A Case Study on ICT use in TIVET
Institutions in Kenya:
A Snapshot Overview (2010)
Field Research Team:
MoHEST: Mike Ocharo – DTE; Samuel Waweru,
GeSCI: Esther Wachira, Mary Hooker, Lina Palmer
Institutional Snapshot:
ICT Use in TIVET
Objectives:
– Examine the policy, pedagogical and technological
issues in ICT integration process in TIVET program
provision
– How ICT is being integrated in programme
provision to improve vocational & educational
training for enhanced quality
Methodology…
- Focus on system elements of training delivery: policy,
curriculum, ICT infrastructure, organization &
management, pedagogy, professional development
- Targeted groups: urban and rural TIVET institutions –
Management teams, ICT coordinators and lecturers
- Tools: Questionnaires, face to face interviews with
institutional heads, focus group interviews with staff
and students
- Analysis: Content analysis, Most Significant Change
Technique
- Limitations: Demanding schedule, paucity of time
Findings: Policy
What is the institutional vision (mission, objectives) for TIVET training
provision? Does the institution have a written policy on ICT?
What are the most important factors which encourage you to use ICT in
your instructional/course activities?
• Although vision and policy for course provision aligned to TIVET overall
education policy & quality assurance, institutional policies are at the
emergent stage on ICT uses in administration, finance,
examinations/assessment, record keeping, teaching and learning
• Policy implementation is through use of ppp & smart boards in course
delivery, existence of ICT Policy and Committee for ICT use in course
delivery, use of ICT for training & for economic generation activities
• ICT department as a stand-alone department and not providing a pivotal
function for all other departments
• ICT usage encouraged by cost cutting and effectiveness in teaching and
market demands, pressure from students and lecturer peer pressure, time,
ICT facilities availability and convenience of use and access, competencies
4
Policy
Tensions:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Online course content and/or delivery not available
Institutional ICT policies for ICT use in teaching and learning lacking
ICT competency profile for hiring of ICT Specialist absent
Traditional in-built methods of teaching & learning inhibiting new
computerized options for training
Lack of time due to work overload preventing lecturers from adopting
new ways of working
Teaching specialist applications outside the curriculum considered
waste of time (as it is not aligned with what will be examined)
Core curriculum mismatch with requirements for ICT Integration and
technology infusion for driving socio-economic development & growth
Unclear articulation of national policy in curriculum objectives resulting
in student graduates lacking ICT Integration skills upon graduation and
marked relevance in the workplace.
5
Findings: Infrastructure
What are the non ICT/ ICT resources that you use in teaching
and learning?
What are the resource needs and priorities of the institution?
• ICT laboratories, laptops, printers, Laptops, projectors,
cameras, mobile phones.
Resources needed ……
• ICT laboratories for institutional and community needs
• Upgraded hardware that would accommodate modern
software which requires high specifications for TIVET courses
• Outputs devices to help create materials more easily and
accurately, for example plotters
• Backup generators to curb power outages
• Modern technical tools and equipment for the specific courses
• Diagnostic tools that are close to the ‘real’ world
6 requirements
Infrastructure
Tensions:
• Need to encourage departments to change and adopt new methods of
teaching
• Lack of software / e-content for specialist areas and for flexible course
delivery
• Inadequate space for student population (surge in student enrollments)
• ICT equipment inadequate in resource centers to cater for student and
lecturer/instructor populations, high end equipment to accommodate
software applications required in technical education
• Inadequate budget for technology acquisition of ICT and non ICT tools
• Need for ICT specialist instructors to support ICT dept and other depts.
• Lack of capacity/ICT knowledge that limits the use of ICT in teaching
and learning
• Lecturers ‘shy’ to use ICT
• Deployment models limit access to ICT resources by lecturers
7
Findings: Curriculum
What are the objectives for ICT use in TIVET programmes?
Do you use ICT for instructional purposes?
How do you use it?
• ICT offered as a core course by ICT department
• To enhance and increase access to course manuals and
reduce costs
• To enable students complete their course requirements for
example projects
• National examination influence ICT usage and classroom
coverage, for example City & Guild exams
• To remain relevant and current in 21st century skills provision
• To respond to market demands and pressure from students
• Requirement for social networking and communication (email,
facebook etc)
8
Curriculum
Tensions:
• Absence of dedicated quality assurance specific to ICT integration
• Absence of defined ICT skills/ competencies in lecturer recruitment
profiles
• Student population expansion exponential placing pressure on space
& resources (EFA)
• Online course delivery in TIVET course provision not exploited and
explored as a way of addressing explosive growth in student
population and increased demand for TIVET education
• ICT integration is not a curriculum requirement and as such not
given high priority - problem in examination orientated culture.
National examination requirement works against ICT integration
• ICT use for administration more pronounced as opposed to
instructional use – skills for ICT Integration not specified and not
available
• Non-responsive curriculum to the ever-changing labor market
demands
9
Findings: Organization & Management
Does the institution use ICT for administration/monitoring? What
are the roles & responsibilities that different staff/departments
have to support ICT use in programmes? How does the
administration support ICT use for your teaching function/ your
specialized area?
• Heads of all Departments undergo ICT compliance training
• The ICT Department is meant to have a general role, not only
conducting ICT training but also supporting the ICT use of other
departments. However this is not always the case as those in ICT
department have technological skills as opposed to
education/pedagogical skills or a combination of the two
• ICT use more ‘easily’ adopted in administration
• IT support for maintenance of equipment externally sourced
depending on the supplier
• Budget concentrated on ICT equipment acquisition and not on
professional development of lecturers
10
Organization & Management
Tensions:
• ICT department capacity/ resources inadequate to support
ICT use across departments
• Deployment models limit computer facilities to computer
rooms which reduces access especially for lecturers during
their free time. Classroom administration activities are also
conducted from here and it is not always conducive for
lecturers to explore and deepen their subject matter
knowledge
• Lacks of resources and capacity to use and support
technology usage in the teaching practice by lecturers
• ICT not always seen as a priority during release and
allocation of funds, Management delays in release
of funds
11
Findings: Pedagogy
Do your lecturers use technology in their programmes on a regular
basis? Which methods do you apply when using ICT in teaching and
learning process? If you went into the classroom/ lecture hall of a good
lecturer/ instructor/tutor using technology, what would you see?
•
No, ..but administration encouraging laptop purchase schemes for lecturers
•
Good use of ICT requires focus on real world applications - simulations that
illustrate and clarify concepts, “What you see - you don’t forget.”
More time required for experimentation & use of ICT in course work
•
……Good Lecturer
•
No (chalk) dust. A projector. Very little paper. Simulations.
•
Enthusiasm and new forms of interaction between students.
•
On-line evaluations, shared expertise between institutions
•
Virtual teaching and learning, more interest from students and better performance
•
Students accessing self-managed tutorials and learning from each other
•
Competent instructor aware of what he/she is teaching and knows how to use
technology to enhance subject matter delivery
•
Use of new technologies resulting in students with relevant skills to industry
12
Pedagogy
Tensions:
• ICT integration a new process at institutional level (“new wine
in old wineskins”)
• Articulation of national ICT Policy at institutional level still at
emergent phase
• Skills requirements for market place not articulated regularly
for continued relevance in the curriculum
• Institutions not experiencing so many difficulties since not
so much ICT usage is prevalent in teaching and learning
• Teachers do have not enough time to explore and use a
computer due to workload and the computer lab
deployment models which restricts access outside lecture
time
• Funding of ICT through a system-wide approach, training of
lecturers, mindset, policies, are all barriers that should be
overcome for technology compliant pedagogical
13
approaches
Findings: Professional Development
Can you get access to ICT specific training support? Have you been on
ICT courses for teachers? What further training do you feel you need to
progress further? What kind of communication and collaboration is there
among lecturers/ tutors/ instructors about the use of ICT in teaching and
learning?
• In-house tutoring for staff development has been an effective option
• Incentive schemes in the form of study leave to encourage staff
development
• ICTs use in assessment has resulted in increased transparency during the
giving of awards
• All reporting is required in digitized format to encourage ICT use. Hard
copies not allowed
•
•
•
•
Use of subject specific software requires training – for example software
for engineering, survey, building and construction etc.
Skills for ICT usage in instruction are lacking widely
ICT culture should be created, sustained and driven by ICT department
but not always the case resulting in limited collaboration in ICT usage
Industrial attachments generate very good ideas from students when they
resume college
14
Professional Development
Tensions:
• Curriculum requirements not appreciating ICT usage in T&L
• Limited resources to encourage staff to access and apply
technology
• Fear of change and “senior citizen” staff inhibiting ICT up-take
• High attrition rates after post professional development in ICT
• Limited number of computers, digital content, manpower, subject
specific software & dedicated budget for TPD
• Not so much interest in ICT use from colleagues outside of the
ICT department
• Computers idle for much time as all stored in the same rooms.
• No communication/policy regarding use of ICT between
department
5 teachers out of 126 teachers actively use ICT when teaching.
15
ASANTE!