Anyone can build and export tables of data from over 100 African schools, from www.observatoiretic.org

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The PanAfrican Research Agenda on the Pedagogical Integration of ICTs

“Computers in Schools: Challenges and Responses”

Education is fundamental to the socio-economic development of any country, and moreso in Africa – this is a real challenge for Africa today that must urgently addressed.

Studies have shown that the pedagogical integration of ICTs can significantly improve the quality of educational outcomes.

There has been, until now, no rigorous scientific evidence of what is being done with computers in African schools.

Responses from PanAf:
•    Build this dataset on the uses of ICTs in schools across Africa
•    Share these (currently) 20,000 data points, 250,000 learners, 9,000 educators… in an open online Observatory www.observatoiretic.org
•    Improve the (methodological) capacity of the African researchers involved

The Results/Outcomes:
•    Preliminary results show that computers in African schools are largely NOT INTEGRATED AS PEDAGOGICAL TOOLS INTO CURRICULUM OTHER THAN COMPUTER CLASSES other subjects. (Computers are used to teach computer curriculum, rather than integrating them to improve learning/facilitate teaching, classroom/school management)
•    The purpose now, is to influence national policy (our researchers collaborate with education ministries… committees and policy dialogues); make changes to pedagogical practices (The PanAf network is for located in teacher-training institutions, members of the network now know…); and contribute to the global body of scientific knowledge on this subject, through scientific publication.

Pedagogical integration of ICTs will significantly improve teaching and learning in African education systems in the 21st century, PanAf’s purpose is to contribute to these changes through rigorous research.

The IDRC PanAfrican Research Agenda on the Pedagogical Integration of ICTs (PanAf) will be represented at the ARLF by education experts from the network’s national research teams and project managers from the Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA) and the Université de Montréal.  Among the forum’s objectives, these PanAf network representatives are particularly invested in learning from the experiences and outcomes of other Acacia initiatives and engaging in reflection on current and future ICT4D research priorities in Africa.

For those unfamiliar with PanAf’s work, the network is entering a second two-year phase of “ICTs in education” research, analysis and knowledge sharing.  All are invited to PanAf’s open-access Observatory database on ICTs in education in Africa and the network’s ICT4D in Africa news portal at www.panaf-edu.org.  Representatives of the PanAf network look forward to meeting and discussing with other ARLF participants in Dakar; the following text should serve as an introduction to our ongoing research.

Through IDRC’s Acacia program, the PanAf network’s mission is to contribute to the development of African countries and people by increasing knowledge on the pedagogical integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in African schools and education systems.  Greater knowledge of the realities of teaching and learning with ICTs in African education institutions will enhance the potential of ICTs for national and international socio‐economic development.  In today's globalized world, ICTs are not only a necessary tool for the learners within these institutions but also a compulsory skill for participation in a more just international knowledge society.

ICTs are increasingly present in African societies and have been introduced to varying degrees at all education levels from preschool to university and in both the formal and informal sectors.  They are also used to offer distance education to teachers and other adult learners.  However, in various education systems across Africa, ICTs are being taught as a completely separate discipline, while the integration of ICTs into pedagogical practices to improve the quality of teaching and learning across disciplines remains the exception.

PanAf’s research challenges can be summarized in three points:

• The depth of previous research on the pedagogical integration of ICTs in Africa does not reflect the demonstrated importance of the issue for social and economic development, nor to the level of material aid invested in ICT4D on the continent.
• Results of past studies have lacked a harmonized communication facility that supports the sustainability of project actions.
• African education researchers would benefit from methodological and dissemination capacity building.

The PanAf agenda addresses the three challenges above, in that it:

• Collects new school‐scale data, using mixed methodologies;
• Creates innovative opportunities for knowledge sharing; and
• Provides learning opportunities for those involved.

PanAf’s open-access Observatory:

• Voices “user‐scale” knowledge from African learners, educators, and institutions.
• Mixes “numbers with narratives”, for greater depth than aggregate national data.
• Creates an innovative shared professional space owned by African education researchers.

The twelve national partner research institutions that participated in PanAf Phase 1 are:

• School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa
• Département de Sciences de l'Education, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université de Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroun
• École Normale Supérieure, Brazzaville, Congo
• École Normale Supérieure, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
• School of Continuing and Distance Education, University of Nairobi, Kenya
• Département des Sciences de l'Éducation, Institut Supérieur de Formation et de Recherche Appliquée (ISFRA), Bamako, Mali
• Department of Evaluation and Research, National Institute for Education Development (INDE), Mozambique
• School of Adult Education and Communication Studies, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
• École Normale Supérieure, Bangui, République centrafricaine
• Faculté des Sciences et Technologies de l'Éducation et de la Formation (FASTEF), Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD), Dakar, Sénégal
• Science and Technology Department of the University of the Gambia, Banjul, The Gambia
• University College of Education, Winneba, Ghana

Research teams based at the above institutions update on a daily basis an unprecedented set of data for ICTs in Africa.  Currently the Observatory shares knowledge from:

• 117 African schools ‐ 71% of which are publicly funded, and 42% of which are secondary level institutions;
• 8 940 educators ‐ 84% of whom teach in publicly funded institutions, and 56% of whom teach in secondary institutions;
• 242 873 learners ‐ 90% of whom attend a publicly funded institution, 52% of whom attend secondary institutions.

This represents approximately 20 000 data‐points, for over 180 indicators (qualitative and quantitative, national and institutional scale) along 12 major themes (Policy, Access, Training, Use, Impact, Management, Gender, and Language…).

The main research question of PanAf Phase 2 (2009-2011) is “How, for whom and under what circumstances can the pedagogical integration of ICTs substantially improve the quality of teaching and learning at all levels and scales of African education systems?”

Through investment in researcher capacity building focused on scientific, practical and policy-focused communication skills, as well as additional field work and institutional partnerships, PanAf Phase 2 falls directly in line with IDRC’s mission of “Empowerment through Knowledge”, promoting interaction, cooperation and mutual learning through knowledge creation and adaptation.

Please do browse the indicators available on www.observatoiretic.org (users do not need a username/password to browse and export data tables using the site’s Advanced Search function).  We also invite your comments and questions here on www.acaciaforum.net, in person at the ARLF and at all times via info@observatoiretic.org

Thank you