ICTs in Developing CountriesContextual framework for research

Cheryl Hodgkinson-WilliamsJune 2011

MEd ICT EDN6102S

Purpose of a conceptual framework

• To provide a shared language how various concepts are understood

• To locate current issues and debates in a coherent manner

• To group the key areas and elements within the broader debates so that there is some ways of grouping similar ideas together making it easier to see the relationships between the various aspects

• To identify points of leverage for change using educational technology to address educational challenges

Political

EconomicSocial

Organisational

TechnicalPedagogical & Epistemological

Adapted from Conole & Oliver 2007:13

Key factors

National

Regional

Global

Disciplinary

Institutional

Course

Key levels

Levels Key factors

Social, political and economic

Organisational Pedagogical & epistemological

Technical

Global

Regional

National

Institutional

Disciplinary

Course

Levels Key factors

Social, political and economic

Organisational Pedagogical & epistemological

Technical

Global

Regional

National

Institutional

Disciplinary

Course

Probable focus area for MEd ICT minor dissertations

Levels Key factors

Social, political and economic

Organisational Pedagogical & epistemological

Technical

Global

Regional

National

Institutional

Disciplinary

Course

•Issues & debates•Interventions•Investigations

Levels Key factors

Social, political and economic

Organisational Pedagogical & epistemological

Technical

Global

Regional

National

Institutional

Disciplinary

Course Use of mobile phones to increase student engagement: Gender differences in Sociology 101

Levels Key factors

Social, political and economic

Organisational Pedagogical & epistemological

Technical

Global

Regional

National

Institutional

Adoption of e-learning policies at a higher education institution

Disciplinary

Course

Institutional: Social, political & economic

• Institutional issues and debates– Changing student needs and social divides (rural/urban,

gender, class, disability)– Enabling the policy environment– Understanding economic constraints and sustainability

• Institutional interventions – Strategies for the inclusion of under-represented groups– Development of institutional e-learning policies– Inclusion of e-learning policies in relevant university

policies– Development of a long-term sustainability plan– Linkages between institutional policies, regulations and

quality assurance mechanisms

Institutional: Organisational• Institutional issues and debates

– Institutional structures to support student needs – Institutional structures to enhance contribution of staff– Integration of ICTs in higher education institutions– Recognition for e-learning developments– Incentives for e-learning activities and innovation– Intellectual Property Rights and alternative licensing

• Institutional interventions – The development of institutional policies to enable staff in the use of

ICTs for teaching – The development of institutional structures to enable staff in the use of

ICTs for teaching – The development of institutional policies to support students in the use

of ICTs for learning (eg computer literacy, information literacy, graduate competencies)

– The development of institutional structures to support students in the use of ICTs for learning

Institutional: Organisational (cont.)• Institutional investigations– How well does the University support staff to develop and

students to use (and contribute to) e-learning materials?– What recognition systems are in place to acknowledge the

development of e-learning materials? Are they adequate? Which interests do they serve and what are the implications of this?

– What is the role of IPR policy in the production and dissemination of institutional resources? What are the implications of current and potential policies?

– How well does the University support staff in obtaining appropriate copyright for e-learning materials?

– How effective are dissemination mechanisms for the dissemination of institutional resources?

Institutional: Pedagogical• Institutional issues and debates– Relationship between e-learning policy and curriculum

development– Quality assurance mechanisms– Use of e-learning for assessment and evaluation– Linkages between infrastructure and strategy

• Institutional interventions – Ensure synergy between e-learning policy & curriculum

development– Create quality assurance strategy– Ensuring that there is appropriate infrastructure to support

strategy decisions for teaching and learning (classroom facilities, data projectors, wireless access etc)

– Providing rewards for good teaching with technology

Institutional: Pedagogical (cont.)• Institutional investigations– How well do e-learning policies relate to and support

curriculum development?– How exactly is quality of e-learning courses ensured?– How exactly do staff and students use e-learning to

support their teaching and learning activities?– What pedagogical value do existing ICT-mediated practices

bring into the current classroom activities?– What existing ICT-mediated social practices do students

bring to the classroom context which can be leveraged for teaching and learning?

– Which ICT tools add value to pedagogical activities?

Institutional: Technical• Institutional issues and debates– Institutional ICT infrastructure & support– Institution-wide learning management systems– Other software for teaching and learning– On-campus/off campus accessibility

• Institutional interventions– Improvement of ICT support for students and staff– Creation of institution-wide learning management systems– Creation of institutional repository for sharing teaching

and learning resources beyond university – Wireless access

Institutional: Technical (cont.)• Institutional investigations– How well do existing structures support the use of e-

learning?– What is the role of the LMS in terms of the different

disciplinary communities within the university?– What long term scenarios need to be planned for?– How effective is the fit between the infrastructure and the

strategic direction of the institution?– What are the enabling and constraining technological and

practical factors for e-learning use?

Levels Key factors

Social, political and economic

Organisational Pedagogical & epistemological

Technical

Global

Regional

National

Institutional

Disciplinary

Course

Where is your potential project located?What are the key issues and debates?

Does your project rely on an intervention?What particular aspect will you research?

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