A system dynamics approach to educational technology introduction in Developing countries

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2008.Includes bibliographical references.Developing nations around the globe are focused on ways to use Information and Computing Technologies (ICTs) as springboards to advance their national development in all areas, including education. There are multiple ways in which various organizations are tackling the unique challenges these nations face in equipping their schools with modem educational technologies. This study evaluates two examples of computing technology intended for wide-scale deployment in developing nations. It aims to test the hypothesis that in order to be successful, ICT implementations require adequate funding, available electrical and telecommunication infrastructure, the presence of strong local champions and a local support ecosystem. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders involved in two pilot implementations in Nigeria. A system dynamics model was used to investigate into the relative effects of relevant factors on the speed of ICT deployment. The results from the modeling show the need for a significant increase in financial investment, in order to cover all costs associated with ICT deployments. The results also revealed the daunting task nations face in equipping all students with individual laptops and it presents some alternatives to a wide-scale deployment of one-to-one computing. Finally, the results highlight the necessity of providing economical means of completely powering ICTs in order to rapidly deploy these technologies to the nation's schools. A number of recommendations were made for the consideration of any developing nation undertaking ICT implementations in education.by Trinidad Grange-Kyner.S.M

The pulse of change : E-education and other reforming influences on vocational education and training

Reform has been a feature of the Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) system for more than a decade. The Portfolio tracks the theme of reform through the sub-themes of e-education and globalisation, considering each as a set of changing hegemonic discourses that have redefined VET over the intervening years. Into this mix it is speculated a third sub-theme, that of social capital development, is now emerging. The new social paradigm however is likely to create new uncertainties and expectations in a system that struggles to cope with existing reforms

Factors affecting the use of computer assisted learning by further education biology teachers

The UK educational system is currently under pressure from many quarters to increase its use of educational technology. Within this context, this thesis investigates the nature of a range of factors which influence teachers' use of computer assisted learning (CAL), focusing on biology teachers in Further Education (FE). The factors were identified from the literature, and include aspects such as resourcing, and the teachers' classroom practice and educational philosophies. There were three main stages to the thesis research. The first stage involved a survey of 68 FE biology teachers. The second stage involved two interviews each with 20 of the survey respondents, producing approximately 80 hours of audiotape. The third stage involved a total of nine classroom observations with six of the interviewees, producing approximately nine hours of videotape and nine hours of audiotape. The conclusions describe how the factors interacted to affect CAL use amongst the FE biology teachers. The findings stress the importance of teachers' development of classroom familiarity with computers; this development was encouraged by both current and previous exposure to the classroom practice of other computer-using teachers. The teachers involved in the study were generally positive about educational technology, but critical about many currently available biology programs; this critical perspective was particularly evident amongst the more student-centred teachers. The findings outline a list of criteria that the teachers appeared to consider when reviewing programs, and describe the relationship between the use of software and the teachers' classroom practice. The conclusions outline the potential of a framework developed by Brown and McIntyre (1993) for future studies of how classroom practice affects, and is affected by, educational technology. The conclusions also make recommendations, based on the findings, to those responsible for FE policy and staff development about how they might help to increase teachers' use of CAL