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In cases where learners did not complete the program, reasons cited typically related to family and school circumstances, rather than problems or dissatisfaction with the program. Reasons commonly cited were conflicts with family vacation or school schedules, problems with severe winter weather conditions, safety concerns over sessions held after dark, and learners’ need to study during school exam periods. Exam times at school had a particularly strong effect on attendance in some countries. Many of these problems, including conflicts with school demands, were easily solved by changing scheduling or other implementation factors to fit local needs better. | | • Continuous supply of resources
• The Web page and its database necessary for follow-up
• The model used for online courses which adapts itself to a variety of themes
• The contribution of agents that have previous important experiences to the program like the universities
• The participation of national and provincial educational authorities, private foundations, universities and NGOs that share common objectives and goals and contribute with public legitimacy and positively affect the self-esteem of the participants
• The onsite and follow-up done by the partners
• The establishment of open communications that generates trust among the members of the different work teams to solve any problem that could arise | ICT projects in rural schools should not be hardware centred. The provision of computers with poor training and software provision has no impact at all.
Frequent visits to schools are mandatory. Teachers and students are anxious to show their progress and have on-site advice.
The farther the better. Remote schools tend to take more advantage of the opportunities than schools that are close to towns. This happens year after year.
Each school has its own learning pace. Not all schools should be pushed to be at the same stage of the project as some schools take longer to adopt what is being offered by the project.
Students tend to learn easier and faster than their teachers. It is recommended that students should have access to many different sub-projects, where no teacher participation is needed.
It is not a good idea for the schools to have a technology teacher or courses such as technology, computing, or systems. Computers, Internet and software are tools with which to better learn the traditional subjects like mathematics, social and natural sciences and languages, and therefore all teachers should be involved and trained.
Internet is slow and expensive for rural schools. Its use should be precise so that most of the students can have access to it. Good schools may turn into schools with poor results, especially when teachers are transferred. However, schools with poor results may raise their outcomes and results in a short time when their teachers are committed to the project.
The selection of the schools due to their proximity, infrastructure or special location is not a good idea. A public call for schools to become part of the project and then choose only those really interested is the best way.
To work in partnership is more difficult, as it takes longer to reach agreements and it is hard to harmonize different organizational and personal cultures and styles. However, the results are much better in the end. All members should be considered as owners of the project and therefore when good results are shown, all members should be recognized.
Visibility of the project is necessary. Therefore participation in ICT awards and contests is desirable. Research papers and newspaper articles are good ways to tell general public what the project is about and what impacts have been achieved. Permanent evaluation by an independent research centre or university is very important. Project leaders tend to lose objectivity.
Although the schedules have been defined, budgets have to be spent and goals have to be achieved, the word ‘flexibility’ has to be always in our minds.
A bottom-up approach to set realistic objectives and goals is a must.
The key word in a successful partnership project is ‘trust’. Permanent, accurate and trustworthy information must flow at all times. | 1: The costs of maintaining and repairing these old equipmenst are rising, these increasingly disrupt the teaching routine, and disappoint the students. A part of the difficulty of servicing these equipment is that these are brand machines. Locally assembled clone machines would be better suited for the CLCs.
2: Not having a slot scheduled during regular school hours results in having to force students to come early or stay after school, regular school hours results in having to force students to come early or stay after school, which is particularly difficult for female students. It forces students to give up time to other regular classes in the school to accommodate the school schedule. Having a regular slot will also allow better planning around holidays and school exams. 3. : Not a single school we visited managed to cover everything that was intended to be covered by the CLP course. The course should be scheduled for 40 hours and ideally, 48 hours, from the current 32 hours.
4. : Many schools are unable to find a contiguous two-hour segment for the students to use the computers. This is detrimental to the learning experience of the students. Necessary steps need to be identified to allow uninterrupted computer-time for the students.
5: Currently, the opportunities for students who have completed the course to
6. : Given the success of the CLP in introducing the students to the basics of the course, the same approach can be used to introduce students to more advanced topics, both on topics that are currently being addressed at a beginner's level, and new topics, including an introduction to the Internet.
7: While the request for a higher honorarium is valid from the teachers' point of view, it is also a reality that the CLCs are run within certain budgetary constraints that make it difficult to honour this request. D.Net should discuss this issue with teachers and head teachers to see if other sources of funding can be arranged for this purpose to augment funding from D.Net, considering utilising the CLCs for revenue generating ancillary services by making them available to the public.
8. This has been recommended by some of the teachers. Teachers can also be taught some additional material with each refresher training.
9: Students have responded to the CLP course with a level of enthusiasm and immersion that is not like their responses to other subjects. Computers can be leveraged as a preferred tool of learning to teach the students mathematics and science to start with, expanding to other topics with time. |
- In cases where learners did not complete the program, reasons cited typically related to family and school circumstances, rather than problems or dissatisfaction with the program. Reasons commonly cited were conflicts with family vacation or school schedules, problems with severe winter weather conditions, safety concerns over sessions held after dark, and learners’ need to study during school exam periods. Exam times at school had a particularly strong effect on attendance in some countries. Many of these problems, including conflicts with school demands, were easily solved by changing scheduling or other implementation factors to fit local needs better.
- From the perspective of both program staff and independent evaluators, learners are achieving the goals of the program. In particular, learners are gaining technical skills and learning to work with their peers, and they are also developing the ability to plan and design projects, and to solve problems. Intel Learn is also making a difference for staff, who are delivering the curriculum via a student-centered approach instead of relying on more traditional teaching methods.
- Three areas of program practice stand out in particular as worthy of additional attention:
- Translation and localization. Recommendations from staff who work with the curriculum in classrooms would be a useful resource for future revisions in local materials.
- Staff training and support. Staff would benefit from additional training, pedagogical support, and opportunities to collaborate in the form of user-groups or other online forums.
- Learner outreach. Continuing to reach out to the most underserved populations will ensure the program is reaching those who need it most.
| In cases where learners did not complete the program, reasons cited typically related to family and school circumstances, rather than problems or dissatisfaction with the program. Reasons commonly cited were conflicts with family vacation or school schedules, problems with severe winter weather conditions, safety concerns over sessions held after dark, and learners’ need to study during school exam periods. Exam times at school had a particularly strong effect on attendance in some countries. Many of these problems, including conflicts with school demands, were easily solved by changing scheduling or other implementation factors to fit local needs better.
From the perspective of both program staff and independent evaluators, learners are achieving the goals of the program. In particular, learners are gaining technical skills and learning to work with their peers, and they are also developing the ability to plan and design projects, and to solve problems. Intel Learn is also making a difference for staff, who are delivering the curriculum via a student-centered approach instead of relying on more traditional teaching methods.
Three areas of program practice stand out in particular as worthy of additional attention:
1) Translation and localization. Recommendations from staff who work with the curriculum in classrooms would be a useful resource for future revisions in local materials.
2) Staff training and support. Staff would benefit from additional training, pedagogical support, and opportunities to collaborate in the form of user-groups or other online forums.
3) Learner outreach. Continuing to reach out to the most underserved populations will ensure the program is reaching those who need it most. | In cases where learners did not complete the program, reasons cited typically related to family and school circumstances, rather than problems or dissatisfaction with the program. Reasons commonly cited were conflicts with family vacation or school schedules, problems with severe winter weather conditions, safety concerns over sessions held after dark, and learners’ need to study during school exam periods. Exam times at school had a particularly strong effect on attendance in some countries. Many of these problems, including conflicts with school demands, were easily solved by changing scheduling or other implementation factors to fit local needs better.
From the perspective of both program staff and independent evaluators, learners are achieving the goals of the program. In particular, learners are gaining technical skills and learning to work with their peers, and they are also developing the ability to plan and design projects, and to solve problems. Intel Learn is also making a difference for staff, who are delivering the curriculum via a student-centered approach instead of relying on more traditional teaching methods.
Three areas of program practice stand out in particular as worthy of additional attention:
- Translation and localization. Recommendations from staff who work with the curriculum in classrooms would be a useful resource for future revisions in local materials.
- Staff training and support. Staff would benefit from additional training, pedagogical support, and opportunities to collaborate in the form of user-groups or other online forums.
- Learner outreach. Continuing to reach out to the most underserved populations will ensure the program is reaching those who need it most.
| In cases where learners did not complete the program, reasons cited typically related to family and school circumstances, rather than problems or dissatisfaction with the program. Reasons commonly cited were conflicts with family vacation or school schedules, problems with severe winter weather conditions, safety concerns over sessions held after dark, and learners’ need to study during school exam periods. Exam times at school had a particularly strong effect on attendance in some countries. Many of these problems, including conflicts with school demands, were easily solved by changing scheduling or other implementation factors to fit local needs better.
From the perspective of both program staff and independent evaluators, learners are achieving the goals of the program. In particular, learners are gaining technical skills and learning to work with their peers, and they are also developing the ability to plan and design projects, and to solve problems. Intel Learn is also making a difference for staff, who are delivering the curriculum via a student-centered approach instead of relying on more traditional teaching methods.
Thee areas of program practice stand out in particular as worthy of additional attention:
1) Translation and localization. Recommendations from staff who work with the curriculum in classrooms would be a useful resource for future revisions in local materials.
2) Staff training and support. Staff would benefit from additional training, pedagogical support, and opportunities to collaborate in the form of user-groups or other online forums.
3) Learner outreach. Continuing to reach out to the most underserved populations will ensure the program is reaching those who need it most.
| In cases where learners did not complete the program, reasons cited typically related to family and school circumstances, rather than problems or dissatisfaction with the program. Reasons commonly cited were conflicts with family vacation or school schedules, problems with severe winter weather conditions, safety concerns over sessions held after dark, and learners’ need to study during school exam periods. Exam times at school had a particularly strong effect on attendance in some countries. Many of these problems, including conflicts with school demands, were easily solved by changing scheduling or other implementation factors to fit local needs better.
From the perspective of both program staff and independent evaluators, learners are achieving the goals of the program. In particular, learners are gaining technical skills and learning to work with their peers, and they are also developing the ability to plan and design projects, and to solve problems. Intel Learn is also making a difference for staff, who are delivering the curriculum via a student-centered approach instead of relying on more traditional teaching methods.
Three areas of program practice stand out in particular as worthy of additional attention:
1) Translation and localization. Recommendations from staff who work with the curriculum in classrooms would be a useful resource for future revisions in local materials.
2) Staff training and support. Staff would benefit from additional training, pedagogical support, and opportunities to collaborate in the form of user-groups or other online forums.
3) Learner outreach. Continuing to reach out to the most underserved populations will ensure the program is reaching those who need it most. | In cases where learners did not complete the program, reasons cited typically related to family and school circumstances, rather than problems or dissatisfaction with the program. Reasons commonly cited were conflicts with family vacation or school schedules, problems with severe winter weather conditions, safety concerns over sessions held after dark, and learners’ need to study during school exam periods. Exam times at school had a particularly strong effect on attendance in some countries. Many of these problems, including conflicts with school demands, were easily solved by changing scheduling or other implementation factors to fit local needs better.
From the perspective of both program staff and independent evaluators, learners are achieving the goals of the program. In particular, learners are gaining technical skills and learning to work with their peers, and they are also developing the ability to plan and design projects, and to solve problems. Intel Learn is also making a difference for staff, who are delivering the curriculum via a student-centered approach instead of relying on more traditional teaching methods.
Three areas of program practice stand out in particular as worthy of additional attention:
1) Translation and localization. Recommendations from staff who work with the curriculum in classrooms would be a useful resource for future revisions in local materials.
2) Staff training and support. Staff would benefit from additional training, pedagogical support, and opportunities to collaborate in the form of user-groups or other online forums.
3) Learner outreach. Continuing to reach out to the most underserved populations will ensure the program is reaching those who need it most.
| In cases where learners did not complete the program, reasons cited typically related to family and school circumstances, rather than problems or dissatisfaction with the program. Reasons commonly cited were conflicts with family vacation or school schedules, problems with severe winter weather conditions, safety concerns over sessions held after dark, and learners’ need to study during school exam periods. Exam times at school had a particularly strong effect on attendance in some countries. Many of these problems, including conflicts with school demands, were easily solved by changing scheduling or other implementation factors to fit local needs better.
From the perspective of both program staff and independent evaluators, learners are achieving the goals of the program. In particular, learners are gaining technical skills and learning to work with their peers, and they are also developing the ability to plan and design projects, and to solve problems. Intel Learn is also making a difference for staff, who are delivering the curriculum via a student-centered approach instead of relying on more traditional teaching methods.
Three areas of program practice stand out in particular as worthy of additional attention:
1) Translation and localization. Recommendations from staff who work with the curriculum in classrooms would be a useful resource for future revisions in local materials.
2) Staff training and support. Staff would benefit from additional training, pedagogical support, and opportunities to collaborate in the form of user-groups or other online forums.
3) Learner outreach. Continuing to reach out to the most underserved populations will ensure the program is reaching those who need it most.
| | | Research yielded a framework for understanding youth empowered with technology, developed research questions and a methodology to conduct international research on this topic. Several articles were written, presentations at national and international conferences on Digital Youth in the Global Economy. The Ryberg based his dissertation (Patchworking as a metaphor for learning - Understanding youth, learning and technology) on the power users research and identified a new way youth are constructing knowledge. The international research team continues to seek funding to further research activities related to this topic. | 1. Attractive governmental, social and geo-strategic condition. In order to attract global partners (both private sector and international donors) the macro-conditions must be favorable.
Countries will find it difficult to succeed with this type of initiative if the following conditions are not in place:
Well-respected, transparent and effective government system
Demonstrated willingness to undertake reform initiatives within relevant sector (e.g., education)
Strategic importance of country to international community
Perceived accessibility and openness of culture, society and economy to global partnerships
Sufficient local private sector capacity to actively partner with global organisations
2. Clear vision and objectives, powerfully articulated in appropriate forums It is important to define a vision that indicates tangible objectives and outputs and shows clear benefit for country and the potential for regional/global expansion. Visible leadership by 1-2 high profile champions from the public and private sector is critical to kickstart the initiative and attract partners. International organisations and forums (such as the World Economic Forum) can provide a platform to communicate the vision and a focal point for ongoing activities. 3. Motivated partners, whose interests are aligned with initiative, providing sufficient inputThe initiative must tap into interests of partners from multiple sectors to produce sustained engagement. It is important to understand and
articulate a clear rationale or “case” for involvement (which may be very different across partners). It is also important to clearly communicate requirements and benefits to avoid unrealistic expectations and misunderstandings further down the road. Within the private sector, the most
sustained commitments come from partners with mature and well-defined corporate social investment strategies, aligned with long term commercial interests. International donors and local governments will engage when they perceive a clear fit with existing reform agendas; their input is essential to fund gaps where the private sector does not engage. When selecting local partners, over-communication is necessary to ensure that the appropriate local firms have the opportunity to engage – although formal government tendering processes can cause undue delay. 6. Consistent monitoring and evaluation Processes are required to monitor the initative’s inputs, outputs and outcomes and to enable action when necessitated by results.
• For inputs, the nature and level of contributions from each partners should be actively monitored and communicated, with inactive partners
removed periodically, in order to highlight and incentivize major contributions, clarify roles of each partner, and maintain strength of the
initiative’s brand.
• For outputs, a limited number of performance indicators should be established to communicate progress with partners and identify bottlenecks.
• For outcomes, evaluation frameworks and processed should be designed in conjunction with outside experts from the start, and integrated into
program development where necessary. | "Communications are an issue of concern. The effectiveness of communication between SQA and vendors, SQA and lead centres, and within SQA have all been questioned by the evaluation. And project monitoring and reporting for DIVA is weak, creating difficulties in communicating its success. This evaluation makes six recommendations for the future of the project:
1. There is a strong rationale for continued investment by SQA.
2. There should be strategic recognition within SQA of the benefits of the project, its potential to be transferred to other areas, and to drive the project forward.
3. Project management for DIVA should be strengthened, most appropriately through a dedicated project manager’s post.
4. Weaknesses in communications should be addressed by the project manager.
5. A number of options should be considered to improve the cascading of DIVA’s products throughout the Scottish education sector, building on the strengths of the most effective partnerships, and addressing the weakness of others.
6. A system of clear monitoring and reporting should be developed and implemented, so that DIVA’s success can be measured and communicated."
| n/a | "Like many other CEF programmes, Kenya faces acute challenges including:
- The need for more resources to step up monitoring and evaluation.
- The need for more qualified staff.
- The need to further intensify capacity building of partners with regard to financial management, participatory research and gender mainstreaming and empowerment.
- The need to engage with the private sector to make the programme more financially sustainable.
- The need to engage better with government so CEF activities are recognised as national issues not just one off projects. - Community involvement and participation in management of education is a critical area that has to be nurtured and sustained if EFA objectives are to be achieved.
- Forming and nurturing the necessary partnerships require dedication and patience.
- The transfer from research to advocacy to beneficial change is something that many of the MTRs identify as a significant challenge." | n/a | "1)The need to improve communication with coalition members, improve budgeting accuracy, reduce administrative bottlenecks and mainstream gender.
2)Programme challenges included bureaucracy, frequent change of government personnel, difficulty in accessing more remote communities, the socio-economic issues, and socio-cultural practice affecting women's participation.
3) CEF drew up initial Ethical Guidelines for fundraising & corporate engagement, restricting donations from certain companies/industries. In addition, CEF considered individual cases as they arose to avoid inappropriate donations.
4) A significant investment of staff time is needed to build cross-sectoral relationships, carefully identifying areas of mutual interest and benefit. CEF staff were not initially recruited for work with the corporate sector and did not necessarily have an understanding of how businesses operate.
5) CEF lacked the time and resources to play the sustained facilitation role necessary to cultivate lasting interaction between governments, civil society and the private sector around improving national education systems. Other organisations could take up efforts to effect a tripartite dialogue on education." | "1) When the CEF was initiated Ethical Guidelines for fundraising practice and corporate engagement were drawn up, restricting CEF from accepting donations from certain companies or industries. In addition, CEF considered individual cases as they arose to avoid inappropriate donations.
2) A significant investment of staff time is needed to build cross-sectoral relationships, carefully identifying areas of mutual interest and benefit. For their part, CEF staff were not initially recruited for work with the corporate sector and did not necessarily have an understanding of how businesses operate.
3) Given CEF's limited time and resources it was constrained from playing the type of sustained facilitation role that has been identified as necessary to cultivate lasting interaction around improving national education systems using collaboration between governments, civil society and the private sector. But this role, whilst difficult, is not impossible and other organisations/networks in a better position to play such a facilitation role could take up efforts to effect a tripartite dialogue on education." | "1)The Tanzanian research indicated that businesses would not engage in CSR without a reasonable prospect of benefit or reduced risk. 2)Tanzania scoping study found, corporations are cautious about engaging in policy debate and generally engage with government through business associations on issues that directly affect their business. The challenge for the CEF is about ‘packaging’ advocacy but also raising awareness of NGO work and values, particularly around advocacy work which is often seen as ‘political’." | "1)The Tanzanian research indicated that businesses would not engage in CSR without a reasonable prospect of benefit or reduced risk. 2)Tanzania scoping study found, corporations are cautious about engaging in policy debate and generally engage with government through business associations on issues that directly affect their business. The challenge for the CEF is about ‘packaging’ advocacy but also raising awareness of NGO work and values, particularly around advocacy work which is often seen as ‘political’." | The trial was mainly a technology & Education test, and during it a number localization and development ideas were validated. For one, we found that the use of open and standards-based software for core components dramatically cut down our development time. Furthermore, we showed that designing the software on-site, where we could collect feedback and ideas from our users, resulted in much more user-friendly software. Further to this how to use HW & SW in calsses to create new content and innovative way for teachers to teach. Bring to children digital library's and allow them access to much vaster amount of content. | The trial was mainly a technology test, and during it a number of our design and development ideas were validated. For one, we found that the use of open and standards-based software for core components dramatically cut down our development time. Furthermore, we showed that designing the software on-site, where we could collect feedback and ideas from our users, resulted in much more user-friendly software. | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | Although the number of teachers and students reached through Project Shiksha is large compared with other ICT skills training initiatives in India, Microsoft recognizes that to empower India's teachers and prepare students with the skills for life in the modern workplace, three things need to happen:
ICT training must become an intagral part of the curriculum in India's teacher training system
Teachers need to learn to share their skills and expertise with other teachers and provide mentorship and support for integrating technology into teaching and learning
Principals and school administrators must have an opportunity to learn about ICT firsthand and to understand and discuss with their peers the kinds of technical and analysis skills students need as they prepare for work and life | The project is still in the initiation phase and so far the process is proceeding smoothly | n/a | "Problems in the partnership have arisen in the following circumstances:
• When changes in the focal points within some of the partner organisations have taken place prompting the co-ordination team to take extra effort to keep partners informed and on board with the initiative.
• The terms of the initial agreement between ODF and Wal-Mart were not very detailed. These have allowed for divergences of opinion on specific items and activities. More strict and detailed reporting has been needed to make sure that the main partners and contributors stay involved.
• Roles and contributions of some of the implementing partners were not thoroughly specified from the beginning. More solid and detailed partnership agreements would have helped resolve differences among the partners, and experience in the project has helped dictate clearer terms for the benefit of all partners." |
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