Globalisation and Skills for Development in Rwanda and Tanzania

International Development,

University Teachers and Students’ Digital Competence: A Case Study of Gansu Agricultural University in China

[ES] Vivir hoy en día en una sociedad del conocimiento permite ser capaces de conocer los cambios en la estructura de la sociedad, las vinculaciones entre países y la adquisición de conocimientos, así como el desarrollo y la penetración cada vez mayor de la tecnología en todos los aspectos de nuestra vida. El brote del nuevo coronavirus (COVID-19) ha impulsado aún más la revolución en educación. El modelo educativo ha cambiado y con él llegan diversos retos. Se exige a los profesores y a los estudiantes que estén dotados de la competencia digital adecuada y de capacidad para utilizar con eficiencia diversas herramientas de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC), especialmente en educación superior. Además, la brecha de la competencia digital se amplía, no sólo entre los países desarrollados y los países en vías de desarrollo, sino también dentro de un mismo país, debido al desequilibrio del crecimiento económico, como la enorme brecha entre el este y el oeste de China. Es muy necesario mejorar la competencia digital para afrontar mejor los desafíos, reducir la brecha digital y adaptarse a esta sociedad del conocimiento, así como al nuevo entorno de aprendizaje. Los principales objetivos de esta tesis son: en primer lugar, presentar la definición de competencia digital en educación superior, indicar las dimensiones que se utilizan habitualmente para evaluar la competencia digital de los profesores y estudiantes universitarios, determinar el estado de la investigación en este campo e identificar las áreas de investigación futura mediante una revisión sistemática de la literatura y un estudio de mapeo. En segundo lugar, realizar un estudio empírico sobre los profesores y estudiantes universitarios de la Universidad Agrícola de Gansu, situada en el oeste de China. Para los profesores universitarios en activo, la atención se centró en la exploración de su competencia digital, el uso de las TIC por parte de los profesores y sus actitudes hacia el uso de las TIC en la educación. Con respecto a los estudiantes universitarios, especialmente los de primer y último curso, se hizo énfasis en la competencia digital de los estudiantes y sus actitudes hacia las TIC; y también se incluyó su disponibilidad de recursos tecnológicos, su potencial de competencia digital y la formación previa relacionada con las TIC y la competencia digital. Además, los factores que influyen en la competencia digital para determinar sus necesidades de desarrollo han sido examinados

Assessing regional digital competence: Digital futures and strategic planning implications

Understanding strategic decisions aimed at addressing regional economic issues is of increasing interest among scholars and policy makers today. Thus, studies that proffer effective strategies to address digital futures concerns from social and policy perspectives are timely. In light of this, this research uses strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis tool to frame a regional strategy for digital futures to enhance place-specific digital connectivity and socio-economic progress. Focus group discussions and a structured questionnaire were conducted to examine a SWOT for a digital economy strategy in the Southern Downs Region in Queensland, Australia. The findings show that while the proposed regional strategies for digital futures are susceptible to internal and external forces, strategic planning makes them manageable. The study’s findings also reveal that adaptive strategic planning can help regulate the effects of internal and external factors that shape individual and organisational responses to digital transformation, and that these factors promote regional competitiveness

Teacher Educators and Trainee Teachers' Attitude toward Online Teacher Education Courses

The purpose of the study was to explore the attitude toward Online Teacher Education Courses (OTECs). To that end, this study was carried out over the teacher educators and trainee teachers of Bangladesh Open University. Here, teacher educators represent the faculty members of the School of Education (SoE) of Bangladesh Open University (BOU), and trainee teachers represent the Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) students of BOU. A mixed research approach with triangulation was used to conduct the study with a descriptive survey, two Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and one key personnel interview. Data were collected from a total of 602 teacher trainees (182 were M.Ed. students and 420 were B.Ed. students) and 12 teacher educators, selected through multiple sampling techniques. The  data revealed that the teacher educators and trainee teachers had a positive attitude towards online courses since the mean score of faculty members, M.Ed., and B.Ed. students of BOU were 3.60, 381, and 3.81, respectively. Considering all these aspects, this study suggested that SoE/BOU needs to decide rationally to shape its future Online Teacher Education Courses (OTECs). This research contributes to the basement of new knowledge through an explorative study with all the possible stakeholders covering the whole country of interest

The Impact of Teaching Experience on Professors’ Use of ICTs in the Teaching Process

Technology advancements have made learning more exciting for pupils of all levels. Many studies have shown that using current technology in the classroom benefits both teachers and students. It has fueled their drive to learn more using these new instruments. Thus, schools and other educational institutions have recognized the value of using computers to teach. This paper intends to investigate the influence of teaching experience and teachers’ age on the implementation of ICTs in the classroom. The data were analyzed using descriptive means and standard deviations. To assess the impact of teaching experience on computer use for pedagogical purposes, inferential statistics were used. Based on the independent variable of teaching experience, the results showed statistically significant variations in instructors' usage of new technologies in education., F (4,158) = 20.279, p < 0.05. The current study is highly significant in the sense that it is expected to come up with important findings with regard to the infusion and implementation of information technology in higher education. It provides significant knowledge that can be of great value to both researchers and professors in Morocco and in various parts of the world

Utilization of ICT Facilities for Enhancing Instructional Delivery of Agricultural Science in Nigerian Secondary Schools

This study examined the availability, functionality and utilization of ICT facilities for effective instructional delivery of agricultural science in Nigeria Secondary Schools. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Three research questions guided the study. The study area was North-central States of Nigeria and the population was 1706 teachers of agricultural science in secondary schools. Purposive Sampling Technique was adopted to select 853 Heads of Departments of Agriculture from the secondary schools. The researchers developed a 60-items questionnaire titled utilization of ICT facilities for instructional delivery of agricultural science (UICTFIDAS) for data collection. Three experts validated the instrument. Cronbach Alpha method was used to test the reliability and a coefficient value of 0.82 was obtained. Research question one was answered using frequencies and percentages, while mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions 2 and 3. Findings of the study revealed that most ICT facilities were not available, and the few available were not utilized because of non-functionality in most secondary schools in the study area. The study concluded that there was need for a refocus on ICT integration in the education system, which is a common trend in the millennium. Recommendations were made among which, was that government should collaborate with stakeholders in providing adequate ICT facilities, organize seminars and workshops to empower teachers with ICT knowledge and skills. In addition, school administrators should ensure utilization and maintenance of ICT facilities available in their schools

Utilization of ICT Facilities for Enhancing Instructional Delivery of Agricultural Science in Nigerian Secondary Schools

This study examined the availability, functionality and utilization of ICT facilities for effective instructional delivery of agricultural science in Nigeria Secondary Schools. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. Three research questions guided the study. The study area was North-central States of Nigeria and the population was 1706 teachers of agricultural science in secondary schools. Purposive Sampling Technique was adopted to select 853 Heads of Departments of Agriculture from the secondary schools. The researchers developed a 60-items questionnaire titled utilization of ICT facilities for instructional delivery of agricultural science (UICTFIDAS) for data collection. Three experts validated the instrument. Cronbach Alpha method was used to test the reliability and a coefficient value of 0.82 was obtained. Research question one was answered using frequencies and percentages, while mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions 2 and 3. Findings of the study revealed that most ICT facilities were not available, and the few available were not utilized because of non-functionality in most secondary schools in the study area. The study concluded that there was need for a refocus on ICT integration in the education system, which is a common trend in the millennium. Recommendations were made among which, was that government should collaborate with stakeholders in providing adequate ICT facilities, organize seminars and workshops to empower teachers with ICT knowledge and skills. In addition, school administrators should ensure utilization and maintenance of ICT facilities available in their schools

E-learning in universities in Uganda: predictors of successful adoption

Adoption of e-learning technology has been carried out by numerous universities in the developing countries with the aim of advancing the knowledge society and economic development. However, the adoption of e-learning technology in the said universities is fraught with challenges leading to low level use for instructional purposes. The study aims at: (i) identifying the predictors of successful adoption of e-learning, (ii) investigating causes of failures of past e-learning information systems initiatives, and (iii) developing a predictive framework for the advancement of e-learning programmes for universities in Uganda. In order to determine possible predictors of successful adoption, the researcher adopted the configurational (Gestalts) approach. The hypotheses were tested in a survey that involved 73 lecturers and 184 students from Uganda’s Makerere University and Gulu University. The respondents’ opinions are obtained using questionnaires and interviews and analysed using descriptive, clustering and deductive thematic analyses techniques. The research identified four analytical clusters from the target group of the lecturers, while the target group of the students are described by six analytical clusters. Results from cluster 1 among lecturers indicate that successful adoption is dependent on being familiar with the objectives of the university’s e-learning policies, finding time to experiment with ICT, availability of financial support and commitment of university management. However, it should be noted that while the study was conducted within two Universities, the majority of the lecturer respondents were from Makerere University. Therefore, while organisational characteristics contribute to the adoption of e-learning among lecturers, their influence is more pronounced in the established university, that is, Makerere. Both lecturers and students adopt e-learning facilities at later stages of their studies or career which raises great concern. The majority of the lecturers in the lead cluster were male and PhD holders while most of the students in the lead cluster were male and in their second year of study. Lecturers in Cluster 1 are adopters because of the knowledge and long-time experience with e-learning facilities compared to their counterparts in Clusters 2 and 3. Students in Cluster 4 were adopters because they had more knowledge and skills in the use of ICTs than their counterparts in the other clusters. Cluster 3 and 6 among lecturers and students respectively were least adopters of e-learning mainly because they were unfamiliar with the university e-learning policy. The main causes of failure of past e-learning information systems initiatives were lack of structured approach to e-learning and inadequate empowerment. From the cluster findings, a predictive framework for the advancement of e-learning programmes in universities in Uganda was developed. It was recommended that: adoption of e-learning technology should be encouraged during the early school years of the students and earlier career years of the academic if universities are to be competitive

MAXIMIZING TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL (TAM) IN ASSESSING THE USE OF ICT TO PROMOTE DISTANCE EDUCATION IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN THE ASHANTI REGION, GHANA

The study investigated maximizing Technology Acceptance Model in accessing the attitude of rural farmers using ICT tools in farming to enhance productivity. Using a positivist philosophical perspective, this study adopted the survey research design to respectively 210 registered level 300 distance education students of both universities pursuing Business Administration from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED). The study employed questionnaires as a data collection tool. Findings revealed that ICTs were useful for both institutions giving them some sort of autonomy for students in their education, inducing presentation, demonstration, interaction, and collaboration. Some of the challenges the distance students faced were the limited ICT facilities and services, and technical hitches, among others. The study recommended that these universities should invest in contemporary ICT infrastructure to aid the new generation of distance students