Session three: telecentre Academy standards

Session three: telecentre.org Academy standards

Basheerhamad Shadrach


… a social investment program that aims to

improve the capacity and sustainability of telecentres

around the world.


• Competency StandardsCurriculum Standards

• Comparability indicators• The Charter, code of conduct, and

accreditation• Certification

Telecentre.org Academy standards: the 5Cs


Telecentre.org Academy: the competency standards

Job expectations and basis for assessment and formal qualification

• Practice – Compliance with the intent; Fulfilment of universal service obligations

• Ethics – Integration of organisational code; Working within the framework;

Recognition of consequences of unethical practice; Acknowledgement of the seriousness of role – values, impartiality, rights of citizens, etc; Understanding accountability measures

• Behaviour – understanding and respect to local settings, context and limitations;

application of on the spot judgement; demonstration of analytical skills• Competence

– Understanding of one’s own relevance; Demonstrated skills and technical knowledge of one’s own practice

• Self-development– Aptitude and quest for learning; Participation in alumni networks;

Contribution to other’s learning needs; Demonstration of learning needs


Telecentre.org Academy: the competency standards• Performance and decisions

– Analytical skills to match the demand with the source; time management; Demonstration of cost-benefit analysis at work; Ability to plan, operate and review

– Determination of priorities in consultation; Decisions coupled with timelines; Documentation of planned activities; Corrective actions upon failures

• Comprehension

– Understanding of the nature of job; Expansion of operation based on the users’ priorities and needs; Responsiveness to emergencies and exigencies; Involvement in user education

• Evaluation

– Determination of progress towards planned activities; Understanding of outcomes versus outputs; Application of redressal mechanism

• Collaboration

– Moving out of boundaries while staying within limits and framework; Partnership and networking priorities; Collective action and respect to individual organisational ethos and practices; Not stepping on others’ toes, but walking hand in hand


Telecentre.org Academy: the competency standards

• Group work tasks (Leader: Beth)

• Ponder upon the question of what makes a telecentre operator, a telecentre operator (10 minutes)

• Develop a generic job description with performance standard for a telecentre operator (20 min)

• Enlist the evaluation criteria for assessing performance of each task outlined in the job description (10 min)

• Highlight the learning/training needs of telecentre operator in practice (20 min)


Telecentre.org Academy: the curriculum standards

• Curriculum does not only make one skilful, but conscious of one’s own contribution to society and participate fully in national life

• Curriculum standards would mean, application of standards to a curriculum

• In other words, curriculum Framework that defines the curriculum makes it easier to apply standards

– Provides guidance for organisation of specific knowledge and instruction

– Also assists curriculum developers to overcome policy fragmentations

– Provides some choices on instructional programs, material adoption, teacher/mentor preparation, professional development mandate and assessment

– Sets benchmarks



• Components of curriculum framework– Vision statement that relate to the mission– Subject area topics reflecting the competences desired to be

acquired– Pedagogy and teacher principles– Linkages between content to student learning (teacher and

student preparation, professional development, support services, facilities, community involvement, assessment, certification)

– Rationale for the use or non-use of technology in classrooms and in distance

– Performance assessment combined with alternative assessment forms based on local contexts



• Group work tasks (Leader: Zuaria)

• Discuss and spell out the intent (20 min)• Vision; and, Learners’ outcomes• Discuss curriculum framework and attach standards for the

following (40 min)– Topics and content based on procedural, declarative and

contextual knowledge of domain– Curriculum units, pedagogy based on the absorption capacity of

learners – Instructional design, instructional technology and support

services – Tutor and student preparation, given the nature of students and

their context – Assessment and certification based on performance, students’

work, comments on students’ work – Implementation and oversight


Telecentre.org Academy: the comparable indicators

• A measure to determine how each institution is performing in a global environment

• Does not serve as a ‘league table’ or a rating system, but– An opportunity to collate information on the performance of

each academy– An opportunity to learn and share from one another, where

applicable– Enables institutions to revisit areas of weakness and ask for

peer support – Informs policy and contributes to accountability at global level

• Makes association very competitive and engaging



• Helps to enhance performance by developing appropriate strategies for universalising access to learning

• Identifies opportunity for vertical mobility in academy and career pursuits of learners

• Links access to quality to projected outcomes to efficiency• Enables corrective measures in teacher/mentor support and helps

to remedy drop-out rates• Identify strategies to incentivise and motivate continuous

professional development• Aids to sustain interest and develop an engagement plan• Supports decisions on investment priorities



• Group work tasks (Leader: Isidre)

• Discuss the need for comparable performance indicators and spell out the rationale (20 min)

• Identify a set of indicators based on the quality issue rather than performance rating (30 min)– Access-related– Infrastructure-related– Resources-related– Systems-related– Incentives and outcomes-related

• Discuss and agree upon ways and means to collect information on identified indicators (10 min)


Telecentre.org Academy: the charter and accreditation

• Charter is quite often referred to as the client service principle; and one of the best service to clients is offering accreditation in an educational program of kind

• Service charters are powerful instruments to promise quality service, service delivery and user satisfaction

• It also serves to shape-up service delivery and offers an opportunity to measure performance against service standards

• Charter also allows for consolidating the work carried out so far while sustaining the service culture within the organisation



• Accreditation is a process where authority for the provision of good and services are entrusted

• Accreditation in telecentre.org Academy parlance will involve certification of competence to operate as telecentre.org national academy and benefit from the credibility

• An Accreditation process that evolves in a bottoms-up manner shall benefit largely from the credibility of actors involved

• Accreditation process will mean not just quality assurance, but also ethical behaviour, compliance of procedures and audits placed to evaluate competences time to time



• Benefits of accreditation spans across:– Knowing strengths and weaknesses of organisations– Identification of areas for planning and intensifying resources– Realisation of performance budgeting principles– Provision of reliable information to the community at large

(the telecentre.org Academy community, in this case)– Promotion of intra and inter-organisational interaction– Keeps oneself competent always



• Group work tasks (Leader: Sherif)

• Discuss the need for a service charter for telecentre.org Academy and define the bare minimum service indicators (20 min)

• Discuss and define an accreditation process for telecentre.org Academy (30 min)– The competence for accreditation– Eligibility criteria for assessment– Process of accreditation– Time duration of accreditation– Self-study report mechanism– Peer-study mechanism for assessment

• Discuss and agree upon the authority and power offered to accredited organisations (10 min)


Telecentre.org Academy: the certification

• Refers to the process followed for reviewing the competencies of individuals for accomplishing given tasks

• Often various types of certification in play – certifying on-the-job practitioners; certifying new entrants; certifying apprentices

• Certification process involves merits and credibility by certifying organisation

• Certification process must bring along, not just credibility, but also market value to those certified

• Market value translates into employability and decisions on continued employability, reward and recognition

• An opportunity for upward mobility in academic pursuits


Telecentre.org Academy: the certification

• Group work tasks (Leader: Yacine)

• Discuss and define the value of certification for telecentre.org Academy learners (10 min)

• Discuss and define the added value (if any) of telecentre.org global certification (10 min)

• Discuss the types of certification and the assessment process for each of the types (20 min)

• Discuss and identify certification assistance service required for certifying telecentre.org Academies to certify learners (20 min)


Telecentre.org Academy: the 5C effect

Supporting the demonstration of the core competence of change-makers of the world to come

Documents

Session three: telecentre Academy standards