Delivering Agricultural Training Programs Using ICTs : Reflections

1. Delivering Agricultural Training Programs Using ICTs: Reflections Ms NODUMO DHLAMINI Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda 16 October 2013

2. Outline of Presentation • RUFORUM ICKM Program & Theory of Change • 2007, 2009, 2011 & 2012 ICT Gap Analyses in the RUFORUM Network • Status of ICT Infrastructure in Africa • Voices on Potential Impact of ICT on agriculture & education • Why Agricultural Colleges / Faculties Must Be Innovative About Delivering Training • Options for Using ICTs • Key Recommendations

3. RUFORUM Information, Communication and Knowledge Management Program • Since 2009 • Objectives of the RUFORUM ICKM Program • Inspire Agricultural Faculties • Support the Secretariat • RUFORUM ICKM Prog important for realizing the RUFORUM Theory of Change: Quality Graduates, Quality Research and a Vibrant Network

4. 2007 Analysis of Existing ICT Infrastructure & Readiness for E-Learning in RUFORUM Universities • focused on 4 universities – MUK, LUANAR, UNZA and EMU • universities aware of the potential benefits of e-learning. E-learning initiatives driven by the availability of specific project funds. Limited technical infrastructure planning, limited supportive policy frameworks, limited on-going and institutional policy-driven re-tooling of academic staff.

5. 2009: ICT Situation Analysis of 25 RUFORUM Universities • 21 RUFORUM universities had campus backbones, 20 were active in National Research & Education Networks, 14 had ICT Policies in place and 15 had central ICT units to manage and monitor ICT projects. • Colleges of Agriculture were lagging behind in use of ICT for teaching, learning & research compared to others in the same university.

6. 2011: The E-Learning Maturity Analysis of 29 RUFORUM Universities • 17 had placed the rationale for e-learning within an explicit institutional plan, 13 had distinct e-learning policies compared to 6 in 2009 and 9 had specific e-learning units to implement e-learning. • However teaching content from the Colleges of Agriculture was almost negligible on institutional learning management systems.

7. 2012: Status of Sharing & Publishing of Agricultural Information & Knowledge • A review of 30 RUFORUM member universities revealed that 12 universities had institutional repositories (41%). • The repositories of the 12 universities contained very small percentages of agricultural information and knowledge • E.g. Makerere University Dspace Repository • 42 Theses shared by Agriculture • 220 Theses shared by CIT • 13 Theses shared by Veterinary Sciences

8. RUFORUM IR

9. ICT Infrastructure in Africa Will Soon Not be the problem • November 2012 - launch of the UbuntuNet network- high-speed Internet network connecting scientists & academics throughout ESA to peers in the region & to the pan-European GÉANT network, providing access to 40 million users in 8,000 institutions. • ITU statistics published in Feb 2013: Mobile-cellular penetration rates stand at 96% globally; 128% in developed countries; and 89% in developing countries.

10. How Bad is Africa’s Internet? Problem is the last mile / bridging the final gap Predicted that Africa will 'leapfrog' need to install hard-wired cables – to wireless 4G Solutions

11. BBC News June 2013 Ushahidi Universal Modem Launched • Backup generator to the Internet • Versatile • Ethernet, Wifi, and 3G or 4G mobile phone networks. • 8-hour battery • Accessible from anywhere

12. Global Voices on Potential Impact of ICT on agriculture & education • Studies done by the World Bank, UNESCO, USAID, ITU and others • World Bank ICT Source Book of November 2011 profiles a number of case studies where ICT has been used to improve smallholder agriculture • UNESCO (2013) policy guidelines for mobile learning to guide educational institutions integrate mobile technologies for teaching and learning.

13. Dialogue on E-learning in Africa SINCE 2006

14. Early Initiatives: e.g. African Virtual University: Since 1997

15. Why Agricultural Colleges / Faculties Must Be Innovative About Delivering Training • Volonnino (2010) confirms that online tools do facilitate increased opportunities for collaborative learning. E-learning has the potential to: • Improve access to quality education • Increase teaching content that is contextualized for African settings • Increase flexible access to learning, • Improve student centered learning solutions and • Improve monitoring, evaluation & quality assurance mechanisms for teaching and learning.

16. Why Agricultural Colleges / Faculties Must Be Innovative About Delivering Training • The Traditional Architecture for HE: No longer works • The Learning Revolution: Fundamental shift in knowledge creation; The Open Culture; Need for new skills • The New Architecture for HE: Digital Content Markets; Engaging the learners; Classrooms without walls; Adaptive university policies and systems; Shifting standards for measuring quality

17. (I) Options for Using ICTs to deliver agricultural training • Draft your materials in e-format and make them accessible to students via: • CD’s, • email • your blog • Create a LinkedIn/FB/Twitter discussion group to engage your students • Point your students to quality online resources • Integrate training in web/information literacy

18. (II) Options for Using ICTs to deliver agricultural training • Blended approach • Upload your teaching resources on the university Learning Management System • Find relevant existing OERs and integrate them • Use existing OCW, • Use Webinars, • Record your lectures for sharing later • Use online Survey Monkey to elicit feedback from students

19. (III) Options for Using ICTs to deliver agricultural training • Fully online – Learning Management System • Champion delivery of specific courses / modules fully online in collaboration with regional / international experts based elsewhere • Participate in an online course to understand what it means

20. Key Recommendations • Need to implement bold strategies for remaining relevant in the changing Agricultural Higher Education space • Encourage experimentation and innovation in the African Agricultural Higher Education ecosystem • Reflect on how the Agricultural Higher Education arena will look like in the next 50 years and whether we will we still be relevant • Establish partnerships for implementing e-learning / online learning: universities, technology companies and NRENs

21. References • http://www.elearning-africa.com/ • http://www.ubuntunet.net/fibre-map • http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2013.pdf • http://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/internet/how-bad-is-africas-internet • http://community.telecentre.org/profiles/blogs/modem-to-improve-african-net-access-launched-by-ushahidi • http://www.ictinagriculture.org/sites/ictinagriculture.org/files/final_book_ict_agriculture.pdf • http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002196/219641e.pdf • http://www.avu.org/ • Volonnino, D., (2010). 'Is e-Learning Inferior to Face-to-Face Instruction? ', Peace and Collaborative Development Network [blog]. 6 Dec, [online] Available at: http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/profiles/blog/show?id=780588%3ABlogPost%3A383658&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post, [Accessed on 8 March 2011], p.3.

22. Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)Plot 151 Garden Hill, Makerere University Main CampusP.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.Tel.: +256-414-535939Email: secretariat@ruforum.orgURL: http://www.ruforum.org