Prospects, Strategies and Challenges of Adapting Modern Information and Communication Technologies (MICTs) in Folk Development Colleges (FDCs): A Case of Northern Zone Tanzania

This research intended to determine the prospects of adopting modern information and communication technology (MICTs) in Folk Development Colleges (FDCs) in Northern Tanzania and the challenges that these institutions face as they strive to adopt these technologies to promote lifelong learning. Three objectives led this study: Asses the community members’ views on the role of modern information communication technologies in enhancing lifelong learning and promote selfreliance and self- employment; assess the strategies that FDCs employ to obtain, access, and use MICTs to support lifelong learning in FDCs; and determine the prospects and challenges of adopting modern information communication technologies in FDCs. Descriptive survey design was used though interview and observation conducted to access information from thirteen participants. This study found that there is positive views among the community members on the role of modern information communication technologies in enhancing lifelong learning and promote self-reliance and self- employment. Secondly, in all the FDCs visited, modern information technologies are yet to be adopted fully, but are still using old technologies. Further, the study found that there were more challenges than prospects in adopting and using MICTs in FDCs. The reasons provided include lack of electricity, internet connection and knowledge and skills in using these technologies. The study recommends that Government should develop policies, regulations and legal framework to promote MICTs for provision of equal opportunities for quality education at all educational institutions including FDCs. This study covered only northern regions of Tanzania. More studies should be conducted in other regions of the country to draw comparison of the findings

Exploring acceptance of decentralised energy storage at household and neighbourhood scales: A UK survey

Effective deployment of Distributed Energy Storage (DES) will depend in part on public attitudes and acceptance at both community and household levels. Here, we present the results of an exploratory survey to understand prospective public acceptance of DES technologies at household and community level in the UK (N = 949). The research design draws on previous qualitative technology acceptance work that was undertaken to inform the survey. We show that while the level of awareness of DES among the UK public is still very low, initial evaluation of information on domestic and neighbourhood battery storage is positive and evokes positive feelings that are significant predictors of positive attitudes. Moreover, the UK public has strong expectations about the technology, its benefits and its management. In particular, the results point to a bounded and place-based role for altruism: that people are more likely to accept energy storage facilities in their neighbourhood if they are for the benefit of that same neighbourhood. The results help us to understand public expectations of the technologies and the institutions relevant to decentralised energy design and deployment by commercial and public sector actors, as well as having implications for policy design and communication strategies

Infusion of Information and Communication Technologies into a Science programme for assistant lecturers

The rapid growth and impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives across the globe. Hence, it makes sense that the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) should not be left behind in this phenomenon. The authors address how teaching-and-learning practices within HE settings can be enhanced through the effective infusion of ICTs. The Centre for Innovative Educational and Communication Technologies (CIECT) recently collaborated with the Science Faculty and other stakeholders at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), to design and develop a Programme, namely: Faculty of Science Teaching Assistants Development Programme (FSTADP). The paper highlights that the infusion of ICT into the curriculum depends on dedicated training and support interventions - in order for lecturers to successfully engage in the discourse related to the infusion of ICTs, and the actual implementation thereof. Therefore, “integrated institutional ICT infrastructure and systems with dedicated front-end and back-end support capacity and processes enable the development of pedagogically sound, interactive online courses which can be accessed at any time and from any geographical space”. Whilst ICT plays a critical role in enabling teaching-and-learning practices, it is imperative that the lecturer-student relationship be maintained

Learning Activities with Semantic. Hypermedia in Higher Education

The increasing use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in diverse professional and personal contexts calls for new knowledge, and a set of abilities, competences and attitudes, for an active and participative citizenship. In this context it is acknowledged that universities have an important role innovating in the educational use of digital media to promote an inclusive digital literacy. The educational potential of digital technologies and resources has been recognized by both researchers and practitioners. Multiple pedagogical models and research approaches have already contributed to put in evidence the importance of adapting instructional and learning practices and processes to concrete contexts and educational goals. Still, academic and scientific communities believe further investments in ICT research is needed in higher education. This study focuses on educational models that may contribute to support digital technology uses, where these can have cognitive and educational relevance when compared to analogical technologies. A teaching and learning model, centered in the active role of the students in the exploration, production, presentation and discussion of interactive multimedia materials, was developed and applied using the internet and exploring emergent semantic hypermedia formats. The research approach focused on the definition of design principles for developing class activities that were applied in three different iterations in undergraduate courses from two institutions, namely the University of Texas at Austin, USA and the University of Lisbon, Portugal. The analysis of this study made possible to evaluate the potential and efficacy of the model proposed and the authoring tool chosen in the support of metacognitive skills and attitudes related to information structuring and management, storytelling and communication, using computers and the internet

Laying the groundwork for socialisation and knowledge construction within 3D virtual worlds

The paper reports the theoretical underpinnings for the pedagogical role and rationale for adopting 3D virtual worlds for socialisation and knowledge creation in distance education. Socialisation or 'knowing one another' in remote distributed environments can be achieved through synchronous technologies such as instant messaging, audio and video-conferencing. However, a 3D virtual world can provide an immersive experience where there is a visual presence and virtual proximity of the group members in terms of their 3D selves (avatars). We discuss the affordances of a 3D virtual world and its role in providing a platform for pedagogical design that engenders socialisation, synchronous communication and collaboration. We propose the use of a knowledge construction model as a framework for guiding the design of collaborative activities in a 3D virtual world for blended learning environments. We believe that this framework will also be useful for integrating 2D environments such as blogs, wikis and forums with a 3D learning environment. We consider the implications of this in the context of blended learning in distance education. This paper would be of interest to course designers, researchers, teachers, staff developers and policy-makers who are involved in integrating 3D virtual worlds within the curriculum of their programmes and institutions

Video Conferencing Technology for Distance Learning in Saudi Arabia: Current Problems, Feasible Solutions and Developing an Innovative Interactive Communication System based on Internet and wifi Technology for Communication Enhancement

Context: In Saudi Arabia, distance-learning plays a vital role in the female higher education system. This system is considered unique among all the world’s countries because, for religious reasons, intermixing of the genders is not allowed within most educational settings in Saudi society. This system is currently facing a problem with an overflow of female students in higher educational institutions as these institutions suffer from a lack of female faculty members. To resolve this problem, all universities in Saudi Arabia utilise synchronous distance learning technologies such as video and audio conferences technologies for the delivery of subjects by male faculty members to female students, as this is the only authorised way for male faculty to teach female students. Although this method has been used in Saudi Arabia continuously since 1970, no study has addressed the perceptions of female students, regarding the problems they face whilst studying, through such technologies or proposed any solution for these problems. Aim: The purpose of this study is to identify the perceptions of female students at King Saud University regarding the difficulties and barriers they encounter in the distance learning classrooms that use video conferencing technology. This study also proposes feasible solutions for the most common problems. It has developed an innovative interactive communication system, CommEasy, based on the internet and Wi-Fi technologies for handheld devices and uses this system to enhance communication and participation in distance learning. Method: The research questions are answered by applying a mixture of quantitative and qualitative approaches that have been selected according to the nature of the research. A case study research design was chosen to address all the research questions related to KSU. Identifying the perceptions of female students about the problems they encounter in distance learning classrooms was gathered through a questionnaire with five main parts: classroom physical design, classroom physical features, technical support, communication and participation with male instructors and classroom management. Each part used a number of questions to measure the students' perceptions and the students were asked to respond to each question using a five-point Likert scale. Proposing feasible solutions for the problems reported by students required using a mixture of methods, such as observations, structured interviews and surveys. An incremental software development approach was used to develop the CommEasy tool that was used in this thesis and the quasi-experimental method was used to evaluate this tool in the actual learning environment. Results: The results of the thesis presented the perceptions of students towards the components of the distance-learning classrooms and showed all the satisfactory and unsatisfactory components. It produced a list of strategies for effective designing of the distance-learning classroom that uses video conference technology, produced a new physical design for the distance-learning classrooms that used video conference technologies, provided a set of feasible solutions for the problems identified and finally, showed that the CommEasy system has a positive impact, in supporting communication in the distance-learning classroom, leading to an increased level of student participation with instructors, as well as solving most of the problems students were faced with in this regard. Conclusions: in summary, the outcome of this thesis should provide both researchers and decision makers with an insight into the problems facing students in distance-learning, as well as providing them with feasible solutions for these problems. This thesis will serve as a basis for further research in this field to be conducted in Saudi Arabia

New Frontiers of Legal Knowledge: How Design Provotypes Can Contribute to Legal Change

Legal change is a complex phenomenon. Transplants, imitations, borrowings, assimilations by chance or for prestige, adoptions and rejections, and cross-fertilization are all dynamic processes, which correspond to the past and the present of world legal systems—they are not just a matter of the “sovereign will” of a state and its sovereign power. Beyond the state, supranational institutions of various kinds are the global agents responsible for shaping legal order reform. Their actions are the preserve of a multitude of forces, including transnational epistemic communities across the globe. What is less explored is how legal change can be the outcome of individual and collective actions, in an age when, for the first time in human history, social organizations depend on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This fact radically affects the legal sphere. How do these collectives and individuals exercise their rights and how are they reminded of their duties, thus playing a major role in delineating the boundaries of the relationship between themselves, legal institutions, and legal change? What legal change is implied by the empirical analysis of the social acts involved in what they do? While legal transplantation theory explicitly deals with how legal change is produced with reference to national and transnational legal institutions, the recognition of speculative design practice in the legal domain can raise awareness of pressing societal issues and bolster individual and collective civic agency over transformation and legal change, through imagination and critical thinking

Rede Alumni : uma estratégia responsável ao serviço do desenvolvimento do turismo local

Comunicação apresentada no VI International Tourism Congress, ESTM, Peniche, 2013.Organizations including higher education institutions need to enhance the relationships with their stakeholders, especially with their alumni, in order to promote a set of long term mutual competitive advantages. In this way, organizational sustainability is gaining new ground and plays a fundamental role as a way of attaining a broad goal in terms of sustainable development. Higher education institutions should develop relationship and transparency strategies of corporate actions in order to create trust and also to leverage synergies by using alumni networks. This can be achieved through Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), especially the web, and the most recent and globalized platforms like Facebook and Linkedin as privileged channels for communicating with alumni. In addition, the development of actions that try to promote an approach and the engagement of alumni among different initiatives not only inside the institution, but also in terms of local and/or regional context, could create added value and contribute to local tourism development. The present study aims to analyze the development of the network of a higher education institution, namely, the IPLeiri@lumni Network, assessing the platform design, the measures taken by the institution to renew the relationship with their alumni, and the resulting advantages from the paths taken by some alumni as a way of identifying the potential added value for the development of local tourism of the region

Designing Open and Distance Learning for Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A toolkit for educators and planners

Everyone remembers a good teacher. Good teachers are the key to educational expansion and improvement. In many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an urgent need to expand the number of primary and secondary teachers. In all African countries, there is an equally important need to improve the quality of teaching. To achieve this, it is clear that new approaches to teacher education are essential. Existing institutions of teacher education will continue to play an important role, but, alone, they will not meet the goals of Education for All (EFA) by 2015. It is fortunate that, just as the twin needs to improve the quantity and quality of teachers become imperative, so new forms of education and training are becoming available. The world is witnessing a revolution in information and communication technologies (ICTs), which can offer training and support of a type and at a cost hitherto impossible to consider, and thus, must be fully explored given the scale and urgency of demand. In doing so, however, it will be necessary to build on existing and well-tested strategies, including the best models of open and distance learning. This toolkit is the third in a series of recent publications by the Africa Region Human Development Department of the World Bank to share knowledge and experience on how distance education and ICTs can support education in Sub-Saharan Africa. It emphasizes the rigorous process by which new forms of distance-education programs for teacher education can be planned and implemented. The best models of established programs are considered along with the potential for incorporating, as the means become available, new modes of communication. Most forms of teacher education, particularly those concerned with qualification upgrading and ongoing professional development, will have to be based in schools. The authors demonstrate how school-based programs, appropriately resourced and supported, have the potential not only to raise significantly the number and quality of teachers, but also to improve classroom practice and school organization, generally. The guidance and advice, which is drawn from many years of experience in design and implementation, and embraces a range of case studies from across the region, will be of considerable value to those preparing new policies and programs of teacher education and to those seeking to improve existing programs