Presentation at the GeSCI-PanAf Workshop on Research in ICT Education & Development e-Learning Africa, 26th May 2010, Mulungushi International Conference Centre, Lusaka, Zambia Issifu Yidana, Ph.D. University of Education, Winneba, Ghana To share original work, models and insights about ICT in Education research across Africa Faculty Perceptions of Technology Integration in a Teacher Education Curriculum: A Survey of Two Ghanaian Universities ---- Yidana(2007) In part, looked at how the following factors: • Faculty attitudes towards technology integration in a teacher education curriculum, • Faculty motivation and incentives for adoption of instructional technology, • Faculty perceived barriers and challenges to adoption of instructional technology, • Faculty perceived effects of instructional technology on pedagogy and students’ learning , and • Faculty perceptions of technology professional development needs relate, individually and in linear combination, to faculty use of instructional technology ? Model : Faculty use of instructional technology () = .05 attitudes + .25 motivation + .33 pedagogy + .29 barriers + .09 TPD needs ; ONLY motivation, pedagogy, and barriers & challenges perceptions were significant factors and these collectively accounted for 51% in the variance in faculty tech use for teaching and learning at 95% confidence level . Implications for Practice: • Focus on faculty technology needs and concerns to ensure successful implementation of their ICT programs (e.g. faculty participation in technology decision process, decentralizing technology training and workshops, plan for an on-going faculty technology development) • Motivate and encourage faculty by helping them to acquire technology equipment and increasing their access to technology resources such as the Internet. • Capitalize on the positive views of faculty members and diffuse the technology innovation for teaching and learning further into the practical implementation stages as suggested by Rogers’ (1995) Trialability Condition. • Target interpersonal communication channels and strive to reach many innovative faculty members in the diffusion efforts Yidana, I. (2007). Faculty perceptions of technology integration in the teacher education curriculum: A survey of two Ghanaian universities. Published Doctoral Dissertation, Ohio University, Athens, [available online from: OhioLINK ETD: www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?acc_num=ohiou1178570000] Pedagogical Paradigm Shift: Using Project-based Learning and Authentic Assessment in ICT Instructional Delivery ----- Yidana (2009) work still in progress • Majority (86%) of students reported they first used computers and allied technologies at the undergraduate level.
• Students enthusiastically embraced project-based learning and (87.6%) found authentic assessment to be fair and (89.2%) more transparent. • The post-course evaluation showed that students (99%) found the courses to be of great value, and (97.7%) that the courses increased their knowledge and competence in the field of ICT in Education. • Students (88.7%) strongly agreed that the varied and creative instructional strategies used engaged them effectively in the learning process. (N = 300) Implications for Practice: • Showed how potent the role of ICT is in transforming teaching and learning via PBL • A judicious use of ICTs in authentic ways will impact on the way academic programmes will be offered and delivered in the teacher education programmes in the future. • Motivate colleague teacher-educators to adopt the project-based learning and authentic assessment approaches in a low-mid technology-rich learning environments. Pedagogical integration of ICT_ERNWACA-PanAf Research Project: Phase 1 Ghana Report • General state of pedagogical integration of ICTs o State of pedagogical integration of ICTs in Ghana is low o Impact on Educators could not be established as very few teachers actually use ICT in their instruction o No examples of ICT-based productions by learners were obtained, because many schools still lack computer accessories and use obsolete computers (low speed and storage capacities) o limited impact was observed in educators and learners involved in department-based ICT courses (Math, Music, Arts, ICTE, ICT); FM Radio Lectures Investigating how academics use LMS to improve teaching and learning--- PHEA ETI Programme (latest UEW research project- ongoing) --- 2010 - 2012 Suggested Discussion Points: Why are African researchers underrepresented in scholarly writing, particularly on the subject of ICT in Education? • Late adoption of ICT in education in the continent (e.g. formal introduction of Computers in pre- tertiary schools and calculator use was introduced/allowed in Ghanaian SHS beginning 2007). Defects in curricular design: ICT not integrated into the curricula. Thus there is not much to investigate in terms of use, effects of specific applications, an overall impact of teaching and learning • Widespread inadequate ICT Integration skills and knowledge among majority of academics in Africa, limiting publication in ICT in education to few experts who mostly write from the North too. • General institutional culture/structures/mindsets (resistance to change and innovations), time constraints due to instructional overload, and inadequate support/incentives • Financial constraints to the conduct of large scale research.) • Difficulty to publish in highly-rated journals in the light of inadequate expertise in writing for publication; most researchers publish in local university journal, association journals and regional journals that are not read in the North
• Access to content of highly-rated journal out of reach of the general readership in Africa (library subscriptions to online/print journal is helping in most Universities now); ( those of us in PanAf, PHEA ETI, World Bank, UNESCO, COL and others’ programmes are just lucky to benefit from Prof. Karsenti and others.) How can we enhance the dialogue between African ICT in Education research, policy and education practice? • Encourage and mentor novice and potential ET researchers in Africa through collaboration with the more experienced researchers from the North such as what PanAf is currently doing on the continent; e. g. PanAf-ERNWACA Programme on pedagogical integration of ICTs, PHEA ETI Programme, but give southerners the voice in such discussions and collaborations • Support Southern ET researchers financially to conduct their research through commissioned projects and collaboration with experts from the North, in the short term • Holding regular stakeholders’ forums (give an opportunity for researchers to communicate ET research findings to policy/decision makers and educational managers/administrators) such as eLearning Africa Conferences on national and international scales. This will encourage stakeholders and development partners to continue to support ET research on the continent. What is an appropriate role for multi-sectoral partnerships in supporting development research? • Provide consultancy in ET research initiated by southern researchers • Provide funding for large scale and longitudinal ET research in the South • Involve all partners in ET research results dissemination through regular stakeholders’ forums • Make ET research literature available to Southern researchers as Prof. Karsenti and others have started doing; Southern researchers need to adapt NOT adopt these northern examples • Collaboration between North and South ET researchers should include the southern voices in what is relevant and workable in the South • Support ET researchers to be proactive in persuading policy/decision makers to apply ET research findings in development projects in authentic ways ET Research Focus Areas A Dephi Study in the USA from 2004-2005 came out with the following focus areas for ET research from 2005-2015, which I consider very relevant to those of us in the South as we in Africa begin to pedagogically integrate ICTs in the next decade: • Learning—examine the relationship of technology and how people learn including an investigation of the learning process, learner engagement, and contextual learning. • Teachers—develop models for preparing inservice and preservice teachers to be more effective users of technology. • Models/Strategies—develop technology-rich instructional models to support student learning in the classroom and in the online environment. • Assessment—develops appropriate methods and criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of technology-enhanced instruction, particularly for more complex learning tasks. • Schools—investigate changes in the classroom, teacher roles, and schools due to technology integration and determine how technology might best facilitate educational reform. • Social Issues—investigate factors influencing the digital divide and the effects of technology on social interaction and collaboration. (Pollard & Pollard, 2005)
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