Rwanda International Conference on Technology in Education (RICTE) - Enhance Learning through Technology

8/9/2019 Rwanda International Conference on Technology in Education (RICTE) - Enhance Learning through Technology

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Timetable

2

*Registration Times: Tue - 14:00-17:30; Wed, Thu, Fri - 07:00-19:00

Tue, 4 Sep Wed, 5 Sep Thu, 6 Sep Fri, 7 Sep09:00-

09:30Plenary Plenary Plenary

09.30-10:00

10:00-10:30

10:30-11:00

Coffee Break Coffee Break

11:00-11:30

Coffee Break Panels Panels

11:30-12:00

Plenary

12:00-12:30

12:30-13:00

Lunch Break Lunch Break Lunch Break

13:00-13:30

13:30-14:00

14:00-14:30

Registration* Plenary Plenary Plenary

14:30-15:00

15:00-15:30

Coffee Break Coffee Break

15:30-16:00 Workshops Panels

16:00-16:30

16:30-17:00

17:00-17:30

17:30-18:00

Cocktail

18:00-18:30

18:30-

19:0019:00- Gala Diner


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Enhance Learningthrough Technology

Rwanda International Conference on Technology in Education

2012

SERENA Hotel Kigali, 5-7 September 2012

Program and Abstracts


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RICTE 2012 Organizing Committee

Head of Organizing Committee

Evode Mukama (Rwanda Education Board)

HoD- ICT in Education and ODeL Department

Scientific Committee

Bernard Bahati (Kigali Institute of Education), Bernard Nkuyubwatsi (Kigali Health

Institute), Christophe Nteziryayo (SFB), Connie Schmidt (ESRI Rwanda), Dan

Imaniriho (AUCA), Esron Uhagaze (ISAE), Gilbert Munyemana (National Universityof Rwanda), Jean Paul Murekezi (National University of Rwanda), Jean Pierre

Niyodusenga (AUCA), Julia Reynolds (One Laptop per Child), Mathias

Nduwingoma (Kigali Institute of Education), Norman Schrpel (University of

Halle, Germany), Pedro Cuellar (One Laptop per Child)

RICTE International Advisory Board

Bruce Dixon (Anytime, Anywhere Learning Foundation), Claudia Urrea (One

Laptop per Child Global), Jerome Morrissey (GeSCI), Mary Hooker (GeSCI)

Technical Committee (Rwanda Education Board)

Alexis Nkurunziza, Claudine Nyirakaribu, Diane Sengati, Emmanuel Bikorimana,

Janvier Gasana, Joyce Musabe, Laurence Mukanyubahiro, Michel Gacumbitsi,

Seth Buhigiro, Vincentie Nyangoma

Program and Abstracts of the Rwanda International Conference on Technology in Education 2012

Copyright 2012 by the Rwanda Education Board. All rights reserved.

Copyright and Reprint Permission

Abstracting is permitted with credit to the source. Libraries are permitted to photocopy beyond

the limit of national copyright law. Other copying, reprint, or reproduction request should be

addressed to Rwanda Education Board, - ICT in Education and ODeL Department P O Box: 3817

Kigali, Rwanda. Email: [email protected]

RICTE Logo by Brian Vanderpol ([email protected])

Conference Proceedings Editors: Norman Schrpel and Evode Mukama

Cover Art Emmanuel Bikorimana


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Table of contents

Table of Contents

RICTE 2012 Organizing Committee 2

Theme: Enhance Learning through Technology 5

About RICTE 7

NComputing Enabling Education Globally to Achieve

More With Less 8

Practical information 10

Briefing Note to Session Chairs 12

Some Information on Rwanda 14

Panel Abstracts 16

Wed, 5 Sep 2012, 15:30-17:00 Panel VI Technology in

education policy - (Plenary Room) 16Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel I Access and

accessibility (Meeting Room) 20

Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel II Curriculum and

content (Auditorium) 24

Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel III Innovation and

development (Delegate Room) 27

Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel IV Professionaldevelopment for educators (Salon Priv) 30

Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel V Monitoring and

evaluation (Muhazi) 34

Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel VI Technology in

education policy (Plenary Room) 37

Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel VII Access and

accessibility 2 (Imbehe) 41


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Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 15.30-17.00 Panel I Access and


Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 15.30-17.00 Panel II Curriculum andcontent (Board Room) 46

Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 15.30-17.00 Panel III Innovation and

development (Delegate Room) 50

Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 15.30-17.00 Panel V Monitoring and


Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 15.30-17.00 Panel VII Technology in

Education Policy 2 (Auditorium) 59

Fri, 7 Sep 2012, 11:00-12:30 Panel I Access and


Fri, 7 Sep 2012, 11:00-12:30 Panel II Curriculum and

content (Salon Priv) 65

Fri, 7 Sep 2012, 11:00-12:30 Panel III Innovation and

development (Auditorium) 69

Fri, 7 Sep 2012, 11:00-12:30 Panel IV Professional

development for educators (Board Room) 72Fri, 7 Sep 2012, 11:00-12:30 Panel V Monitoring and


Fri, 7 Sep 2012, 11:00-12:30 Panel VI Technology in

education policy (Plenary Room) 77

Fri, 7 Sep 2012, 11:00-12:30 Panel VII Technology in

education policy 2 (Delegate Room) 81

Sponsors 83


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Theme: Enhance Learning through Technology

New technologies for education of the last decade are providing numerousopportunities for African contexts. As a key aspect of economic and social

development in the 21st century, technology presents the opportunity to re-think

all sectors and aspects of our lives as it pushes us to new ideas and innovation. In

education the powerful uses of these technologies provide learners, teachers

and learning communities in general (parents, high level officers, etc.) and

teachers with new tools by empowering them to create their own learning

environments. Technologies do not just help provide access to knowledge, but

also enable learners and teachers to think critically, to create content, to developproblem-solving skills and to innovate. Despite the immense potential of

technology integrated education many challenges appear in the development,

understanding and implementation of these initiatives especially in Africa.

The present academic assembles contributions that put forth this 2012 theme

entitled enhance learning through technology. The Rwanda International

Conference on Technology in Education (RICTE) provides a forum for scholars

from different disciplines, including education science, sociology, anthropology,

computer science and engineering and may more, that are eager to learn, share,

and collaborate scholarly work and initiatives that, indeed, enhance learningthrough technology, contributing to not only Rwandas aims in the education

sector but also those of the region, and, in essence, the world. RICTE 2012 will

be a rich assemblage of basic research in the field but also applied contributions

from scholars, practitioners, developers and other stakeholders that will give new

insights in the field and, perhaps, hint towards tangible outcomes. The

conference is designed to cover the main theme but related through a broad

range of subthemes. Subthemes are also attached with suggested areas of focus.

Subthemes (and Panels) of RICTE 2012

1. Access & Accessibility

2. Curriculum & Content

3. Innovation & Development

4. Professional Development for Educators

5. Monitoring & Evaluation

6. Technology in Education Policy


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Rwanda International Conference on Technology and Education

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In the Call for Papers of the 2012 themes we asked contributions to be guided

by the following questions:

In what ways can technologies enhance learning and teaching? In what context technology-based solutions most effective?

How can new technologies be contextualized? Which solutions are

available and what are their advantages and disadvantages?

How new technologies can be designed and implemented and by

whom?

What are the responsibilities of the private and the public sector?

Which challenges and which strengths do African contexts provide?

What are the future perspectives?

How can partnerships be designed and developed in order to create a

sustainable and significant change?


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About RICTE

The Rwanda International Conference on Technology in Education is aninternational conference with the aim to provide a large number of leading

experts, from both the region and overseas, a forum for discussion and exchange

of information on research and development related to policy implementation,

access and accessibility, curriculum and content, professional development of

educators and monitoring and evaluation in the field of educational technology.

This will, in turn, provide valuable information to be translated into tangible

outcomes and/or collaboration initiatives for current technology in education

policies and programs especially in Rwanda and in Africa. The conference is thefirst of its kind for Rwanda and is organized by the Ministry of Education of

Rwanda under the Rwanda Education Board (REB) with support of Higher

Learning Institutions.

Enhancing education quality and accessibility is one of the key strategies to

develop Rwanda from a subsistence farming economy to a middle-income

knowledge and skill-based society. As one of its main components of this

strategy, Rwanda is putting extensive efforts in the early stages of education,

especially in projects that use technology in order to guarantee that new

generations of Rwandans are prepared for 21st century challenges. Under theleadership of H.E. the President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has developed "Vision

2020," a strategy to guide Rwandas development plans, along with the

Economic Development Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS), and in conjunction

with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and Education for All,

to reach this milestone. It is within this framework that Rwanda Education Board

has initiated RICTE as a forum for researchers, professionals, and other specialists

in the field of ICT in education to share ideas, strategies and views towards the

creation of a knowledge-based and technology-led society. The conference willfocus on research findings and projects, ideas, initiatives, policies, and in the

perspective that shared work, dialogue and experience from experienced

academics, policymakers and practitioners and those new to this forum and

community, will lead to further development and support for technology in

education. Convinced that education and Rwandan community integration into a

new social, economic and education dynamics is the key to progress, the people

of Rwanda, and the region at large, are being led to a promising stage of

development. For a more detailed background, please see: ricte.reb.rw


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NComputing Enabling Education Globally to

Achieve More With Less

NComputings end-to-end desktop virtualization solutions, powered by vSpace

software and Numo System on Chip technology and delivered with our thin

client devices, are relied upon by millions of students and administration staff all

over the world for reliable, high performance and extremely affordable access to

modern computing in learning environments. Integrating technology into the

classroom is an exciting endeavour which holds massive amounts of potential for

students and teachers alike: supporting BYOD and blended learning,

incorporating in-person lessons with online lessons, providing chat and Web-

enhanced lectures, and simply extending learning beyond the classroom into theInternet environment. Virtualization, a shared computing strategy that maximizes

efficiency by harnessing the computing power of underutilized PCs is an

excellent way to bring classrooms and labs into the 21st century, in a simple and

cost effective manner. Simply stated, virtualization allows you to achieve more

with less by simplifying management, allowing for blended learning and

collaborative technology use and by facilitating incremental rollouts.

More than 1.5 million devices are deployed in Education globally.

HP Inspiring Education

With 65 years' experience in education, HP is perfectly positioned to offer the

most innovative and accessible range of technological solutions for the

educational sector. HP Extended Offering provides educational institutions and

school systems with unique, total-value IT proposition that is specifically

designed to support and enhance learning, while keeping maintenance costs

low. We can help your clients find solutions and give them advice as to what best

fits their needs, with flexible and scalable solutions that fit their budget.

HP Classroom Manager

Versatile and easy-to-use software across multiple platforms for interactive

learning with advanced monitoring features.

HP Multi Seat Computing

Reduce your total cost of ownership (TCO) and power consumption with Multi

Seat computing. The HP Multi Seat Thin Client provides an interactive classroom

learning experience with a single PC for up to ten students and deployment is

plug-and play, for fast, easy setup.


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HP Client Virtualization

This scalable, server-based educational solution allows a flexible yet complete

PC-like experience for students using HP Thin Clients. Content can be accessedfrom anywhere, anytime, while your data stays securely on the server, reducing

exposure to threats. Help the environment with energy-efficient systems, and

reduce your TCO with simpler setup and maintenance.

Plan International

Plan International is a child-centered community development organization

working in 50 countries globally. The foundation of our organization is

sponsorship whereby individuals around the world sponsor children through amonthly financial contribution. With their support, we work in communities to

improve on the livelihoods of youth and children through sponsoring their

education, infrastructure development, empowerment through income

generating activities, etc.

Plan international has been active in Rwanda since 2007; we operate in Eastern

and Southern province in Bugesera, Gatsibo and Nyaruguru Districts. We also

support national events that, in line with our vision and mission help reach youth

and children realize their full potential.

We believe that Education is the basis to break the cycle of poverty and Plan

International Rwanda has concentrated in that field. We work on issues related to

girls education to ensure transitioning to secondary education, retention,

completion of primary and secondary education. Innovation and technology in

education can help to promote not only access, but also quality of education as a

way of shaping a brighter future for Rwandan children.

Activities within Plan international Rwanda turn around four country programmes

namely Girls education, Early childhood care and development, Advocacy and

child rights and Youth empowerment. As the chair of the Rwanda EducationNGO coordination platform, Plan international Rwanda as an expanding

International NGO believes in partnership for greater impact in improving the

livelihoods of Rwandan children.


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Practical information

Format of the conference

The conference is mixture of plenary sessions, panels, workshops and an

exhibition room:

Plenary: Plenary sessions are non-parallel sessions. The roundtable discussion

and the keynote addresses will be hosted within the plenaries.

Panels: The scientific committee of the conference clustered all presentations

into seven different panels, corresponding with the subthemes of the

RICTE2012.Workshops: The conference hosts 6 workshops. The organizers expect to give

the conference a practical aspect and also attract other participants who might

be interested in attending one or more workshops. Invited experts from the

respected fields will organize the workshops. The maximum number of

participants is 25 in order to assure the interactivity and an atmosphere of

exchange and learning.

Exhibition room: The exhibition provides space for industry, developers and

programmers to present their products and solutions.

Registration and Reception desk

Registration takes place at Conference venue, at the entrance of the conference

center. All conference materials are handed out upon registration at the

registration desk. Registration to social activities also takes place at the

registration desk. Registration times are as follows:

Tuesday, 4th September 2012 14:00-17:30

Wednesday, 5thSeptember 2012 07:00-19:00

Thursday, 6th

September 2012 07:00-19:00Friday, 7thSeptember 2012 07:00-19:00

Upon registration you will get your conference badge and the conference

materials. Please wear the badge visibly at all times during the conference, entry

to the sessions is only possible with your badge. Please also ensure that all

invoices with regard to your conference participation are settled prior to the

beginning of the conference. If your invoice is marked as unpaid, the registration

process will take longer since we will request payment on-site.


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Venue

RICTE will be held at the Kigali Serena Hotel located in the heart of Kigali just 10

kilometers from Kigali International Airport. The five-star Kigali Serena Hotel isbuilt around a polished granite atrium, which showcases the very best of

Rwandese cultural art. The hotel has one big conference hall and about other 6

small sized rooms reserved for sessions presentations.

Kigali Serena Hotel

Boulevard de la Revolution

Kigali-Rwanda

Tel: +250 788 184500

Tel: +250 252 597100

Fax: +250 252 597101

Timing of Panels and Presentations

Panels are 90-minute session and ordinarily accommodate four papers.

Presenters and Session chairs should adhere to a very strict timing, taking into

that a huge number of presentations are scheduled within a very limited time

frame. The session chairs have a degree of flexibility in structuring their

workshops. Additionally last minute cancellations inevitably occur, and thus you

will understand that we simply cannot guarantee the success of panel hopping! If


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you are very interested to hear a particular paper but do not wish to sit through

the whole workshop, we recommend you check with the session chair at the start

of the workshop to find out when the paper will actually be presented.

Let other know: post and tweet!

If you use a phone, tablet or laptop you can always check updates on the

program on the conference website ricte.reb.rw. But more than that you can

spread the word on what is happening at the conference by giving status

updates on your Facebook Page or by tweeting short information about the

session you are attending. The Twitter hashtag for the conference will be

#RICTE12.You can find the RICTE Facebook and Twitter page on the sites

/RwandaICTE.

Conference Team

There is a team of helpful staff, familiar with the program, the venue and

surrounding area, to which you can turn when in need of assistance. Conference

team members can be identified by their traditional clothes and t-shirts and by

their badges. If you cannot see a team member, please ask for help at the

reception desk in the foyer. In emergencies you can call the team leader Alexis

Nkurunziza on +250 78 636 2004.

Briefing Note to Session Chairs

Please not that you are asked to be very strict with the timing and therefore you

are advised to appoint a timekeeper. Be reminded to be fair and treat everyone

equally in the session. Sessions have several different speakers presenting their

work, point-of-view or experience and can use accompanying audiovisual

support. The sessions are in length of 90 minutes. The number of presentationvary between 3 and 4 (some few exceptions have 5), and so we ask that you

divide the time available by the number of speakers but leave about 10 minutes

or more at the end for audience input. This will usually give each speaker

between 20 and 30 speaking time. It is a good idea to allow a short amount of

time after each presentation for the audience to ask questions that require

clarification by the individual presenter. While this is happening, the next

presenter can call up their presentation slides on the computer.


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Please be in the room at least 20 minutes before the session and check that all

the people you are expecting have arrived and uploaded their presentation

material on the computer connected to the projector. Every room has a room-minder, a member of the RICTE organizing team. Their job is to ensure the

session runs smoothly from a logistical point of view. Please contact them for any

kind of problem. At the start of the session, please make sure to introduce

everyone presenting in the session. How and where everyone sits is up to you. If

a speaker runs over the agreed time, please make sure to stop him/her after

giving sufficient warning. It is important to follow the speaking order given in the

conference program. If one or more of your speakers do not turn up before the

session please alert the room-minder. The conference program team is

constantly checking who has arrived and who has not. In the cases of last-minute

cancellation, you will be contacted by the conference program manager and

either a replacement speaker will have been found or you will have extra time for

discussions.

Please remember that the audience is a very mixed, all with different levels of

experience. Many will be attending the session to gather information on a

specific topic, while others may be truly experts in the area. Please encourage all

speakers and panelists to stay till the end. Very often members of the audience

are interested in speaking privately to those presenting and their onlyopportunity is once the session is over. If you finish early, and there is no more

interaction forthcoming from the audience, then you might finish the session.

We have provided all speakers with clear instructions about what is available in

the room where audiovisual support is being used and it is up to every presenter

to ensure they bring their own support materials with them and put them on the

computer provided. We do warn everyone, that although wireless Internet is

available, we know from experience that the sheer weight of traffic generated by

RICTE can cause delays so they should not make any presentation dependent on

Internet access. There is an increasing tendency for participants to come up tothe conference room laptop once the session is over and try to copy the

presentations onto a USB memory stick from the laptop for their reference. This

is only allowed once the individual speaker concerned has agreed. At the end of

the session, please encourage people to leave the room and continue their

conversations in the open area.

Many thanks for your support in chairing this session, do not let us know if you

have any suggestions for improving the format and management of the agenda.


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Some Information on Rwanda

Spoken languages

English, French and Kinyarwanda are official languages used in administration

and business. Swahili is also spoken in urban areas. Kinyarwanda is the language

of the people, spoken throughout the country.

Communication

The international code is +250. Rwandas mobile phone network is covering the

entire country. MTN, Tigo or Airtel are the three major providers. All providershave a 3G network in the city of Kigali (3.5g for Tigo and Airtel users) and one

can expect speeds of 512/256 Kbps, available on all prepaid SIM cards. Most

hotels and restaurants provide free WIFI and you can surf the Internet from cyber

cafs in all major towns.

Emergency numbers:

Emergency call: 112

Traffic accident: 113

Maritime problems: 110

Gender based violence: 3512

Abuse by Police Officer: 3511

Ambulance: 912

Electricity

Electrical supply is 230/240 volts at 50 Hz.

In Rwanda the round 2-pronged and the British flat 3-pronged plus plug are

mainly used. We recommend to bring with you all of the said electrical travel

adapters.

SecurityRwanda is as safer than most other countries, but some common sense

precautions should be taken: Do not flaunt your wealth by wearing expensive

jeweler or carrying large wads of money openly. Avoid changing money in the

streets. Likewise avoid overcrowded streets and do not leave your baggage

unattended. It is recommended to leave your valuables in the hotel safe.


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Currency

The currency of Rwanda is Franc (F), sometimes noted as RWF (Rwandan Franc).

The inflation is modest in Rwanda. Approximate exchange rates are 1USD-605RWF and for 1EUR-750RWF.

Health & Medical Care

Yellow fever certificate is required if you have transmitted through infected areas.

Malaria prophylaxis is recommended. It is not recommended to drink tap water.

Boil it or buy mineral water from the shops. The equatorial sun can be

unexpectedly hot, even on overcast days.

Tourism in Rwanda

Rwanda has many interesting sites to visits, offering many guided tours to

choose from. There are expeditions to volcanoes, waterfalls and rainforests,

which are home to many different animals. Rwanda is home to a huge diverse

population of animals including gorillas and the largest natural park of Hippos.

Places to visit:

Genocide Memorial Sites

Akagera National Park: Home of big African wildlife such as elephant,

Zebras, Hippos, etc. Nyungwe Natural Forest: Home of beautiful birds and chimpanzees

Virunga National Park: Volcanoes; home of mountain gorillas and

buffaloes

Lake Kivu, one of the deepest lakes in the world

Rwanda National Museums


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Panel Abstracts

Wed, 5 Sep 2012, 15:30-17:00 Panel VI Technology in education

policy - (Plenary Room)

Chair: Felix K. Akorli (National University of Rwanda)

Expanding Educational Reach and Increasing Informational Exchanges

Melanie Sany

The Rwandan Youth Work Readiness Curriculum designed by the AkaziKanoze

program of the Education Development Center (EDC) provides youth with the

foundational skills and knowledge to become healthy, productive workers and

participants in civic and community affairs. Participants in the program are

educated on themes such as leadership, communication, financial literacy,

workers rights, and health and safety in the workplace. The program uses a

variety of technology to improve monitoring and evaluation, increase

communication, and reinforce program content. SMS systems have been

developed to facilitate the exchange of information between Rwandan youth the

AkaziKanoze team and an AkaziKanoze Facebook page is used as aneducational mechanism, encouraging youth to practice English skills.

The AkaziKanoze team is using an SMS youth tracking system as a monitoring

and evaluation tool, disseminating and collecting important information to and

from Rwandan youth. Surveys programed into the system are designed to obtain

data on program indicators with the survey results automatically updating the

main database. This data can then be used to assess youth progress and

evaluate program impact. To ensure comprehension and increase participation

rates, surveys are available in English, French, or Kinyarwanda. New surveys can

be easily created in the system and informational alerts can be sent to targetedgroups of youth. The SMS youth tracking system is proving to be valuable

monitoring and evaluation tool and communication asset. The use of different

technology by the AkaziKanoze program has increased access to information,

encouraged continued learning, and improved the efficiency of the project.


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ICT in schools in Rwanda: Gender, Capabilities and Social Justice

Jolly Rubagiza (Kigali Institute of Education/Centre for Gender, Culture &

Development)

Promoting gender equality and ICT in education are key objectives of the

Ministry of Education in Rwanda. This has largely been informed by the countrys

development plan, Vision 2020 that envisions Rwanda to become a middle-

income country by the year 2020. In the last decade, there have been a number

of initiatives to increase the participation of girls and boys, and to introduce ICT

in schools. This paper draws from PhD research that aimed to explore gender

issues in the teaching and learning of ICT in secondary schools, and to examine

the processes that differently enable girls and boys to acquire ICT capabilities.

Theoretically, the research draws on feminist perspectives on education, and

Sens capability approach as a framework for theorizing issues of access and use

of ICT, social justice and gender justice.

The study adopted a qualitative, case study approach, and was carried out in

three secondary schools. The methods of data collection included the use of

group and one-to-one semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and

document analysis, and the main participants were the students and teachers in

the three schools.The findings showed that whilst a lot has been done in equipping schools with

ICTs, ICT infrastructure in schools is still limited; with variations in the ways

schools are quipped. The ICT syllabus and teaching and learning processes can

be constraining for all students in the way they access, participate and engage

with ICT in school, however gendered classroom processes further constrain

girls participation. The findings further indicate that students are differently able

in the way they access ICT out-of-school, with students from the rural school and

girls in general, having little or no access to ICT outside of school. These findings

and others not listed here have implications for policymakers, teacher educatorsand practicing teachers in schools, especially with regard to promoting gender

equality in education. As the study highlights, the focus put on ensuring equal

access and representation of girls and boys in education, or equipping schools

with ICT resources, is a step in the right direction, but not enough to bring about

gender equality, or equal participation in ICT use. Rather, it is important to

consider the constraints and opportunities that all students, girls and boys have


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in school and other areas of their life, and how these impact the ICT capabilities

developed in and through education.

The Transformational Potential of Technology-enhanced, Open-access

Education on Faculty Development

Nancy B. Mock1, Laura J. Haas1, Adam Papendieck1, Mike B. Ndimurukundo1;

Patrick Kyamanywa2, Jeanine Condo2, Joseph L. Ngenzi3 (1Tulane University;2National University of Rwanda; 3Kigali Health Institute)

The transformational potential of ICT on the learning process is only in its infancy

around the world and especially in Africa, due to the severe limitations in human,

and until recently, bandwidth capacity. These limitations hamper the potential

impact of such powerful ICT tools as the archived on-line courses (iTunes

University, Earth Education, YouTube Education, etc.) and the new movement

towards Massive Open, On-Line Courses (MOOCS). In Rwanda, higher education

is trying to rapidly ramp up faculty capacity to teach more effectively and to

incorporate these important learning assets to improve learning outcomes and

produce a qualified workforce. Tulane University has been engaged

collaboratively with the National University of Rwanda and the Kigali Health

Institute to strengthen faculty teaching and mentoring competencies since 2000.The experience points to the importance of individual study plans combined with

clear competency specification, and assumes a foundation of basic ICT

infrastructure and bandwidth.

Tulane uses a modified Kirkpatrick framework to evaluate the behavioral

outcomes of certificate programs emphasizing modern pedagogy and the

application of ICT tools in support of tertiary education. The evaluation strategy

involves the use of quantitative and qualitative assessment methods and

captures change at the levels of student appreciation, knowledge and behavior

as well as organizational change as a function of combined teaching andmentoring behaviors. The approach also includes individual and organizational

assessments of barriers to change.

Tulane has found that the diversity of content knowledge and ICT skills among

Rwandan faculty members is a great constraint to traditional training delivery

methods as well as to the introduction of new methods such as MOOCs.

Especially important is individually tailored faculty development programs based

on competency acquisition; the establishment of strong peer networks; and


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initial investments to ensure basic digital literacy is achieved. Emerging methods

can be combined with more resource intensive assessment, individual

development plans and mentoring.

Educational Psychology: A study of the relationships between motivational

orientations, English language anxiety and students' English language

learning: The case of Iranian EFL learners

Galin Mahdinejad, Ramazan Hasanzadeh & Bahram Mirzaian (Islamic Azad

University- Sari Branch, Iran)

The present study aims to investigate the relationships between motivational

orientations (Intrinsic motivation, Extrinsic motivation & A motivation), English

language anxiety and English Language Learning. 354 female students were

selected from high schools (first, second and third grades) in Babol at

Mazandaran-Iran through Stratified sampling. The questionnaires including

Language Learning Orientations Scale-Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation,

and A motivation subscales (LLOS_IEA) (from Noels, Pelletier, Clement &

Vallerand, 2000) and Foreign Language Classroom anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (from

Horwitz, Horwitz & Cope, 1986) were utilized to collect the data. Students final

scores in English course were used to evaluate students learning in Englishlanguage. The Pearson Correlation and Multiple Regression Analysis were used

to analyze the data. The results of the study have revealed a statistically

significant and positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and students

English language learning. There is no significant relationship between extrinsic

motivation and students English language learning. There is a significant and

negative relationship between a motivation and students English language

learning. In addition, there is a significant and negative relationship between

students foreign language classroom anxiety and their English language

learning. The participants in the present study exhibited fairly high levels ofanxiety in their English classes. And it was also found that high anxiety plays a

somewhat debilitative role in high school students language learning. Based on

the findings, some suggestions for increasing intrinsic motivation and reducing

anxiety in students were proposed for English language teachers.


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Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel I Access and accessibility

(Meeting Room)

Chair: Donat Nzigiyimana (National University of Rwanda)

Harmonizing Capacity Building and Work Responsibilities of Rwandan

Nurses through e-Learning in Rwanda

Gilbert Munyemana (National University of Rwanda)

Before 2005, education of nurses in Rwanda was organized within general

secondary education awarding an A2 certificate. Graduates were subsequently

employed as associate nurses. In order to improve the quality of the education

and services in the health sector, the Government of Rwanda ruled in 2007 to

stop A2 nursing students (associate nurse level) and instead start training A1

nurses (diploma level) and midwives in 2007. According to the National Council

for Nurses and Midwives of Rwanda (2009), about 5000 nurses and midwives

were working in Rwandan health sector. Those were challenged to go back to

school for upgrading their level but they did not want to quit their jobs. In

addition, the Ministry of Health could not afford to replace them without

paralyzing the functioning of hospitals and health centers.

In collaboration with the National University of Rwanda, through its Centre forInstructional Technology, the Ministry of Health embarked on e-learning for

education of nurses to mitigate two conflicting obligations, namely capacity

building and work responsibilities.

The proposed presentation will discuss the background and rationale of the e-

learning initiative for the education of nurses in Rwanda, the implementation

process, challenges and remedial actions as well as the new perspectives.

The Use of Tele-Education to Increase Access to Expert Lecture Support for

a New Health Informatics Masters Program in Rwanda

Joseph L. Ngenzi1, Mike Ndimurukundo2, Adam Papendieck2& Maurice Mars3

(1Kigali Health Institute; 2Tulane University; 3University of Kwazulu Natal, South

Africa)

Since 2010 Rwanda has hosted the regional E-health Center of Excellence

funded by the Rockefeller foundation in collaboration with the government of

Rwanda. The Center is currently hosting its first two cohorts seeking the Masters


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in Health Informatics. The content of this program is very new on the African

continent, and while the Centers local faculty provide the majority of the lecture

support for the new program, visiting lecturers from outside of Rwanda mustsometimes be leveraged to provide support where specialist knowledge is

difficult to harness locally. One such area is Medical Imaging and telemedicine

Module, where lecturers from outside Rwanda are teaching this module courses

via videoconference. The objective of this case study is to assess student

satisfaction with a tele-education approach in combination with learning

management system.

The teaching was done via videoconference and teaching materials were posted

on Kigali Health Institute learning management system for student access.

Among 22 students requested to fill the questionnaire 17 filled the

questionnaire. Students were requested to provide their views at the end of their

teaching and learning process.

88 % participants agreed that teaching via videoconference was comparable to

face-to-face with regard to quality of learning experience. 82 % agreed that they

would wish to follow another module teaching delivery methods. 94 % of the

respondents agreed that the technical support and tutorial assistant are needed

in remote training site. 88 % agreed that videoconference system should be

integrated in normal teaching and learning activities.100 % of participants haveagreed that the quality of audio and audio was good .100 % participant have

internet access at their workplace. 100 % participants have their personal laptops

and their own modem.

Tele-education is an appropriate teaching methodology and use of technology.

In comparison to face-to-face teaching, students are similarly satisfied with the

use of a high definition room-based videoconference in combination with a

learning management system. It is recommended that institutions of higher

education consider including provisions for the sharing of expert lecturers via

tele-education in routine memorandums of understanding they hold with otherinstitutions. This would be particularly helpful for institutions developing new

programs where specialist knowledge is difficult to access locally.


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The benefits and challenges associated with e-learning: A case study of Pan

African Tele-education under Kigali Institute of Education Learning Center

Sadate Murekezi (Kigali Institute of Education)

The paper investigates the use e-learning by students and staff members of the

Kigali Institute of Education (KIE). Empirical data was conducted by mixing

qualitative and quantitative methods, including questionnaires, interviews and

observations.

The main objectives were: To identify the benefits of an e-learning program in a

higher learning institution KIE. In addition the paper investigates the

challenges that students under e-learning program are facing. Possible solutions

will be proposed to overcome the challenges encountered by students under e-

learning program in KIE learning center. In order to achieve the objectives

above, the following questions were formulated:

What are the benefits of e-learning program to an institute of higher

learning like KIE?

What are the challenges encountered by students under e-learning

program?

What should be the means to overcome the challenges encountered by

students under e-learning program?The study was carried out in KIE. In this research KIE Learning Center was chosen

as a case study. Four out of six staff members and 60 out of 625 students

(randomly selected) responded the questionnaires. Each of the respondents had

their responses in writing and a few of them were interviewed. The findings

revealed that e-learning has contributed in increasing both the quality of

teaching and the number of enrollments of KIE. But the lack of required ICT

facilities constitutes barriers to effective and active learning for students under

the e-learning program. The poor performance of e-learning students is mostly

associated with job stress.The contribution of e-learning is of high value for those people willing to study,

but have limited time. They can access education and training by using

eLearning tools and modules related to the field he or she wants to study. The

present study recommends that both program designers and KIE Learning

Center should provide enough resources, including computer labs, books,

software, professional local lecturers to assist them, and should provide enough

time for practices in order to enrich students knowledge.


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e-Learning & Integration of HLIs and Schools: Access and Accessibility

Gaurav Bajpai (Kigali Institute of Science and Technology)

e-Learning is a powerful tool of ICT. In this paper the highlight is to develop a

fully sustainable online education. This shall be done in three phases. The first

phase is to accumulate all online material that already exists in the country. The

second phase should be to develop the remaining Gaps in all different

programmes and respective modules or subjects. The third phase should start to

provide these materials to all with the help of Higher learning institutes (HLIs) as

they have infrastructure all around the country. This should start immediately by

means of television broadcast/radio FM learning mobile and internet based

facilities. The design includes making sure that content is fully developed in

house. The material should be uploaded on data centre. The access should be

easily available. Moreover, All HLIs should let the school teachers and students

fully utilize the resources during break period of HLIs. The expected results are

wide in scope. This shall enable high rate of learning and also promote students

towards higher education. This integration should boost primary and secondary

education. This shall improve ICT resource utilization that shall be optimised.

Moreover students at all level shall benefit the structure both in terms of learning

and building capacity.Implemented properly the education system shall take a leap forward. This

research should be able to provide high rate of performance when students

enter HLIs and even most far off and geographically disconnected locations shall

also be taken care of. Further, private and public partnerships shall boost the

financial gap which should really not be a problem.


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Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel II Curriculum and content

(Auditorium)

Chair: Jean Bosco Mugiraneza (Kigali Independent University)

Integration of Classroom Content into ICT Education

Brett Levine (Computers 4 Kids)

The traditional teaching of ICT skills has sometimes become a challenge in the

new world of digital tablets / attention spans of learners / modern technologies

etc. This paper deals with the formal integration of everyday subjects such as

Mathematics, Sciences, Geographies etc. into an ICT curriculum that is endorsedin 148 countries.

Learners are taught to reinforce everyday classroom topics whilst attaining

essential ICT skills which have been formally benchmarked. These skills include

advanced use of spreadsheets, word processors, emailing, presentations etc. In

this way the learning experience becomes vibrant and interesting. The content is

aligned to be relevant in each country of operation and provision has been made

for remediation and extension for those learners having such needs.

This learning system has been used by over 6 million learners and the research is

ongoing to continually improve the experience and the ultimate benefits to bothlearners and teachers. Feedback is used on a regular basis to improve the

system, offering. New technologies such as digital tablets and collaboration are

being currently being included in the system.

GIS in Secondary School Education in Rwanda

Connie Schmidt (Esri Rwanda)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) serves as an acknowledged tool to enrichand integrate many fields in education like geography, information technology,

biology, economy, agronomy and social studies thus creating a new type of

literacy. In addition the use of GIS offers the students an easy and hands-on

learning of computer technology in general. The students find GIS an attractive

and accessible portal to information and communication technologies,

programming, databases, networks, visualisation and spatial relations. GIS

integrated in teaching not only facilitates the learning of ICT and other related

topics but serves also as a good fundament for further studies at the Universities


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and later in various professions. With the growing number of Secondary Schools

in Rwanda connected to the internet and the evolving GIS internet tools will

enable students and teachers to be connected, to learn from each other and toshare their GIS knowledge.

Connecting classrooms: an online school linking progamme

Nyree Pinder & Libby Karangwa-Miles (The British Council)

Connecting Classrooms is a British Council managed programme working in over

50 countries that offers school partnerships, professional development courses,

accreditation and the chance to share best practice with international

counterparts. Links through Connecting Classrooms to schools in the developing

world are funded in partnership with the UK Government through the

Department for International Development.

Vision Ahazaza: Internet

Raina Luff (Ahazaza)

Ahazaza is an independent school situated in Muhanga. The children of the

school are educated in three languages: English, French and Kinyarwanda. Allcourses are organized in an interactive way in classes of a maximum 25 pupils.

The school focuses on all varieties of the Rwandan population and in particular

one fourth of the children of Ahazaza benefit from a scholarship. Ahazaza wants

to bring all its pupils to the maximum of their capacity.

The main objective of the school is to form intelligent and competent Rwandan

citizens able to help to build the future of this nation. Seeing every situation as a

possibility to learn and getting good training for its teachers are the main

conditions to achieve these objectives. Last year, Ahazaza participated for the

first time in the national exams and ranked the 13th place in the national exams.In the Southern Province, the school ranks first. Taking into account the present

influence of internet in the society, Ahazaza is looking for an advantageous way

to enhance the possibility for its pupils to learn with the internet. The school

being a private institution doesn't get any help from the government.

Due to the present crises in the international finance, the help it used to get from

the developed countries has become more and more exceptional. That is why, in

order to become sustainable and not to have to depend anymore from the


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foreign help, Ahazaza has decided to develop some income generating

activities. It will, therefore rent its multipurpose hall for marriages, films,

conferences or any other cultural activity as soon as it will be able to completefurbishing it. All the audio equipment is already purchased. We also opened a

school canteen for our pupils and we intend to open a cybercenter. To this end

the school has already acquired premises, furniture and has just received 20 new

laptops from some young volunteers who have come to Rwanda to hand them

over and install them. However in order to implement this project, an internet

connection is needed.

Not being a public nor a subsidized school, Ahazaza is asked a full price for the

internet connection, a price that it cannot afford. The current need of internet at

schools all over the world is in contrast with the very high prices that are asked

by companies offering internet. At the same time, the ambition of Ahazaza is no

less than to create a surplus value to the whole population of Muhanga.by

opening its cyber-center.


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Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel III Innovation and development

(Delegate Room)

Chair: Catherine Uwimana (Ibaba)

Construction of a learning community in a course on line on the search of

information on internet

Ernest Ngendahayo (Rukara College of Education)

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has become

more pervasive in Rwandan education system. However, little is known about

how learning takes place in ICT-mediated learning environments. This paperreports on findings from a qualitative study examining the nature of 13 in-service

secondary school teachers learning experiences during a course on line on the

search of information on internet. Qualitative data was collected through

observation, semi-structured interviews and focus groups and emails exchanged

between learners and tutors. Our findings suggest the development of a learning

community in which interactions among learners neither depend on time nor on

space. They are coherent with most of the premises of socio-constructivist

perspective on learning, mainly co-construction of knowledge as well as learners

increased sense of ownership and control over their learning processes. Theyalso illustrate the new role to be played by a teacher, particularly the shift from

the role of a knowledge provider to the one of a supporter and facilitator of

learning. Technical difficulties and students limited ICT skills as well as their

limited familiarity with electronic environments emerged as the most important

challenges. Students responses to such challenges are discussed.

Creation and Implementation of a Lab Course of Astronomy for Physics

Students in NURElena V. Kondakova (National University of Rwanda)

The course of Astronomy for Physics Students is often passive learning

environments based on lecture and assigned readings that do not give students

exposure to science as a human activity and mode of thought. Adding well-

designed learner-centered labs allows students to experience science as a

pattern of thought. We present an approach to create an introductory lab

course. Development of practical skills, particularly research skills, and motivation


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to study Astronomy and Physics, and also identification of goals and student

outcomes, process and attitudinal goals, are a key steps. Principles of the

systems approach are a basis for labs content and structure design. We applystructure content around core concepts to provide cohesion and facilitate

knowledge transfer. Absence of the laboratory equipment is our basic problem.

We have only one small telescope refractor. Therefore we use Web-based

astronomy resources, modeling and active learning exercises to more effectively

teach astronomy to Physics students at NUR. A lab course offers the opportunity

to build student conceptual knowledge and intuition through direct interaction

with basic physical phenomena. In addition, the lab setting takes advantage of

the strong social aspects of human learning via peer interaction.

Faible representation, filles, sciences exactes, mathemathiques, physiques,

chimie, biologie

Joseph Shyirambere & Venant Ntagara (Institut Polytechnique de Byumba)

The Government of Rwanda, aware of its duty to ensure national development,

launched a long term policy: Vision 2020. As it needed to succeed that process,

the Government of Rwanda identifies some cross-cutting areas such as gender.

The latter was identified as a crucial issue in economic growth, notably in relationwith science and technology. However, an obstacle is to be taken into account.

Womens subordination towards men, which was inherited from tradition, led

girls to being quite few, in comparison with boys, in faculties of science such as

mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.

Specifically, three theses to verify during the research were formulated: science

studies could be feared by girls, because they are said to be tough; girls do not

see enough women who are successfully involved in science so as to be models

within the community; and a stereotype within the community spreads the idea

that women are not, naturally, able to learn science.In this research, the following objectives were focused on: identification of

structural causes of the situation described above, and specifically, root causes

and mechanisms which lead girls to social science more than math and other

scientific areas, and roadblocks which discourage them when they think of

choosing a faculty of science. During the data collection process, the following

techniques were used: documents review, interviews and a questionnaire. For

data processing the following methods were used: comparison, analysis and


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synthesis. In brief, obstacles of girls in relation to science studies are due to

cultural and social structure (psychological and social barriers, girls attitudes and

behaviour as well as external interference such as lovers and poverty issues.Nobody mentioned biological factors as a reason for the unequal representation

of girls, in comparison to boys, with boys, in science faculties.

Thermal Energy Saving and Natural Ventilation Realization by using

TEKUTANGIJE Technology

Isidore Nzeyimana, Alphonse Mutabazi & Charles Ndagije (TEKUTANGIJE Ltd)

The Rwandan population suffers from the problem of energy insufficiency

because, the only existing energy source for cooking is woods. To prepare food

in many African families including Rwanda the wood is mainly used. The wood is

used not only in families but also in schools and in some factories. Considering

the limitation of means of our population in terms of energy utilization, and

considering that for long time African population will need to use wood as

source of energy especially for cooking, to avoid the increasing of the problem

related to the deforestation, and others problems such as carbon sinks,

Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions from the burning of biomass, preserving the

health of the population by releasing smoke with special chimney and acquisitionof boiled water to drink, from the good idea of Mr. Isidore Nzeyimana a good

technology named TEKUTANGIJE aiming to solve some of these problems has

been invented for underdeveloped countries. This is an energy efficiency

technology recovering energy loss through heat recovery system. It is an isolated

system which aims to save thermal energy by using a small quantity of wood and

by combining many functions of kitchen (cook, to boil water and fits latticework

on some food), and to protect the environment by avoiding the carbon dioxide

propagation in space, and smoke propagation in our houses and consequently

to avoid all relating diseases.


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Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel IV Professional development

for educators (Salon Priv)

Chair: Francis Dominicus Nzabuheraheza

Teaching with ICT Kits (TwIKS)

Alphonse Uworwabayeho, Paul Denley & Rosamund Sutherland (Kigali Institute

of Education)

This presentation is concerned mainly with part of EdQual in Rwanda where staff

at Kigali Institute of Education with support from the UK and Chile are working

with teachers in twelve schools in disadvantaged areas to encourage the use ofinformation and communication technology (ICT) to enhance the teaching of

science and mathematics. Through training workshops at KIE and in-school

support, teachers have been using low cost software to teach lessons linked to

national curriculum programmes and evaluate their impact. The action research

model being used for professional development is one which encourages

teachers to be involved as much as possible in collaboration with KIE staff to

design and implement activities in their schools. Some of the project teachers

have now been involved in two annual cycles of implementation and are

becoming more confident and competent in their ability to plan and managelessons using ICT. In order to support the teachers further to involve more

teachers in their own schools and to extend the project into other Rwandan

schools, the project team needed to produce some sort of professional

development resource to illustrate the sort of applications which might

realistically be tried out. To this end we have developed the TwIK - 'Teaching

with ICT Kit'. The TwIK is built around a simple PowerPoint presentation that can

be used by individual teachers or groups to illustrate the sort of applications and

lessons which teachers have been trying out in project schools. The TwIK consistsof video extracts of lessons with supporting information and commentary as well

as details of software used and other resources. The importance of using

classroom video is stressed so that teachers will be able to see ICT be used in

real Rwandan schools and thereby be encouraged to try out the activities shown

or develop their own along similar lines. There is a lot of video material from

industrialised settings but the appeal of using locally generated illustrations is

strong. The presentation will describe the development and content of the TwIKs

and provide some initial feedback on their first use. The project team believes


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that the concept of the TwIK is an innovative approach to providing support for

teacher professional development which might also be appropriate in other

African contexts.

Improving collaboration and networking among teacher technology

champions using an information training system

Diane Sengati & Evode Mukama (Rwanda Education Board)

In order to integrate new ICTs in teaching and learning ICT regarded here as a

pedagogical tool some higher learning institutions prefer to work with

university students. These students are commonly called Student Technology

Assistants (STA) in that they are hired and trained to assist faculty members to

implement instructional technologies and/or audiovisual and multimedia-based

education projects. At the NUR, STAs provide support in running ICT4Kids

Program and in the production of instructional technology and video learning

materials.

Teachers need support for sustainable and enjoyable development skills. In this

regards, Rwanda Education Board has trained teachers and student technology

champions, who will act as trainers to train teachers in their respective districts.

Along with acquiring skills and knowledge, technology champions need to formICT clubs to not only support teachers but also encourage the community to

embrace new technologies. This will help trainers to keep themselves updated as

technology is a wide and continuously changing environment. ICT clubs will help

members on improving skills as they will have facilities to visit training centers

and will allow them having a hands-on experience. This will help them

understand technology faster to allow them train and support others, be more

productive, and more innovative.

Together, members of the clubs can develop projects and present them to their

respective communities. They can frequently visit the training center to accessinternet where they will have opportunities to work independently of their core

trainers and will be able to try online activities.

Teachers will help their colleagues from either the same school or different

schools, using either the internet face to face or. Teachers, during their training,

are exposed to useful teaching/learning resources and they can share the

knowledge with other teachers.


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So far 16 ICT clubs are created in 11 districts in the country, 12 for student

technology champions and 4 for teacher technology champions. The ICT clubs

were created from the 11 Teacher Training Colleges where there wasopportunity to use them as training centres as they had well equipped computer

labs and an internet connection adding on being Teacher Resource Centres.

Online In-Service Teacher Training in Teacher Training Colleges

Kalle Hedlund (Education Finder, Sweden)

MKFC Stockholm College and Kigali Institute of Education has done an e-

learning project that MKFC has done together with Kigali Institute of Education

and with the three Teacher Training Colleges SAVE, Rubenga and Matimba. The

capacity building program support involved teachers and TTCs to use ICT tools

and social media in their own learning. They will also build competence to create

Online e-learning courses, and this way decrease costs for both institutions and

students, increase the accessibility of learning and improve the education

quality.

Some of the teachers from the program are invited to present who to get further

training in schools by using international e-learning communities. There has been

30 teachers, one online tutor from MKFC, one workshop at KIE and many onlinecommunities has been used during the education for example wikis

http://www.stockholmcollege.se/about-wiki-for-teachers-and-students/

professional teacher communities TES http://rwanda.mkfc.se/83/. It is true ICT is

large and it there to facilitate our daily activities. Many people, we affirm, use ICT

for few purposes and trivial things while they could benefit more from it. For

instance sharing resources on TES Lesson plans and discussing on Wiki space

with all teachers in the world help the teachers to open their horizons and

exchange knowledge and experiences as well as getting solutions to their daily

problems related to their profession. The presentation is done from Rwandanteachers and Swedish teachers perspective and the experiences to collaborate in

a e-learning program.


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Research and publication software in Adventist University of central Africa

Clement Mbabazi (G.S.I. Rwanda)

The software is designed to publish research and publication automatically

online. When a lecturer or anybody else wants to publish an article, the software

avails the process of doing this easily. AUCA administrator of the software must

first registrar all staff and faculty. Staff and faculty create their own accounts that

can be used to make a publication and may also upload articles and research

findings on that account. Researchers may download all articles needed. And ask

question related to the articles published and staff and faculty can give the

solution to the question asked by the researchers (anybody who read their

writings). Researchers have opportunities to give the comment on article

published.


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Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel V Monitoring and evaluation

(Muhazi)

Chair: Emmanuel Manirafasha (Kavumu College of Education)

Impact of Online Assessment and Marks Publication in Higher Education in

Rwanda

Park Sung Han, Solange Mukamurenzi & Silas Majyambere (National University of

Rwanda)

The use of ICT in education facilitates and eases the academic activities such as

teaching and learning, assessing students, marking process, publishing marks,promoting students to next level. In Rwanda student-computer ratio has

improved, all students in higher education have mobile phones; network

bandwidth has increased after the implementation of fiber optic networks. The

higher education institutions are still handling assessment and marks in

traditional ways. These institutions can start to benefit from the new technologies

to improve the quality of services and reduce heavy workload for teachers; this

will also involve students in use of ICT in Education. This research tends to

evaluate the existing ways of assessing students and publishing marks in higher

educational institutions, its impact on academic process, then analyze theimplementation of a web based application for assessment and marks

publication that support web user interface and mobile interface.

National Examination Gateway: Empowering the minds, brightening the

future

Wellars R. Muhoza (Isaro Foundation/ISAI Busogo)

Rwanda is a country in the process of branding itself as the information andtechnology hub in Africa. Despite incredible progress towards this vision, many

challenges still remain. One of the challenges is the absence of a viable cyber

educational infrastructure supporting students while preparing for National

Exams. Student in the final year of primary school, secondary school ordinary

level and advanced level still face numerous challenges while revising school

material especially when preparing for national examinations. National

Examination Gateways approach to this crucial problem is to build a

comprehensive national exams preparation platform using ICT. The platform will


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house past exams, practice exams, education materials to assist students not

only in the national exam preparation process, but also in their entire learning

experience. Doing so will allow us to join hands with the government initiatives innot only improving the quality education, but also contributing in the

achievement of our vision 2020.

Monitoring and Evaluation of Examinations in Prevention of Cheating &

Plagiarism: Technology in Education and Quality Assurance

Philippe Mporebucye & Gaurav Bajpai (Kigali Institute of Science and

Technology)

In this paper we shall suggest three different methods to Monitor and evaluate

examination in preventing cheating and plagiarism at specific levels. This shall

also be integrated into a single system to avoid any delay of information

delivery. In phase I we shall discuss about cheating in examination. Each year,

about 2 students are being indefinitely expelled from KIST due to cheating in

examinations. These are only those who are caught with tangible evidences. This

is a loss for the Institute and for the Country as well. We propose to install

surveillance cameras in examination rooms, as the devices that are an important

way not only to collect evidence if cheating is suspected but also to preventmost of examination malpractices. The new practice will also contribute in

implementing a merit-based system in education.

In Phase II this paper shall discuss cheating or mishandling of students

attendance records. Here we suggest using fingerprint Recognition system to

avoid lecturer wasting lecture time and energy on this purpose of recording

attendance. This shall also avoid proxy attendance with resolving the problem of

any manual error done by lecturer as well. As the system shall be integrated with

students examination and registration system. It shall provide identification of

such low attendance students automatically without delay too.In phase III this paper shall elaborate to submit all assignments and presentation

like projects, seminars etc. into a database system this shall be cross referenced

to all material submitted by students as continuous assessment. This shall avoid

plagiarism and help identify all such examinations malpractices.

Lastly all phases shall be integrated on real time to provide best suited, fair and

quality assured results on time.


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Assessment and evaluation as means to ensure quality assurance in Higher

Learning Institutions

Joan Murungi (National University of Rwanda)

Learning through technology cannot be enhanced without assessment and

evaluation. In fact, many new technologies have been developed to assess and

evaluate projects and programs as a means of ensuring Quality Assurance in

many public and governments institutions. Assessment and Evaluation using

technology has been critical to issues of Quality Assurance in Higher education

institutions in Africa on all aspects. For instance, the attempt of governments to

reorganize the public sector by introducing commercial principals has not only

lead Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to join the move but to also introduce

market elements in the education sector. It is therefore not surprising to see

Higher Education Institutions referring to their students as customers. And

like all other business entities in the world, Higher Education Institutions have

introduced new technologies for collecting their customers opinions and views

as a way of assessing and evaluating the quality of their services.

Moreover, ensuring quality remains critical to addressing challenges of academic

excellence for high education institutions in Africa in the next few decades or so.

Enhancing innovative ways by use of technology is therefore very essential as itwill foster effective practices in teaching and learning and thus promote efficient

and effective assessment and evaluation that will ensure Quality Assurance in

Higher Education. This will increases student engagement with course materials

and support active learning while promoting communication and collaboration

between teachers and learners.


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Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel VI Technology in education

policy (Plenary Room)

Chair: Vincent Kagabo

When you say "21stcentury learning" what do you (really) mean?

Jay Hurvitz (The Mofet Institute, Israel)

Though everyone seems to speak about "21st Century Learning", or "21st

Century Skills", it's far from clear that everyone using these phrases actually refer

to the same things, or share common educational goals. On the whole these

terms have become catch-phrases, and as such have lost any real meaning. Wenod our heads in agreement when we hear that today's students must be

prepared for tomorrow's world, but when asked to clarify what this might mean

in the classroom, more catch-phrases creativity, cooperation, information

literacy are called upon, without being clearly defined. In addition, the

connection between these terms (that are far from new to education) and the use

of today's digital technologies is assumed as a given, but few seem able to

actually describe this connection, or show how these tools will actually bring

about educational change. Often it is assumed that digital tools will inevitably

lead to more creativity and cooperation, even as in schools today these tools arebeing used more and more to create more regimented learning experiences and

to bolster the evaluation methods most identified with the "traditional"

classroom. Different groups within each society use the same educational terms,

but with very different meanings and intents, envisioning considerably different

educational goals. The presentation will examine how the field of ICT in

education represents a coalition of numerous differing points of view concerning

the future of education. It will emphasize that even though each group uses the

same terms, the educational (and societal) futures that they envision areconsiderably different.

ICT literacy through learning by doing: a strategy to support students and

teachers to create educational materials

Catherine Uwimana (Ibaba)

The paper introduces the participatory design and development of innovative

ways of creating educational materials for children with youth and teachers


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through ICT workshops within the Rwanda District ICT Champions Project. The

motivation to design and develop special educational materials was to promote

reading culture, the research spirit and intellectual and scientific curiosity foryoung Rwandans by utilizing ICTs. We consider this as a strategy to empower

youth with skills, motivation, ownership and application of knowledge they

experience in concrete realities. ICTs are tools to help achieving these goals. We

used Microsoft Windows and Internet to design and develop group based

projects for students and teachers. We designed and developed booklets and

short movies on different projects chosen by trainees. We also used debates,

plays, songs, graphic arts, photography, filming and traditional poetry of

Imivugo and Ibisingizo in project development processes. We developed

110 booklets projects from 600 trainees, with 55 booklets from students. In 11

groups of trainees, we selected two best projects from each group, to be fully

developed and published by Rwanda Education Board. We found that from

students projects, 64% reported on science and technologies, among them with

62.6% of agriculture related projects; 22% were related to civic education and

14% on culture. The present paper provides a start-up for further research and

activities in educational materials manufacturing. The students and teachers

projects approached grass roots to exploit indigenous knowledge by integrating

new technologies. The project also set the cornerstone for the formation of ICTClubs, which will continue to develop and extend their activities through writing,

filming, blogging, podcasts and other ICT learning tools. Trainees underlined the

importance of the use of constructivist learning tools and science and

technology information sharing as the best way to deepen learning processes.

The project shows new opportunities for science and technology being used as a

new asset for social entrepreneurship in education, where traditional prose

meets modernity, adapts science and technology to local needs in Kinyarwanda

and English, and also to upgrade new approaches to bring science and

technology to the general public.

The global organization of knowledge and learning in CERN experiments

Hans Hoffmann (CERN, Switzerland)


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Knowledge Transfer Partnership Approach to Improving Academia

Stakeholders Collaboration in Research and Training

Felix K. Akorli (National University of Rwanda)

Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) in most African countries do not

commercialise their research works and projects, which are turned out by staff

and students, although many of these works may have high values. The main

stakeholders i.e. industries, communities, public and private organisations and

instituitions, consider most of the research works and graduates very theoretical.

This may be due to gap between stakeholders and consumers of the products

from IHL and the training instituitions. This paper proposes a Knowledge

Transfer Partnership approach to collaborate with stakeholders in training of

graduates and also supporting research works.

Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a method being used in the United

Kingdom to establish a healthy research collaboration between industries and

academia. It enables the industries to tap into the expertise of the universities

and research institutuitions to improve their competiveness in their respective

areas of operation. The KTP brings value to the research work that is produced in

the universities at the graduate and undergraduate level.

In order to get the confidence of the stakeholders in the KTP collaboration, theuniversities have to first and foremost encourage the respective stakeholders to

deliver seminars to staff and students regularly. Experts from the fields may

discuss with staff and students various challenges faced in their fields of

operations. Academic staff should endevour to research into and seek solution to

helping the stakeholders. In so doing, stakeholders will establish confidence in

the capability of the academia.

This type of collaboration between academia and stakeholders helps have

positive influence on the researchers to have confidence to interact with

stakeholders, generate new research ideas and support sharing of knowledgenot only with partners but also with the commercial institutions. It will increase

quality of research publications in peer reviewed journals. It will also help those

who participate in the partnership to get promotion in their fields of expertise. It

will improve and increase trust and confidence of research works of our

university. It will promote industry university collaboration for sustainable

research work. Create conducive environment for young graduate to join NUR as


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researchers. Will encourage some of the graduates to set up own private

business and consultancy.


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Thu, 6 Sep 2012, 11.00-12.30 Panel VII Access and acce

Documents

Rwanda International Conference on Technology in Education (RICTE) - Enhance Learning through Technology