise the stakeholders. But a systems approach will help. We should not give up simply because some people think it cannot work. We are the change agents and I know it can work in Africa.
Over to you members.
It gives me great pleasure to participate in this enriching forum. Thank you Chahira Nouira and the entire Science-Connect team for the invitation and reminders.
I have a comment on the first issue you raised as to whether we should treat the governance of technology any differently from the management of other issues in the university.
An organization is a system with unique subsystems. It is like the human body; every part, however small or big, has a contribution to make towards the achievement of the overall mission and vision. Every part of the organization is treated differently as unique but not special. The management of Universities should appreciate the importance of all functionalities and technology should enable the smooth running of other aspects just like they enable it. The Synergetic advantages of team work should not be lost. I have had opportunity to participate is some meetings involving various representatives of units and each representative tries to emphasise the fact that their unit is the most crucial.
My opinion is that we should not treat the governance of technology any differently from the management of other issues in the university because it is part of the other issues in the university. However, it should be provided the unique support it needs, again just like other units would wish for themselves.
As Tony Carr pointed out in his post to this discussion, it is about the effective use of technology in teaching, learning, research and management. If these are the core functions of the university, then technology can enable them together with other aspects of the universities.
As regards managing technology as the business sector does, this is correct but only in part. Universities have traditionally not been profit-oriented (especially public ones) they therefore will take on almost most things that promote teaching, learning, research and outreach. However, because of the competition and challenges of modern organizations, universities have to borrow several practices of the business sector especially customer satisfaction and product quality focus. This needs investment because if the customers are not satisfied with the quality of the product, they will switch. Proper management of technology and the technology mediated systems approach within and between all units of the university will enable universities achieve their purpose.
Chinwe Anunobi’s contribution brings out some aspects in some Universities in Africa and a challenge for many of us as advocates for Distance Education and e-learning. We need to sensitise the stakeholders. But a systems approach will help. We should not give up simply because some people think it cannot work. We are the change agents and I know it can work in Africa.
Over to you members.
Sun, 12/13/2009 - 02:16
#22
Davies Bunmi Adeloye
12 December 2009
I. The University and Governance of Technology
Governance of Technology entails policy approaches that bring together various aspects of economic activities; education, finance, health, agriculture and politics, and how the technological developments and transitions affect these activities. In some scenarios, the observed changes in various economic and technological sectors are critically assessed in academic institutions and these are reviewed and presented in most cases to bring about a Public policy on technology.
Global economies need to meet up with new technologies to maximally benefit the citizenry. The decision reached by international stakeholders more often than not, affects availability of technology to many nations, especially developing countries. Hence, countries adopt policies that make new technologies more and readily available to its populace. This is governance; some decisions reached however may impede availability of technologies if the context is not well defined. This is where institutions, technocrats and experts come in; to influence positive policies (governance) that will cut across various economies and countries toward achieving human development. In this wise, I will say YES, Governance of Technology should be treated differently from other issues in the Universities to foster these positive policies. These are my arguments.
1. Information, Communication and Technology Skills- Quite important and believed to develop individual skills. This should be given a new look in universities, emphasis should be directed towards achieving mass community ICT development rather than individual. This aspect of technology really deserves a different approach to achieve the goals of technology governance.
2. Generation of Technology- According to Juma and Watal (2000), generation of technology has been confined to few countries and is becoming increasingly capital intensive, making it more difficult for developing countries to catch up. This should also be given a new approach in universities, technology should be made available to all, or otherwise where this is impossible, make appropriate alternatives available for use.
3. Funding- Policies on provision of funding for technological improvement deserve thorough reappraisal.
4. Ethics- According to Lodge (2007), there was no ethical background on the adoption of ICT based instruments. The author therefore emphasizes on the need for ethical codes across various sectors, especially health in the use of technologies.
5. Human Rights- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR), 1948 emphasizes on some issues on human beings and rights. Experts further revealed that humans are entitled to rights of benefits of scientific progress. This can further be interpreted as right to benefits of technological advancements. In institutions, a different approach in this wise should be given to governance of technology.
The above briefly highlights the issues around technology that requires different treatment.
II. African Universities and Management of Technology
One wonders how we really organise and use our technology for human development; the basic concept of technological management centres on this. In the frame of most African Universities managerial setup, some vital issues need be addressed to achieve standard technological management.
1. Maintenance- African universities usually put in place maintenance codes, but these are not sustained. Qualified personnel should always be available to teach and enforce these basic guidelines and codes.
2. Operation and Services- This is also in line with maintenance. Technical services offered are not professional and equipments are operating sub-optimally. Train more students, expose staff to new ideas and encourage the use of the internet.
3. Planning- No clear cut planning in technological managements of African Universities. Professionals should be hired to put in place standard planning programmes. Encourage an E- learning environment in institutions.
4. Monitoring and Evaluation- Poor data collation, analysis and interpretation; and no evaluation programmes. Employ competent staff to record use of equipments and collate such data for interpretation by experts. Use readily available internet facilities for analysis.
The above are some of the vital issues that need be addressed in African Universities to achieve standard management of technology.
References
1. JUMA. C., J. WATAL. 2000. Global Governance and Technology. [online].[Accessed 10 December 2009]. Available from:
http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2001/papers/juma-1.pdf
2. LODGE. J. 2007. Freedom, security and justice: the thin end of the wedge for biometrics? Annali dell’Istituto superior di sanita.2007;43(1):20-6
12 December 2009
I. The University and Governance of Technology
Governance of Technology entails policy approaches that bring together various aspects of economic activities; education, finance, health, agriculture and politics, and how the technological developments and transitions affect these activities. In some scenarios, the observed changes in various economic and technological sectors are critically assessed in academic institutions and these are reviewed and presented in most cases to bring about a Public policy on technology.
Global economies need to meet up with new technologies to maximally benefit the citizenry. The decision reached by international stakeholders more often than not, affects availability of technology to many nations, especially developing countries. Hence, countries adopt policies that make new technologies more and readily available to its populace. This is governance; some decisions reached however may impede availability of technologies if the context is not well defined. This is where institutions, technocrats and experts come in; to influence positive policies (governance) that will cut across various economies and countries toward achieving human development. In this wise, I will say YES, Governance of Technology should be treated differently from other issues in the Universities to foster these positive policies. These are my arguments.
1. Information, Communication and Technology Skills- Quite important and believed to develop individual skills. This should be given a new look in universities, emphasis should be directed towards achieving mass community ICT development rather than individual. This aspect of technology really deserves a different approach to achieve the goals of technology governance.
2. Generation of Technology- According to Juma and Watal (2000), generation of technology has been confined to few countries and is becoming increasingly capital intensive, making it more difficult for developing countries to catch up. This should also be given a new approach in universities, technology should be made available to all, or otherwise where this is impossible, make appropriate alternatives available for use.
3. Funding- Policies on provision of funding for technological improvement deserve thorough reappraisal.
4. Ethics- According to Lodge (2007), there was no ethical background on the adoption of ICT based instruments. The author therefore emphasizes on the need for ethical codes across various sectors, especially health in the use of technologies.
5. Human Rights- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR), 1948 emphasizes on some issues on human beings and rights. Experts further revealed that humans are entitled to rights of benefits of scientific progress. This can further be interpreted as right to benefits of technological advancements. In institutions, a different approach in this wise should be given to governance of technology.
The above briefly highlights the issues around technology that requires different treatment.
II. African Universities and Management of Technology
One wonders how we really organise and use our technology for human development; the basic concept of technological management centres on this. In the frame of most African Universities managerial setup, some vital issues need be addressed to achieve standard technological management.
1. Maintenance- African universities usually put in place maintenance codes, but these are not sustained. Qualified personnel should always be available to teach and enforce these basic guidelines and codes.
2. Operation and Services- This is also in line with maintenance. Technical services offered are not professional and equipments are operating sub-optimally. Train more students, expose staff to new ideas and encourage the use of the internet.
3. Planning- No clear cut planning in technological managements of African Universities. Professionals should be hired to put in place standard planning programmes. Encourage an E- learning environment in institutions.
4. Monitoring and Evaluation- Poor data collation, analysis and interpretation; and no evaluation programmes. Employ competent staff to record use of equipments and collate such data for interpretation by experts. Use readily available internet facilities for analysis.
The above are some of the vital issues that need be addressed in African Universities to achieve standard management of technology.
References
1. JUMA. C., J. WATAL. 2000. Global Governance and Technology. [online].[Accessed 10 December 2009]. Available from:
http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2001/papers/juma-1.pdf
2. LODGE. J. 2007. Freedom, security and justice: the thin end of the wedge for biometrics? Annali dell’Istituto superior di sanita.2007;43(1):20-6
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 00:30
#23
Hi, Davies
Many thanks for your excellent and comprehensive response to the two questions posed by me at the start of this forum. You raise some issues that I had not previously given sufficient consideration to, such as ethics and human rights.
Access has always been a key criterion for me on both ethics and human rights, and widening access to the Internet is probably the biggest challenge for making e-learning effective in African universities. However, without adequate Internet access, how can African countries compete in the information society? This is something I would put in the second tier of priorities for African countries (the first tier would be food and water security, corruption-free government, electricity access, etc.).
On the question of IT governance, I would not be too hard on African universities. Very few universities worldwide have even adequate, never mind outstanding, governance procedures for IT. My colleague and I have recently completed a study of over 30 universities' approach to IT governance. The sample covers universities in the USA, Canada, UK, Spain and Italy. We are still analysing the data, but I would say that at this stage only three or four would be considered adequate, in terms of having clearly understood and relatively comprehensive processes and mechanisms for decision-making on IT. At this stage we are not sure whether this is a specific problem with IT decision-making, or a problem with university governance in general. I suspect that there are issues unique to IT governance, in particular the way it cuts across all areas of the university's activities, and the need for at least some knowledge and expertise in IT for effective decision-making.
Anyway, thank you for an excellent posting, and especially for the Juma and Watal reference
Many thanks for your excellent and comprehensive response to the two questions posed by me at the start of this forum. You raise some issues that I had not previously given sufficient consideration to, such as ethics and human rights.
Access has always been a key criterion for me on both ethics and human rights, and widening access to the Internet is probably the biggest challenge for making e-learning effective in African universities. However, without adequate Internet access, how can African countries compete in the information society? This is something I would put in the second tier of priorities for African countries (the first tier would be food and water security, corruption-free government, electricity access, etc.).
On the question of IT governance, I would not be too hard on African universities. Very few universities worldwide have even adequate, never mind outstanding, governance procedures for IT. My colleague and I have recently completed a study of over 30 universities' approach to IT governance. The sample covers universities in the USA, Canada, UK, Spain and Italy. We are still analysing the data, but I would say that at this stage only three or four would be considered adequate, in terms of having clearly understood and relatively comprehensive processes and mechanisms for decision-making on IT. At this stage we are not sure whether this is a specific problem with IT decision-making, or a problem with university governance in general. I suspect that there are issues unique to IT governance, in particular the way it cuts across all areas of the university's activities, and the need for at least some knowledge and expertise in IT for effective decision-making.
Anyway, thank you for an excellent posting, and especially for the Juma and Watal reference
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 16:40
#24
All that I articulated and posted didnot go through. Why ?
Wel aIl I said is that there must be independent management of elearning in HE in African else it will go into oblivon Reasons
1 HE management are ignorant of what is happening .
2.Such application requires dispatch response which is not applicable in HE governance bedealled with protocols and breaucracy
3. Such application requires incentive differnet from the normal pay in HE inAfrica .
4. Such application requires progressive thinking differnt from the traditional thinking
5. It requires a differnt work flow chat
Wel aIl I said is that there must be independent management of elearning in HE in African else it will go into oblivon Reasons
1 HE management are ignorant of what is happening .
2.Such application requires dispatch response which is not applicable in HE governance bedealled with protocols and breaucracy
3. Such application requires incentive differnet from the normal pay in HE inAfrica .
4. Such application requires progressive thinking differnt from the traditional thinking
5. It requires a differnt work flow chat
Wed, 12/09/2009 - 22:18
#25
Dear Chinwe Anunobi
Glad you finally got your viewpoints throuhg to the forum; this seems to be an intersting arena for discussion of e-learning options in Africa. If I understand you right, your suggestion is that traditional universities are not able - or willing - to fill the needs for flexible learning opportunities, and therefore
"- independent management of elearning in HE in African- " should be organized.
Well, for the time being I am afraid you are correct in your assumptions about the majority of HE institutions in Africa (- as well as in many other parts of the World!). BUT I still dare to argue against your suggestion to construct HE e-learning organisations separate from the existing universities, particularly for three reasons:
Networks of interested institutions are of great value for the development of e-learning courses and study programmes. Sharing of responsibility for and exchange of learning objects, whole courses
or study programmes may reduce expences and required efforts for each instituion. Such networks may be national, regional or even pan-African. But again, experience shows that networks of 3-5 institutions are simpler to organize, manage and sustain, than larger networks.
Hope these comments can trigger further discussion and fruitful suggestions.
Glad you finally got your viewpoints throuhg to the forum; this seems to be an intersting arena for discussion of e-learning options in Africa. If I understand you right, your suggestion is that traditional universities are not able - or willing - to fill the needs for flexible learning opportunities, and therefore
"- independent management of elearning in HE in African- " should be organized.
Well, for the time being I am afraid you are correct in your assumptions about the majority of HE institutions in Africa (- as well as in many other parts of the World!). BUT I still dare to argue against your suggestion to construct HE e-learning organisations separate from the existing universities, particularly for three reasons:
- Content in HE studies is important! Solid, research based subject knowledge will most likely be found in existing universities. Professors and staff here should be best qualified to choose, organize and present this kind of knowledge. It will be both costly and difficult to institute such wide knowledge base at a new dedicated e-learning institution, for a broad variety of studies and subjects.
- Sustainability and up-dating of content should be done on the basis of cutting edge knowledge and R&D activities, today mostly found in research departments, labs and discurse fora at the universities. Therefore researchers and teaching staff at universities should be enabled to provide e-learning (- in addition to their campus teaching).
- Up-grading of universities themselves by inviting leaders, professors, staff and managment to collaborate and/or join network with other and better qualified instituions, where they accept and promote the new and flexible ways of offering HE also to people who can not attend campus based courses and studies. 'Invitiations' should be accompanied by budgetary measures that may force the universities to go for such solutions. This should lead to better qualification of staff members.
Networks of interested institutions are of great value for the development of e-learning courses and study programmes. Sharing of responsibility for and exchange of learning objects, whole courses
or study programmes may reduce expences and required efforts for each instituion. Such networks may be national, regional or even pan-African. But again, experience shows that networks of 3-5 institutions are simpler to organize, manage and sustain, than larger networks.
Hope these comments can trigger further discussion and fruitful suggestions.
Sun, 12/13/2009 - 14:30
#26
Dear Harald
am in total agreement with your perception of forming networks in which mentoring can be a useful tool in exposing the benefits of techonology in HE. It is a well known fact that e-learning cuts costs and increases accessibilty to HE and therefore its management and governace is critical especailly in the developing world. A holostic approach and intergration of its management into the university set up would have a better and more sustainable impact
am in total agreement with your perception of forming networks in which mentoring can be a useful tool in exposing the benefits of techonology in HE. It is a well known fact that e-learning cuts costs and increases accessibilty to HE and therefore its management and governace is critical especailly in the developing world. A holostic approach and intergration of its management into the university set up would have a better and more sustainable impact
Thu, 12/10/2009 - 10:58
#27
Without doubt the concept of e-learning has come to stay and may go a long way in reducing the need for direct learning. As a result of the above, the need to give a prime place to the management of the technology has become very necessary. In the developed and developing countries of America, Europe, Asia and Midle East, the management of science and technology has come to be appreciated but not yet in Africa. This is one reason why we have research institutions where funds allocated are treated more as consumption items rather than invetment items. There is therefore the need for a special focus on the management of technology if e-learning must succeed in Africa realising that failure may cause a drawback for other parts of the world. The Universities in africa must therefore rise up to this challenge since they are not just learning centres but are also research institutions that can bear tremendously on their environment.
Thu, 12/10/2009 - 12:28
#28
Dear all,
I'm the senior software engineer of the West African eUniversity Project (WAeUP) which I founded together with my partner Hector Etomi (BT Education Services Ltd, Lagos, Nigeria) in 2005. Meanwhile we are running 8 student registration portals (see www.waeup.org) administering more than 100.000 students and about 150.000 applicants each year. We are offering a wide range of services to manage Nigerian schools, colleges and universities online. Our software and databases are running on machines in Germany.
I'm following the discussion about eLearning in Africa for several years and attended the eLearning Africa conference in Accra last year. My statement on this issue is very simple: Stop the discussion and take action. West African universities are producing a lot of theorists but few practicians. My 12-year old son has more practical experience with Linux than many African students holding Bachelor's degrees in computer science. I know, this is a very provocative statement but that's my experience. In my opinion, it's not only the lack of IT infrastructure and computer equipment in Africa which caused the IT gap between Africa and the rest of the world, but also the lack of skilled OSS programmers. These are my practical recommendations for IT centers at universities in order to promote eLearning:
- run and teach Linux and abandon Microsoft products from computers on campuses
- install and teach SQL, PHP, Python etc.
- install Moodle on your servers and offer this service to your teachers and lecturers
- don't discuss with your management, just do it
Adhering to some basic standards of modern eLearning and installing Moodle on a server, you will be able to build a powerful eLearning infrastructure at your institution within in a few weeks. Open Office Impress (or PowerPoint), a voice recorder (e.g. your PC or mobile phone), simple video cameras, a free PowerPoint2Flash converter (e.g. authorPOINT Lite) and some free video converters (e.g. MediaCoder) will be sufficient to create attractive eLearning content. If you extend your services and offer a reliable video conference system (e.g. spreed.com) and install some web and IP cameras in your seminar rooms, even workshops and seminars can be held online. The students can attend the online lectures at home or work in their favorite cyber cafe. The cyber cafes will transform into modern IT classrooms and no expensive school buildings and overcrowded hostels will be necessary. It even saves a lot of energy and helps to reduce criminality on campuses. I'm sure, this will be the future of higher education in Africa. Again, just do it. No expensive hardware is needed, only enthusiastic young people who love Open Source Web 2.0 technologies, no matter from where they are, where they are living or where they are working.
Henrik
I'm the senior software engineer of the West African eUniversity Project (WAeUP) which I founded together with my partner Hector Etomi (BT Education Services Ltd, Lagos, Nigeria) in 2005. Meanwhile we are running 8 student registration portals (see www.waeup.org) administering more than 100.000 students and about 150.000 applicants each year. We are offering a wide range of services to manage Nigerian schools, colleges and universities online. Our software and databases are running on machines in Germany.
I'm following the discussion about eLearning in Africa for several years and attended the eLearning Africa conference in Accra last year. My statement on this issue is very simple: Stop the discussion and take action. West African universities are producing a lot of theorists but few practicians. My 12-year old son has more practical experience with Linux than many African students holding Bachelor's degrees in computer science. I know, this is a very provocative statement but that's my experience. In my opinion, it's not only the lack of IT infrastructure and computer equipment in Africa which caused the IT gap between Africa and the rest of the world, but also the lack of skilled OSS programmers. These are my practical recommendations for IT centers at universities in order to promote eLearning:
- run and teach Linux and abandon Microsoft products from computers on campuses
- install and teach SQL, PHP, Python etc.
- install Moodle on your servers and offer this service to your teachers and lecturers
- don't discuss with your management, just do it
Adhering to some basic standards of modern eLearning and installing Moodle on a server, you will be able to build a powerful eLearning infrastructure at your institution within in a few weeks. Open Office Impress (or PowerPoint), a voice recorder (e.g. your PC or mobile phone), simple video cameras, a free PowerPoint2Flash converter (e.g. authorPOINT Lite) and some free video converters (e.g. MediaCoder) will be sufficient to create attractive eLearning content. If you extend your services and offer a reliable video conference system (e.g. spreed.com) and install some web and IP cameras in your seminar rooms, even workshops and seminars can be held online. The students can attend the online lectures at home or work in their favorite cyber cafe. The cyber cafes will transform into modern IT classrooms and no expensive school buildings and overcrowded hostels will be necessary. It even saves a lot of energy and helps to reduce criminality on campuses. I'm sure, this will be the future of higher education in Africa. Again, just do it. No expensive hardware is needed, only enthusiastic young people who love Open Source Web 2.0 technologies, no matter from where they are, where they are living or where they are working.
Henrik
Thu, 12/10/2009 - 16:49
#29
O thanks Henrik
Am happy u understand what our experience is in W. Africa . The interest is not there as far as excellence and quality education is concerned . That is why we are calling for a change . It may not be establishment of differnt institution for technology but a rethink from Government . Only the new breeds are interested in the skills at least to help themselves employment-wise . The weill established academia are only interseted in positions in the university and it financial benefits . Do a survey on elearning interest and you will notice that only the young academia and few progresive professors are interested . Yet every year a large number of prospective candidates are looking for few admission positions in the Universities . Furthermore many distant learning centers are established not equiped with labs, libraries or qaulified lecturers yet turning out large number of graduates . It is quite unfortunate .
You can imagine that proposals for elearning will always be turned down since no immediate financial benefits could come out of it .
We need help in this part of the world
Chinwe
Am happy u understand what our experience is in W. Africa . The interest is not there as far as excellence and quality education is concerned . That is why we are calling for a change . It may not be establishment of differnt institution for technology but a rethink from Government . Only the new breeds are interested in the skills at least to help themselves employment-wise . The weill established academia are only interseted in positions in the university and it financial benefits . Do a survey on elearning interest and you will notice that only the young academia and few progresive professors are interested . Yet every year a large number of prospective candidates are looking for few admission positions in the Universities . Furthermore many distant learning centers are established not equiped with labs, libraries or qaulified lecturers yet turning out large number of graduates . It is quite unfortunate .
You can imagine that proposals for elearning will always be turned down since no immediate financial benefits could come out of it .
We need help in this part of the world
Chinwe
Thu, 12/10/2009 - 22:21
#30
Dear Chinwe
I agree with you in most points. I know the situation in Nigeria and Ghana quite well. However, I'm wondering why only a few skilled programmers from Africa join the OSS community. As a good programmer you can earn much more money than a professor in Africa. 500 Euros (not Dollars) per day are the rule rather than the exception in Europe. I don't know what a professor in Nigeria earns, in Ghana it's much less. Why do young university graduates still seek management positions at universities instead? Young people should try to change the world and not to find a comfortable place to wait for retirement. Software engineers are in the good position to achieve both financial goals and a change of the society, only with their ideas and their practical work. E-learning has the potential to improve education in Africa and all over the world. We shouldn't wait for government action, I think we can improve the situation ourselves. What does a Nigerian lecturer hinder from using Moodle facilities provided by his/her IT department? It's very comfortable for him/her. Instead of speaking in front of hundreds of students in stuffy lecture halls s/he could sit in a nice beach ressort enjoying a cold Star and chatting relaxed with students in virtual classrooms. Ok, s/he is well-advised to move the bottle into a blind spot of the laptop's webcam, otherwise the students will be tempted to 'refresh' themselves too
. Joking aside, my experience is that learning and collaboration in virtual classrooms is very effective, timesaving and joyful for both students and lecturers. It should be quite easy to convince them. This could be a first step towards a comprehensive e-learning infrastructure at higher education institutions.
Henrik
I agree with you in most points. I know the situation in Nigeria and Ghana quite well. However, I'm wondering why only a few skilled programmers from Africa join the OSS community. As a good programmer you can earn much more money than a professor in Africa. 500 Euros (not Dollars) per day are the rule rather than the exception in Europe. I don't know what a professor in Nigeria earns, in Ghana it's much less. Why do young university graduates still seek management positions at universities instead? Young people should try to change the world and not to find a comfortable place to wait for retirement. Software engineers are in the good position to achieve both financial goals and a change of the society, only with their ideas and their practical work. E-learning has the potential to improve education in Africa and all over the world. We shouldn't wait for government action, I think we can improve the situation ourselves. What does a Nigerian lecturer hinder from using Moodle facilities provided by his/her IT department? It's very comfortable for him/her. Instead of speaking in front of hundreds of students in stuffy lecture halls s/he could sit in a nice beach ressort enjoying a cold Star and chatting relaxed with students in virtual classrooms. Ok, s/he is well-advised to move the bottle into a blind spot of the laptop's webcam, otherwise the students will be tempted to 'refresh' themselves too
. Joking aside, my experience is that learning and collaboration in virtual classrooms is very effective, timesaving and joyful for both students and lecturers. It should be quite easy to convince them. This could be a first step towards a comprehensive e-learning infrastructure at higher education institutions.Henrik
I advise you send this invitation to the members' individual e-mail address to create more awareness and ensure more participation.
Best wishes
Adejare