A review into the factors affecting declines in undergraduate Computer Science enrolments and approaches for solving this problem

There has been a noticeable drop in enrolments in Computer Science (CS) courses and interest in CS careers in recent years while demand for CS skills is increasing dramatically. Not only are such skills useful for CS jobs but for all forms of business and to some extent personal lives as Information Technology (IT) is becoming ubiquitous and essential for most aspects of modern life. Therefore it is essential to address this lack of interest and skills to not only fill the demand for CS employees but to provide students with the CS skills they need for modern life especially for improving their employability and skills for further study. This report looks at possible reasons for the lack of interest in CS and different approaches used to enhance CS education and improve the appeal of CS

An ROI Comparison of Initiatives Designed to Attract Diverse Students to Technology Careers

This study examines two alternative interventions designed to attract diverse students to pursue information technology or, more generally, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers from a Return on Investment (ROI) perspective. More specifically, this study examines the effectiveness and efficiency of single-day and multi-day program formats by comparing students’ propensity to pursue computer information systems and technology related careers. Using an ROI perspective of comparing relative costs to students’ perceived outcomes, our findings suggest that the single-day model is equally effective as the multi-day model at moving students’ propensity to pursue information technology careers, albeit at a lower cost. This suggests that the single day model is a better choice from an ROI perspective and offers the best investment opportunity for choosing which program format to use for future interventions. These findings, while specific to a single comparison of two alternative information technology interventions, are useful as they contribute valuable knowledge and may be applicable to the design and evaluation of other STEM-influencing programs

Towards breaking the Gender Gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

The gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) has drawn the attention of research and academic communities due to its impact in the Digital Society, targeting the fourth and fifth 2030 sustainable development goals of achieving quality education and gender equality. Recent studies show that women are enrolling STEM studies in smaller proportion than men and that they have a larger probability to renounce to their jobs or to take leaves. In this scenario, the involvement of educational institutions is seminal to change this trend. The School of Engineering of the University of Valencia (ETSE-UV), Spain, launched in 2011 a pilot program to promote STEM careers, focusing on increasing and retaining the number of female students choosing these studies. Building from this experience, the Girls4STEM project has been launched in 2019 with the aim of reaching female students from 6 to 18 years old, their families and teachers. In this paper, we present and motivate the project's objectives and main activities, framing them in current state of the art's literature. Preliminary results of the pilot program actions are presented, demonstrating the statistically significant impact on the percentage of enrolled female students and motivating the subsequent Girls4STEM project

Use of m-Health Technology for Preventive Interventions to Tackle Cardiometabolic Conditions and Other Non-Communicable Diseases in Latin America- Challenges and Opportunities

In Latin America, cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates will increase by an estimated 145% from 1990 to 2020. Several challenges related to social strains, inadequate public health infrastructure, and underfinanced healthcare systems make cardiometabolic conditions and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) difficult to prevent and control. On the other hand, the region has high mobile phone coverage, making mobile health (mHealth) particularly attractive to complement and improve strategies toward prevention and control of these conditions in low- and middle-income countries. In this article, we describe the experiences of three Centers of Excellence for prevention and control of NCDs sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with mHealth interventions to address cardiometabolic conditions and other NCDs in Argentina, Guatemala, and Peru. The nine studies described involved the design and implementation of complex interventions targeting providers, patients and the public. The rationale, design of the interventions, and evaluation of processes and outcomes of each of these studies are described, together with barriers and enabling factors associated with their implementation.Fil: Beratarrechea, Andrea Gabriela. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Diez Canseco, Francisco. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; PerúFil: Irazola, Vilma. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Miranda, Jaime. Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia; PerúFil: Ramirez Zea, Manuel. Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama; GuatemalaFil: Rubinstein, Adolfo Luis. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action

Outlines a community education movement to implement Knight's 2009 recommendation to enhance digital and media literacy. Suggests local, regional, state, and national initiatives such as teacher education and parent outreach and discusses challenges

African Universities: Stories of Change

Profiles successful foundation initiatives in Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda that are reforming the higher education landscape in Africa

Bridging the Innovation Divide: An Agenda for Disseminating Technology Innovations within the Nonprofit Sector

Examines technology practices -- such as neighborhood information systems, electronic advocacy, Internet-based micro enterprise support, and digital inclusion initiatives -- that strengthen the capacity of nonprofits and community organizations

Youth and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Challenges and Opportunities for Implementation

Young people ages 15 to 24 are 1.2 billion of the world’s human capital. Around the world, many of them are already making contributions to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and their work should be further acknowledged and strengthened. Increasingly, youth are recognized as key participants in decision-making and development, as reflected in the growing presence of non-governmental youth organizations and the upsurge of youth advisory boards and committees to international institutions and programmes. Yet building the capacity of and creating sustained partnerships with young people are crucial strategies to achieving the MDGs that have not been fully realized by the international community. This paper aims to provide an overview of youth participation as it currently exists, to outline the ways in which youth are directly involved and affected by each Goal, to demonstrate the ways in which young people are contributing to the MDGs, and to provide ‘Options for Action’ that governments, the United Nations system, donors and other actors can harness, support, and scale-up in order to support young people in making significant contributions to achieving the MDGs. Part I outlines the existing mechanisms for youth participation in development policy. These channels can be used by governments and institutions to strengthen and mobilize young people as partners in policy formulation. Successful modes of participation should be recognized and replicated, and also adapted to the challenging political and socio-economic realities facing many youth-led and youth-serving organizations. Part II presents youth participation as it relates directly to the MDGs. Each goal is analyzed with respect to its effect on young peoples lives as well as how young people can play – and indeed are playing — a role in its implementation. Under each goal are a number of “Options for Action” that governments, the UN and multilateral organizations can use to fully harness the contributions that youth can make to achieving the MDGs. Part III outlines the synergies between the Options for Action presented in this report and the Quick Wins proposed by the Millennium Project. The Options for Action are complimentary and provide a process to implement the Quick Win actions, using young people as key implementing agents and service providers. Part III also outlines a number of youth-focused Quick Wins that can make a significant and measurable difference to the state of young people in target countries. Part IV elaborates on how youth can participate in achieving the MDGs and contains cross-cutting recommendations on youth engagement in all 8 Goals. Overall, the report demonstrates that investing in youth will provide the longest and most effective dividend towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by building the social capital needed to foster pragmatic development. Indeed, without the involvement of young people, a demographic that comprises one fifth of the world’s total population, the full achievement of the MDGs will remain elusive and their long-term sustainability will be compromised. Youth participation is currently quite varied, ranging from effective, to sometimes tokenistic, to often non-existent. There are specific ways in which youth and youth organizations can contribute to the design and implementation of MDG-based strategies, some of which are outlined in this document. Many projects are already happening, but there is much work left still to be done.Youth participation; Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); Poverty Eradication

A study on ways to strengthen the skills in media and information literacy education of librarians dispatched to developing countries through the Delphi method

Advances in technology and communication have brought various opportunities, conveniences, and benefits to human society. With the development of information and communication technology around the world, people can connect with each other in real time, regardless of location. Globalization is also accelerating the movement of people and goods. By making the flow of people, capital, information, and goods relatively free from border restrictions, globalization and informatization have fundamentally changed education. The educational paradigm is shifting in various directions. First, the role of non-formal education has become more prominent as education centered on knowledge acquisition, which was appropriate in the era of the Industrial Revolution, has transformed to a pattern in which learners mostly learn on their own. Second, governments and international organizations including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have been stressing that the acquisition and use of information and communication technology (ICT) is an essential condition for people to lead prosperous lives. Third, education policies and curricula developed by countries, which used to target only the domestic education system, are now beginning to address the effects of globalization on education, global citizenship, and digital citizenship. Along with this paradigm shift, the role of the library, which has traditionally been the center of education, society, and culture in the local community, is expanding. Libraries are representative non-formal educational institutions and local cultural venues that provide information, education, and culture services to their users. The composition and needs of libraries vary from country to country. Many developing countries has a history of colonial rule, and as their network infrastructure transforms in a leapfrogging manner directly into wireless internet, they suffer from the rapid widening of inequality in education and access to information. The purpose of this study is to understand the general impacts of this trend and to suggest ways to improve the media information literacy (MIL) competencies of residents in developing countries through the educational role that librarians can play, especially through librarians dispatched to developing countries. To this end, the relationship between library official development assistance (ODA), education in international development cooperation, and library MIL education were VI examined, and existing approaches for strengthening MIL education competency were analyzed through a literature review. In addition, the contents of current library MIL education were derived by analyzing government materials and summarizing the tasks requested for dispatched librarians to developing countries. After that, in-depth interviews were conducted with librarians dispatched to libraries in developing countries to understand the status of librarians’ work and library education programs in developing countries. In addition, through a Delphi survey with various experts, such as teachers who performed MILeducation, professors specializing in MIL, public officers, training experts in developing countries, and dispatched librarians, a few suggestions on ways to strengthen the competencies of librarians in developing countries for MIL were obtained. The study found that major factors hindering the strengthening of MIL education competencies in libraries in developing countries include the lack of professional human resources to carry out library ODA projects, understanding in ODA in the library field, and publicity for libraries’ role in sustainable education. There is also a need in developing MIL training materials and teaching methods. In conclusion, to build dispatched librarians’ MIL education knowledge and skills, it is necessary to conduct more research on the MIL education function of libraries and librarians and develop corresponding teaching methods and textbooks. In addition, various forms of MIL education training should be provided to dispatched librarians to enable them to work together consistently and continuously. Understanding the situation of recipient countries and organizations, their cultural environment, conditions, and customs, and their MIL environment are critical for the effective dispatch of librarians. To support smooth and sustainable education through libraries in the future, the need for building productive collaborative partnerships with various institutions is stressed. Among the functions that dispatched librarians perform in libraries in developing countries, improving users’ MIL competencies, providing information access rights, and supporting users’ non-formal learning are important roles that modern society requires libraries to perform. In addition, non-formal education is the most suitable form of education for MIL education, and MIL is a fundamental competency in modern society. If dispatched librarians and librarians in recipient countries can cooperate organically through activities in educational support, cultural program development, and MIL competency improvement, library ODA can head to a new direction that substantially contributes to the well-being of people in both donor and recipient countries