NATIONAL VET FORUM 10-11th Dec, · PDF file•Electronic/blended learning Uganda Martyrs...

Combating Youth Unemployment through VET

Dr. Edephonce Ngemera Nfuka, Director, Institute of Educational and Management Technologies,

Open University of Tanzania (OUT)

ICT and Open Distance Learning Arrangements: Suitability and Practicability in Addressing Equitable Access to VET

NATIONAL VET FORUM 10-11th Dec, 2014

Institute of Educational and Management Technologies, OUT

Open University of Tanzania (OUT) in Nutshell • ODL based Institution • 29 Coordination & Regional

Centres - in & outside Tanzania • Programs - Certificates to PhDs • Over 40,000 active students • Recent yearly enroll/grads -

about 11,000/3,800 • Over 30 PCs Labs/Wireless Aps • Electronic/blended learning

Uganda Martyrs University

Agenda

• Introduction

• Process, benefits and challenges of integrating ICT in education/ODL point of view

• Strategies for integrating ICT in VET/ODL point of view

• Conclusion


Introduction • Significant need of relevant vocational skills to

• Increase employability (self & wage employment) in TZ

thus contribution to poverty reduction

• VET Demand skills gap

• Able to provide 160,000 while the required is 600,000

• Relevance to today’s industry

• However there is a limitation of what residential institutions/centres can carter for given costly

• Campus infrastructure expansion

• Human power capabilities - Changing technologies etc


Introduction … • Today there is opportunity of rapid spreading cost-

effective ICT in education such as

• Fibre/Wireless/mobile technologies

• Electronic/Blended learning with interactive multimedia integration

• Open Educational Resources (OER)/Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

• Supportive administration information systems

• Due to these technologies today there is also an opportunity & motivation to embrace Open & Distance Learning (ODL) mode of delivery in VET


Introduction … • This is felt to be necessary for filling the vocational

skills gap/placement challenges in terms of required

• Enrolment numbers, graduates placement & Quality training by the ODL mode despite its unfairly perceived unsuitability in such practical oriented training.


• This paper discusses possible ICT roles, challenges & strategies for its suitability/practicability to address

• Access & Equity to VET & Quality of training improvement from ODL perspective with aim to increase employability thus contribution to poverty reduction.

Process, benefits and challenges of integrating ICT in education/ODL point of view


Process of integrating ICT in education/ODL point of view …

• Continuum of Educational delivery (Spatial/ Geographic distribution of teachers and learners)

• Face to face (On-Campus)

• Mixed Mode/Hybrid (On-Campus & off-campus)

• Distance Education (Off-Campus)

• Distance education/learning • Is a mode of delivering education and instruction, often

on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional setting such as a classroom.

• Teachers & learners are separated by distance/time.


Process of integrating ICT in education/ODL point of view …

• Distance education/learning (Traditionally)

• Printed materials

• Post office delivery

• Distance education (using technology/Extent of ICT support)

• Blended learning (Mixture of electronic learning and face to face)

• Online/electronic learning (Internet dependent & Fully online)


Process of integrating ICT in education/ODL view point


ICT (Information & Communications Technology) • an umbrella term that includes any communication device

or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular

phones, computer, network, software, satellite systems and

so on, as well as the various services and applications

associated with them, such as HR management, videoconferencing & distance learning.

Process of integrating ICT in education/ODL view point • Technology integration areas

• Teaching/Learning (Virtual Learning environment (VLE)/e-learning platform, e-Content, Literacy, support)

• Communication (Communication tools, social networking)

• Supportive Infrastructure (backbone, networks, ICT facilities) & Administration systems (Records/Reports)


ICT Infrastructure/Support

applications

Process of integrating ICT in education/ODL point of view

• Educational technology stack

• Institutional strategy

• Programme and course design

• Staff and Student digital literacies

• Staff and Student support

• Applications (e.g. Moodle, SARIS)

• Hardware Devices/Network

• Physical space


Process of integrating ICT in education/ODL point of view

• Literally how do we use technology • Efficient way to transmit content,

Access range of resources

• Facilitate 2-ways communication, exploration, co-creation & interaction

• Asynchronous (e.g. access to materials)/synchronous e.g. video conferences) technologies/tools


Process of integrating ICT in education/ODL view point • Increasingly available technologies to facilitate

integration

• E-learning with interactive multimedia integration • Use of electronic educational technology in

learning/teaching

• M-learning/Mobile technologies • Access of learning resources in a mobile

customized way

• Open Educational Resources (OER) • Are freely accessible, openly licensed documents

& media that are useful for teaching, learning & assessing

• Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) • Large-scale interactive participation & open access

via the web or other network technologies


Benefits of integrating ICT in education/ODL point of view

• Learning/Access process • Increased student (+visual impaired)

access to institutions learning/digital resources from all over including mobiles

• Improved Interaction/collaboration among teachers & learners as well as Learners & learners

• Improved difficult concepts understanding using integrated multimedia in e-learning platform /courses

• Improved access to education


Benefits of integrating ICT in education/ODL point of view

• Supporting related services

• Improved records management including timely transcri- pts generation & self online registration/results access

• Improved security, exams scheduling flexibility and quality of the examination due to examination data bank and on demand system (ODEX)

• Enhanced management of fees collection & HR thus a gua- rantee to a more efficient teaching/learning environment

• Improved accuracy and quick access to various facts and figures thus better planning and other decisions making


Challenges of integrating ICT in education/ODL view point

While there are many benefits of ICT & ODL arrangements there are challenges that VET may also encounter


• Policy making issues • Insufficient prioritization of ICT in the implementation of

educational and development policies;

• Managerial • Inadequate experience in sharing, collaboration and partnership in

ICT initiatives development and implementation;

• Economic issues • Resistance to change from some internal stakeholders that are

likely to loose from effective deployment of ICT. • Insufficient financial resources and seeking efforts to ensure the

equitable and sustainable integration of ICT in education



• Technological development • Capacity to handle laboratory/practical work and other difficult

areas/concepts as part of e-learning/ODL initiative • Difficulties in acquired systems integration and adhering to

common standards/frameworks thus creating silos. • Inadequate documentation for all internally developed or third

party procured systems.

• Human resources development • Inadequate awareness and capacity development of multifaceted

uses of a wide range of ICT thus its underutilization & none return on investment and expected impact.

• Insufficient numbers of qualified/competent technical personnel to manage and maintain ICT resources

• Slow uptake of older vocational teachers with computer phobia



• Learners

• Certain students take a long time to appreciate the benefits of ICT use but contemporary learning institutions don’t wait all.

• Student progress evaluation

• Students ICT illiteracy when joining in a learning institution digital environment

• Infrastructure development

• Inadequate critical supporting infrastructure such as electricity and telecoms, especially in remote areas thus affecting ODL students.

• Need of periodic replacement of computers (3 -5 years) and related maintenance.

Strategies for integrating ICT in VET/ODL point of view • Generally, VET should efficiently incorporate ICT to

• improve the quality of training and equip graduates with skills relevant to industry demands • existing industry demands, continuously changing labour

market and new emerging technology intensive

• Redefine tutors competencies & empower them to transfer relevant skills & knowledge to VET students • Include ICT & pedagogical development

• Increase access to VET through new learning pathways

• Opportunities to expand enrolment to VET that can be grasped through ICT enabled blended/Distance learning methodologies

• These can be achieved through a number of strategies


Strategies for integrating ICT in VET/ODL point of view …

• Update/Implement comprehe-nsive guiding ICT plan/policies aligned to institutional objectives


• Infrastructure

• Re-equipping the VET system with only necessary physical infrastructure

• Additional ICT infrastructure/ tools

• Networks (National Fibre, VPN, wireless APs), Video Conferences etc

Strategies for integrating ICT in VET/ODL point of view…

• Adopting cost-effective Virtual/Online learning platform (e.g. Moodle) & digital resource portal


• Educational technology related experts (instructional designers/ multimedia experts etc)

& support plan

Strategies for integrating ICT in VET/ODL point of view …


• Provide 21st century ICT/digital literacy related capacity building to voca-tional teachers/students & mainstreaming their use in teaching & learning

• Develop e-Learning based courses/support them with interactive multimedia & virtual labs incorporation

Strategies for integrating ICT in VET/ODL point of view • Adopt appropriate

blended/distance learning framework for effective and consistency online & offline experiences


• Adopt mechanisms to allow offline/online access to digital materials (within campus & individual gadgets) given access to internet/bandwidth issues

Strategies for integrating ICT in VET/ODL point of view…

• Improving supporting administration information systems for efficiency and evidence-based planning, practices and placement


• Integrated student management systems

• Integrated HR/Finance management systems

• Records management e.g. File tracking Systems

• Other Systems for productivity/efficiency across VET system

VET-MIS

Strategies for integrating ICT in VET/ODL point of view • Synergies among learning Institutions and beyond

• Matters of economy of scale/Higher return on investment e.g. While Higher learning Institutions are being connected and Secondary Schools thought why not including VETA/VET

• Encouraging partnerships for optimizing integration and impact of ICT/ODL in VET system • Locally e.g. MoU with Open University of Tanzania on e-

learning, ODL and co-using our centres in the regions

• Internationally – e.g. UNESCO

• UNEVOC- International centre for technical and vocational Training that promotes learning for the world of work

• IITE- UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in education that promotes ICT implement. VET/ODL inclusive


Conclusion • This paper discussed the possible ICT & ODL

arrangements roles, challenges and strategies for their suitability and practicability in addressing equitable access to VE.

• Focusing on various strategies in relation to indicated ICT & ODL arrangements may improve enrollment, quality training & placement improvement.

• This will in turn increase employability & eventually contribution to poverty reduction with modest investment.


Thank You

For Your Attention

28

Combating Youth Unemployment through VET

NATIONAL VET FORUM - 10-11th Dec, 2014

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