Prospects and Challenges to Promote E-Learning in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Ethiopian Higher Education

1
Prospects and Challenges to Promote E-Learning
in Developing Countries A Case Study of
Ethiopian Higher Education

• Berhanu Beyene
• Computer Science Department
• University of Hamburg
• October 2004

2
Introduction

• Background

• Education in Ethiopia At Crossroad
• ICT The last truck left
• E-Learning What is the problem to which
  e-learning is the solution

• Objective

• ICT and Education Think global act local
• E-Learning Opportunities vs. Challenges

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Why this Topic?
4
Education in Ethiopia

• Objectives
• Education for all
• Manpower Development
• Knowledge Creation
• Poverty Reduction - Ultimate goal

• Type of Education
• Traditional - Religion
• Non-Formal
• Formal
• Regular
• Distance and Open Learning
• Life-Long Learning (continuing)

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The Nonformal and Adult Education

• What is Nonformal Education
• Educational activity organized outside of the
  established formal system. There are no
  hierarchy, classrooms, registration, examination,
  etc.
• Role of Nonformal
• Socio-economic development
• Community Skill Training Center (CSTC)
• Indigenous Knowledge (Knowledge Creation)
• Basic (Adult) Education
• Education to All (ETA)
• Alternative to Formal education for children out
  of school

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The Regular Education System

• Primary School
• Secondary (Comprehensive)
• Technical and Vocational Education and Training
  (TVET)
• Tertiary (University/College)

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Regular Education and Training Program (Source
MOE, 1998)
World of Work
Higher Education
Higher general Education
general Education
Basic Education
8
Information Communication Technology (ICT) in
Ethiopia

• The Concepts ICT
• Information Knowledge
• Communication Exchange of information
• Technology Tool used to process, store,
  transmit information
• Diffusion
• As early as 1963
• UN- ECA, OAU
• Establishment of NICT-Center (State intervention
  )
• Breakthrough
• PCs and price of ICT
• Education and Training
• Application software
• Email, Internet

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ICT in Ethiopia leapfrogging

• Market
• Mainly service (manpower development, Networking,
  Internet, etc.)
• Software and Application Development (Font,
  Website, DB, etc.)

• Establishment of ICT-Development Authority
• Establish ICT infrastructure
• Design and maintain appropriate system to
  capture indigenous knowledge
• Facilitating and directing ICT use in the
  country
• and more

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Impact of ICT on Education and Culture

• Culture
• Awareness (Computer literacy)
• Readiness (and Capacity Building)
• Indigenous knowledge and Innovation
• Teaching / Learning
• Spread of ICT field of studies and Training
• Teaching / Learning Material (Presentation)
• Distance and Open Learning
• Learn Material Preparation
• Course Delivery

11
E-Learning Defintion

• What is E-Learning?

• INSTRUCTION -- CAI, CAE
• TRAINING (CBT, WBT, IBT, etc.)
• Interactive Learning system

• What is not E-Learning?
• Substitute traditional face-to-face education
  system
• A solution to all ills in the Education System
• Not a panacea for all ills

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E-Learning Metamorphosis

• E-Learning
• (Web-based interactive Learning)

?
Back home
2001
E-Learning
Merried with Commerce (?)
Globalization
WBT
1995
1990
CBT
Invisible
1980
CAE
Experimental
1960
CAI
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E-Learning Components

• Learning Management Systems (LMS)
• Student Registration (On-line)
• Course Management
• Collaboration
• Content Production and Management
• Authoring (Reduction) System
• Content Management System
• Delivery Management
• Synchronous
• Asynchronous
• Evaluation and Accreditation

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Learn Management System (LMS)
Administration Learning environment Authoring
User Courses Interface design
Courses Communication Learn Objects
Instructions Tools Assignments
Evaluation Personalization Tests
Repository Data Base
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LCMS The Concept

• Definition
• Tools to assure content quality
• Tools to deliver that content to the end
  consumers.
• Tools to manage communication among participants
  and administer their roles
• Principles
• Separation of
• Structure,
• content and
• Presentation
• Storage of Contents in a media-independent format
• Aim
• improved quality, fitting with the consumers need
  
• better (re)usability and
• reduced cost of production and management could
  be assured.

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LCMS Features
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LCMS Points to consider

• Software and hardware independence
• Support for distributed production
• Reusability
• Improving the quality of the e-learning product
  by
• Considering the end users during the whole life
  cycle,
• Taking into account the existing IT systems,
• Detailed requirements specifications, and
• Continuous evaluation

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LCMS Specification
Specifying the need for training
Training content and structure
Process-model
Process-modelling
Identifying and accumulating content
Content-matrix
Requirements specification
requirements analysis and classification
Require-ments validation
Finding available products
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LCMS Content Production with Ethiopic

• Points to Consider
• Multi-lingual (National and Local Languages)
• Non-Latin script Ethiopic (with over 450
  characters)
• Cultural values
• Metadata with Language Preference
• Learn Platform with choice of Preferred
  Language(s)
• Integrated Online Lexica

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The Prospects
(The) Internet has distinctive powers to
complement, reinforce, and enhance some of our
most effective traditional approaches to
university teaching and learning. We should
embrace those capacities, not resist them.
Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine

• General Premises
• Reduced Costs Education Technology
  ICT-Technology, i.e. Hardware, Software, etc.
• Accessibility (in quantity and quality and yet
  real time)
• Innovative and Collaborative Self-paced and
  Self-directed Learn System
• Distributed (Distance never hampers from
  learning)
• Global Influence on Education
• Global pressures for more education
• Exponential growth of knowledge
• Cost-effective education technology

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Prospects Factors

• Comparative Advantage of ICT-Supported Education

• Extenal Factors
• Technological (Global ICT)
• Political (The New order and Globalization
  system)
• Economical (Market Material Knowledge)

• Internal Factors
• Emanated from External Factors
• Policy Issues - ICT Capacity Building measures
• The Learning Society
• Awareness and Supporting Policy Issues
• Capacity Building and NITC

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General Agreement o Trade in Services (GATS)

• Liberalization of trade in services
• Education one of twelve service sectors
• Five levels of education services
• 21 of 44 countries committed to trade in HE
• Request/offer stage ends 30/03/03
• Negotiations close 31/01/05

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Education System at Cross-road
The Challenges
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Challenges Conceptual
We tend to under-estimate change in the longer
term and over-estimate it in the shorter term.
Gill Ringland 1998

• ICT
• Information
• Information Technology
• Communication Technology
• E-Learning
• Learning (Teaching)
• Training (WBT, CBT, IBT, etc.) in enterprises
• Instruction (CAI) Traditional System
• Technology Choice (depends on the concept)
• Motive Tension between two functions
• Assuring continuity (i.e. passing on what is
  known)
• Fostering creativity and change (i.e. propelling
  learners into the unknown)

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Forces Driving Change in HE

• Continuing growth in demand
• Increased recognition of the economic returns
• Expanding and shifting frontiers of knowledge
• Communications and information technology
• Economic globalisation and inter- nationalisation
  
• Democratic quest for cohesion, justice and
  equity in social arrangements

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Challenges The Technology

• Overall Management of E-Learning
• LMS
• CMS
• Platform

• Technical Skill
• Expertise beyond Computer Literacy
• Skill needed to develop or use tools Equipment
• Teaching/Learning Knowledge

• Infrastructure
• Delivery - Networking
• Technical Capabilities

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Challenges The Infrastructure

• Delivery
• Networking (LAN, WAN, MAN, Wireless, etc.)
• Mode
• Asynchronous
• Synchronous

• Technical Capabilities
• Connection Speed and Quality
• Computer Capability
• Power and Phone Services
• Internet Access

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Challenges Infrastructure Internet Access
At what cost?
Proprietors
ETCs HUB
Schools/End Consumers
InternationalTeleport
Source ETC, with little modification
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Challenges The Socio-Economical

• Investments and Incentives (ROI)
• Individuals
• Public
• Is learning rewarding?

• Coordination and Collaboration
• Policy Makers
• Teaching Body
• Learning Body

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Cultural and pedagogical relevance

• Can a global curriculum serve the needs of
  students in all countries?
• What adaptations need to be made?
• How does the level of Internet access affects the
  pedagogical process?
• What are the challenges facing locally based
  tutors?

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Challenges Culture

• Cultural beliefs about teaching and learning have
  some impact on the way the Program is taught
• Lack of experience and understanding of how
  traditional instruction interfaces with web based
  teaching materials

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Challenges Culture

• Recognition of the need for cultural adaptation
• Local tutors are important in helping to make
  resources pedagogically and culturally relevant
  
• Support for local tutors is vital in helping
  them to use and adapt global e-learning
  resources with students
• The variations in ease and cost of access to the
  Internet will affect the way programmes are used
  and taught

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Recommendations
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Recommendations
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Recommendations
36
Recommendations
37
Recommendations
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Summary and Conclusion

• E-Learning in Ethiopia

• The Prospects
• Global and Internal Factors
• Comparative Advantages
• The initiative ICT projects spearheaded by MCB
  insight a lot of promises to change this picture

• Challenges
• The poor states of Institutional capacity
  Infrastructure Info-structure and Human Resource
  have denied Ethiopia from benefiting by ICT
• Technological
• Socio-Economic
• Cultural (Public Awareness)

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Pilot Project Promoting E-Learning in
Ethiopian HE

• Objective
• Providing Multi-Lingual E-Learning Platform
• Support Traditional Teach/Learn system with ICT
• Promote Virtual Teach/Learn system
• Target Group
• Higher Education Society
• Those who are unable to join Higher Education
• Life-long Learning Society
• Implementation
• Prototyping
• Testing the Prototype
• Evaluation and Documentation

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References

• Bate2001 Bates, Tony Fundamentals of
  Educational Planning National strategic for
  e-learning in post-secondary education and
  training, UNESCO-IIEP, Paris
• BaPo2003 Bates, Tony and Gary Poole Effective
  Teaching with Technology in Higher Education
  Foundations for Success, Jonh Wiley Sons Inc.,
  USA
• Berh2003 Berhanu Beyene Project Proposal
  (Draft) -The Establishment of ICT-Center and
  Local Community Development Networks (LCDNs) for
  E-Learning and E-Healthcare in Ethiopia -
  Application for Japan Social Development Fund
  (JSDF)/Seed Fund
• EndFul2002 Enders, Jürgen and Oliver Fulton
  Higher Education in Globalising World
  International Trends and Mutual Observations, A
  Festschfift in Honour of Ulrich Teichler, Kluwer
  Academic Publishers, Dordrecht 2002
• Horton2000 Horton, William Designing
  Web-Based Training How to teach anyone anything
  anywhere anytime, John Wiley Inc., Totonto,
  2000
• Tekeste1996 Tekeste Nagash Rethinking
  Eduation in Ethiopia, Nordiska
  Afrikainstitutet, Uppsala 1996
• FDRE-MOE2002 The FDRE Ministry of Education
  (Revised Draft) Educaiton Sector Development
  Program II 2002/2003 2004/2005 (1995-1997
  EFY)Program Action Plan, Addis Ababa May 2002
  (unpublished document)

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• Discussion
• Comments
• Q A

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END
Thank you for your attention

• Contact
• e-mail beyene_at_informatik.uni-hamburg.de
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