Merryl FordCSIR Meraka Institute

Learn

Designing and Implementing a Large-scale E-Textbook Initiative in Rural South Africa

Benita WilliamsFeedback Research & Analytics

Cofimvaba Rural Education Intervention

Key objective To create a platform to enable widespread

participation and collaboration between multiple stakeholders (private, public, academic, civil society, community) to

implement a large Technology for Education Demonstrator in the Cofimvaba rural school district that has the buy-in of key stakeholders and

has demonstrable impact on education and quality of life in the region

Focus Areas• Health

• Nutrition

• Water & Sanitation

• Renewable energy

• Science and Technology Centre

• Teacher and Learner support

• ICT for Rural Education Development (ICT4RED)

Cofimvaba Rural Education Intervention

Aim

1. Design systemic and sustainable approaches and models to provide access to digital content by learners at poor and marginalized rural schools in South Africa;

2. Design, develop, test and improve new and evolving educational technologies, mobile devices, platforms and pedagogies that support the use of digital content for rural school environments;

3. Measure the effect on the 21st skills of learners; and4. Use the evidence from the research within this context to inform

policy in an integrated and coherent manner.

Objectives

To investigate the viability of providing electronic textbooks and other

educational digital content resources to 26 schools in the

Nciba Circuit of the Cofimvaba School District. This learning will enable recommendations and models towards scaling these to other areas in the District, Province and on a national basis.

Recipe for Success

Project Scope• Provide tablets to teachers, learners and district officials at 26 Nciba

Circuit schools, within the Cofimvaba School District• 6 500 learners, 350 teachers, 16 district officials• Test various models, in terms of

Devices (tablets) Content Infrastructure Connectivity Integration into the school Costs (TCO) Sustainability Logistics Support & Maintenance Operations Change Management Teacher training

in order to improve learner educational performance in the circuit• In parallel with existing paper-based textbooks• CSIR Meraka will have overall Project Management responsibility

Improved EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES

Learner Achievement

Employability Skills &

Competencies

ADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE

BuildingsSanitation Electricity

Water

Access to ICTs

HOME ENVIRONMENT

HealthNutrition

TransportationSocio-economic circumstances

“Basic Enablers” - Creating the required pre-conditions for learning

Cofimvaba Priority Focus eTextbook

ICT to support

teaching and Learning

Support for a 21st Century

School Environment

Support for informed and “smart” ICT

decision-making

TEACHERS AND

SCHOOL

LEARNERS AND HOME

GOVERNMENT AND

POLICY

Access to ICTs

21st Century Skills &

Competencies

FUNCTIONALSCHOOL

ENVIRONMENT

Competent Management & Leadership

Competent Educators

Informed parents

AIM: 21st Century SchoolingAIM: 21st Century Schooling

SUPPORT FOR ACCESS TO DIGITAL CONTENT

Amended Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Conceptual Framework (Projects for the use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education, 2010)

ICT4RED Framework

FINAL GOAL: IMPROVING LEARNING OUTCOMES

EM

ER

GIN

G

INPUTS PROCESSES & PRODUCTS DEVELOPMENT STAGESIMPACT

BASELINE MONITORING FINAL EVALUATIONSUPPORTING

INT

EG

RA

TIN

G

AP

PLY

ING

TR

AN

SF

OR

MIN

G

INTERMEDIATE FINAL

INFRA-STRUCTURE

CONTENT

HUMAN RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT

POLICY

Physical EquipmentConnectivitySupport & Maintenance

ICT CurriculumDigital resourcesPlatforms, Applications & Services

Teacher trainingICT competenciesUse of ICT for educationPedagogical support

AdministrationInformation DisseminationCommunity involvementSGB involvement

PlanningBudgetCommunicationLegal frameworkIncentives

AmenitiesICT layout and Tech specsImplementation processHelp Desk

Curriculum DevelopmentLearning OrganisationResources availabilityAccess and Use

Teacher performance and pedagogical supportICT experienceModels for educational useSupport systems

School organisationManagement SystemsSystems useCommunity attitudes and expectationsNational PlansBudget AllocationVisibility and priorityLegal initiativesIncentive programmes

Pedagogical practicesInformal support systemsLearner practices

EnrolmentPromotionRetentionAttitudesExpectations

PRACTICES

LEARNERINVOLVEMENT

1

2

Test Scores (Curriculum Assessment)

3LEARNERACHIEVEMENT

Critical thinkingProblem ResolutionCommunicationCollaborationCreativityICT confidence

421st CENTURY SKILLS &COMPETENCIES

Contextual PracticalTechnicalEntrepreneurship

5EMPLOYABILITYSKILLS &COMPETENCIES

CONTEXT

Poverty indicatorsLocal conditionsCommunity profileDevelopment potentialLocal government initiatives

Local PlansBudget AllocationDevelopment programmesLocal community initiativesCommunity collaboration

21st Century Schooling

Learning and Teaching Support Material

consisting of interactive multimedia learning

resources

LEARNERS & HOME

TEACHERS & SCHOOL

GOVERNMENT & POLICY

SCHOOL ICT ARCHITECTUREDevices

Wireless LANStorage and Power

CHANGE MANAGEMENTPeople (District, SMT)

TechnologyProcess

CONTENTStandardsConversion

Creation & Customisation

TEACHER DEVELOPMENTTraining

PreparationIn the classroom

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENTLogistics

Support & MaintenanceDistribution

Programme Management

RESEARCHMasters & PhD Technology R&D

ICT4E R&D

Learning and Teaching Support Material

consisting of paper-based textbooks,

workbooks & readers

NOW

NETWORKWiFi Mesh

Backbone connectivityInternet

MONITORING & EVALUATIONLearnersTeachersSchool

“12 Component Model”

KNOWLEDGE SHARINGMarketing strategy

Social Media StrategyKnowledge management

Replicable Model

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTLearners & Parents

TeachersCommunity

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENTDistrict/Circuit officials

Local leadershipProvincial

PROJECT MANAGEMENTFinancial Management

ProcurementImplementation management

Principles

Minimal school

disruption

Open Standards

Pragmatism

Inclusivity

TransparencyDevelop

local capacity

Sustainability

Local suppliers

Implementation Process – 2013/14/15STEP 1:

Meeting with District OfficialsExplain and get buy-in for project

STEP 2:Meeting with Principals and Deputies – 12 Schools

Explain and get buy-in for projectChange management - how to manage technology in a school

Homework

STEP 3AWorkshop with District OfficialsHand out tablets to each attendee

Course(s) on how to support tablets in schools

STEP 3BTeacher trainingTablet per teacher

“Learn to Earn” Model

STEP 4AMobiKits to Schools

According to size of schoolShared tablets in the classroom

STEP 5Tablets to learnersAs per Grade model

School ready?

School ready?

STEP 4BSchool Infrastructure Installation

School WifiLink to WAN cluster

Content serverCharging stations

STEP 5BSchool Operational Management

Operational support systemTechnical support Teacher support

10 Modules:How to teach with tablets

Change Management:Integrating technology

into a school

Homework completed?

STEP 6Expansion to new schools

All schools complete?

STEP 7Handover

Project complete?

Integration of lessons learned:Implementation models

Operational Management models

BLUEPRINTINFRASTRUCTURE

Jan 2015 Mar 2015

New technology Solutions MobiCHARGE – Solar/Wind/other charging station for schools (phones/laptops/tablets/netbooks)

MobiKIT – shared, portable phones /laptops /tablets /netbooks kit to be used as a resource in the classroom.

MobiHUB – Mobile "green-powered" WiFi meshdevice/Access Point to create a localised wireless mesh network in a school linked to a digital content repository – Providing local access to content – eTextbooks, apps, videos, games, etc.

Training

Change Management

SMT

Educational Training

Educators

Support

Technical

Local youngsters

Teacher support

Pedagogical

Content

Foundation

Numeracy, Literacy & EFAL

Gr 4 - 12

Maths, Science & EFAL

Devices

Educator Device

10” Android

Learner Device

Shared: 10” tablet (R-3)1 to 1: 7/8” tablet (4-12)

Infrastructure

School Content server

Accessible via Wifi

Storage & Charging

Lockers + battery backup

Solar Power

Where needed

Wifi

Local to the school

Model per School

Local Capacity Development• Change Management in Schools

• Partnering with change management experts• Management perspective on “How to integrate ICTs into

schools” • Principal, Vice-Principal, designated ICT champion

• Change Management in the District• How to support schools wrt “How to integrate ICTs into schools”

• Operational Management / Support & Maintenance• First line technical support and management from young

entrepreneurs/technicians from the area (similar to Village Operator model)

• Partnering with a company already active in Cofimvaba re training of first line technical support

• Teacher Training• How to TEACH with the technology

ICT4RED

Teacher Training - “Learn to Earn” model • Tested with teachers at Arthur Mfebe Senior Secondary School

• How to TEACH with tablets – unique opportunity to model advanced pedagogy by the way the training takes place

• Focus on EMPOWERING the teachers

• Small, focused 3 hour sessions, 2pm – 5pm, every 3 weeks

• Attendance compulsory

• Homework after every lesson – reflection before every lesson

• If homework is completed, you get a small incentive (earphones, SD card, screen protector, tablet cover, keyboard, airtime, USB speakers, etc, etc)

ICT4RED

“Learn to Earn” model – preliminary results• Teachers actively using tablets at school

(although mostly as phones and cameras)

• Most teachers bought attractive covers for their tablets

• Teachers using advanced pedagogy to help put together a strategy for tablets at their school (used Jigsaw method that was used to teach them during one of the training sessions)

• Teachers using tablets to video CAPS courses to share with those who couldn’t attend

• Examples of teachers lending tablets to learners so that learners can do research

• Very little absenteeism

• Courses start early and end late (on request from teachers

• Matric pass rate improved from 41.7% to 77.8%

ICT4RED

KEY LEARNING POINTS

© CSIR 2011

Key Learning Points

• Research, M&E, Knowledge Management , M&E stream – Set up with the necessary research capacity to experiment and

document learning.– Used communication strategies such as a high-level launch, frequent

meetings with a steering committee, and continued communication to school stakeholders on the progress and success.

– Developmental Evaluation as guiding evaluation approach since the project is subject to complexity and likely to continuously evolve

– M&E purposes: monitoring AND evaluation AND capturing of quick learning, AND model development

– M&E considered: Ethnographic observation, Measuring contextual variables such as school functionality, Content review, Heuristics Evaluation, Fidelity monitoring, Cost Analysis, Experimental design, Quasi-experimental design comparative analysis

© CSIR 2011 www.csir.co.za

Key Learning Points

• Teacher Professional development – The teacher professional development was deliberately targeted to the

needs of the teachers and the school managers in their anticipated roles as facilitators of the technology use in the school.

– They were trained on content, process and management and were required to demonstrate their assimilation of the learning as part of the training process

– Initial round of teacher professional development consisted of • Three modules for initial preparation and personal basic skills• One module for consolidation and transition• Five modules on how to use the technology to teach• One Module to consolidate and finalise a portfolio of evidence

– Advanced training, and training for district officials also considered– Establishment of professional learning communities and communities of

practice likely to be key for sustainability long term

Key Learning Points• Content & Curriculum-integration Integrating ICTs into teaching

and learning – The project was designed as a total solution. It aimed to find solutions to

potential challenges such as involving teachers, managers and learners, developing school policies, charging the tablets safely, technical support and human resource capacity constraints.

– Technology was in the background – Focus on how the teaching and learning environment and practice can be enhanced (also using technology)

– The project did not prescribe only one content solution, but made a range of content options available for use in the project, which meant that the resources spent to implement the project are likely to have had an impact on the teaching and learning of all learning areas – not only maths and science.

– Extensive mapping of the available content done in order to identify gaps and prioritise further development.

Key Learning Points• Connectivity and infrastructure & technology

– School architecture: Electricity supply and reticulation, storage and charging of devices, distributed content server, wifi zone, data reticulation, physical security, logical security, user data storage, access to content on devices, peer-to-peer communication

– Networking: Internet peering, last mile access, data centre, hosting, filtering and spamming, intrusion detection, user authentication, VPN connectivity, remote access

– Devices: affordability, ruggedness, form factor, colour, ability to read in the dark / bright light, interactivity, multimedia support, wifi, 3G and other wireless support, removable storage, standards support, lock in possibility

– Monitoring and Management Solutions: Learning Management system, User Management System, User authentication, integration with School Administration Systems

– Operational management: Policies, processes, services catalogue, communication channels, tiered support services

Key Learning Points• Project Management

– Championed from the highest government level. – It was able to muster initial buy-in and continued support from teachers in

the school. – It was deliberately designed to start small, and then grow as milestones

were achieved. – It has made both significant financial and human resource investments to

ensure that the project runs properly. Technical experts together with strong project management have been deployed to ensure that the equipment and infrastructure can be optimally used.

• The project did not only carefully track the roll-out of educational content, school infrastructure and networking, but also paid careful attention to issues of change management, pedagogy, research, operations management, knowledge sharing, and monitoring and evaluation.

© CSIR 2011 www.csir.co.za

Thank you