tHE FIRST 12 INDICATORS IN ENGLISH

June 1st, 2007


Dear research team members,

In the document below you will find methodological information to assist you in addressing the project’s first 12 indicators, in your respective countries.

This first, important, step in the Panafrican research project on ICT in education, should take you no more than a few days of fieldwork to complete.

The indicators, developed by partners at the outset of the project, have been field-tested and validated by Professor Mohamed Maiga, through his recent data collection, at Malian institutions and ministries. He also carefully evaluated the process, providing constructive feedback that has been incorporated into the methodological notes, below. This type of feedback, which enhances the efficiency of the process, and the quality of its outcomes, is very much in the “knowledge-sharing” spirit of the entire project. Our thanks go out to Pr. Maiga for his leadership.

For all questions – throughout a project of this scale there will be many! – please do not hesitate to contact the management team via PANAF@listes.umontreal.ca.

Though we have made an effort to clarify the indicators with precise methodological instructions, it is important to note that, as researchers, you are called upon to use your professional judgement. In second category of indicators, for example, you are asked to collect data from 10 different schools, for a grand total of at least 4000 students. Which to schools to choose – to get a good mix of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, public and private, mixed and single gender, those offering technical or teacher training etc.? Which will be easiest to collaborate with based on existing relationships, which will be most representative of the national context..? Among these choices, your responsibility as national team members is to operate in line with the project’s overall objectives - foremost, to document the pedagogical use of ICT across Africa, so as to better understand it. With this in mind, the project management team is confident that you have the depth and breadth of experience to make choices that will produce data that best reflect your respective research contexts.

You will receive, as a national team, for the 12 completed indicators, a sum of 480 USD (approx. 240 000 CFA).

With best wishes for a smooth research process, if you would like any additional information, please direct your communication to me, and/or the rest of the project management team.



Pr. Thierry Karsenti, Kathryn Touré, Moses Mangwana, and Toby Harper


GLOSSARY (Defining the scales of indicators)

Category: broad themes of the project– policy, training, use, impacts, etc.
Sub-category: focused research strategy– availability of documents, types of competencies
Indicators: specific questions – yes / no answers, numbers, written summaries
Data: the “answers” - the yes or no, the number, text

EXAMPLE
Category: Equipment, connectivity and access
Sub-category: The ratio of learners to computers per institution
Indicator: Number of learners in the institution
Data: 1416 (Lycée Technique de Bafoussam in Cameroon)



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Category I: National education and ICT policy


Sub-category: The availability of national ICT policy documents

1. Indicator: Description of national ICT policy documents

Methodology:
Summarize, in 250 words, the national ICT policy document which is identified on the Observatory website. In some countries, the title, date, or even the document itself, may need adjustment, please do so.

Budget: 60 USD (30 000 CFA)



Sub-category: The availability of sector (education) ICT policy documents

2. Indicator: Description of sector (education) ICT policy documents

Methodology:
Summarize, in 250 words, the national (education) sector ICT policy document which is identified on the Observatory website. In some countries, the title, date, or even the document itself, may need adjustment, please do so as well.

Budget: 60 USD (30 000 CFA)



Sub-category: The availability of national curriculum focusing on ICT (ICT as a stand-alone subject)

3. Indicator: Description of national curriculum documents focusing on ICT

Methodology:
Identify and summarize, in 250 words, the official national curriculum document(s) that focus on ICT. If documents do exist, please attach them (preferably in .pdf format), specifying their precise title and date. If no ICT curriculum exists, it is important to explain, to the best of your abilities, (in 100-150 words), the cause, or context, of this absence.

Budget: 60 USD (30 000 CFA)



Sub-category: The availability of national regulations or incentives for ICT resources (connectivity, equipment, training) in educational institutions

4. Indicator: Description of national regulations or incentives for ICT in educational institutions

Methodology:
Identify and summarize, in 250 words, the national regulations or incentive programs for ICT use in schools, particularly focused on ICT equipment. If documents do exist, please attach them (preferably in .pdf format), specifying their precise title and date. If no regulations or incentive programs exist, it is important to explain to the best of your abilities, (in 100-150 words), the cause, or context, of this absence.

Budget: 60 USD (30 000 CFA)



Sub-category: The presence of ICT (in education) in local development plans

5. Indicator: Description of ICT presence in local education development plans

Methodology:
Identify and summarize, in 250 words, the presence of ICT in local (sub-national scale) education development plans. If documents do exist, please attach them (preferably in .pdf format), specifying their precise title and date. If ICT is not present in local education development plans, it is important to explain to the best of your abilities, (in 100-150 words), the cause, or context, of this absence.

Budget: 60 USD (30 000 CFA)



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Category II: Equipment, connectivity and access

METHODOLOGY FOR CATEGORY II INDICATORS
These first Category II indicators should be collected in 10 schools that have computers. (including at least one tertiary, one secondary and one primary institution; at least 4 of the chosen schools must be “public”) The ten institutions, together, must total a minimum of 4000 students. Having data from at least ten schools in each of the Observatory countries is very important. It gives significance to the statistics present on the Observatory, where users expect a representative sample of national ICT in education data.

What to do for institutions that bring together multiple levels (primary, secondary, tertiary) under the same name?
With the goal of focusing the results of your field research, it is preferable to treat each school level as a distinct institution, even if all learners use a common computer room. Thus, for example, in Kalanso School in Mali, where both primary and secondary levels are found, there are two entries in the Observatory, one for Kalanso Primary, and one for Kalanso Secondary. Clearly this entails the doubling-up of certain results (for example the compiled national total of computers), yet this trade-off is balanced against a better understanding of the individual student experience. To this end we ask that you provide maximum information to help “round out” the analysis, and eventually understanding, of these institutional contexts.


Sub-category: The ratio of educators to computers per institution

6. Indicator: Total number of computers in the institution

Methodology:
Specify the number of functioning computers in the institution (the total number available for educators, for learners, and for administrators etc. together). If the school is, on a regular basis, also used as a cyber-café, please add any computers available for this use as well. If necessary, make additional notes to clarify the data.

Budget: 20 USD (10 000 CFA), for the 10 institutions.



Sub-category: The ratio of educators to computers per institution

7. Indicator: Number of educators in the institution

Methodology:
Specify the number of educators in the institution; please note the number of females and males.

Budget: 20 USD (10 000 CFA), for the 10 institutions.



Sub-category: The ratio of educators to computers per institution

8. Indicator: Number of computers in the institution available for educators

Methodology:
Specify the number of computers in the institution that are available for use by educators (for lesson planning, teaching, or other uses). How many male educators have access to these computers, how many females?

Budget: 30 USD (15 000 CFA), for the 10 institutions.



Sub-category: The ratio of learners to computers per institution

9. Indicator: Number of learners in the institution

Methodology:
Specify the number of students in the institution; please note the number of females and males.

Budget: 20 USD (10 000 CFA), for the 10 institutions.



Sub-category: The ratio of learners to computers per institution

10. Indicator: Number of computers in the institution available for learners

Methodology:
Specify the number of computers in the institution that are available for use by students (during class time, for assignments, or for other uses). How many male learners have access to these computers, how many females? What are the differences in access between school levels? Please provide maximum information to “round out” this data.

Budget: 30 USD (15 000 CFA), for the 10 institutions.



Sub-category: The number and percentage of institutions with Internet connectivity

11. Indicator: Institution has Internet connectivity?

Methodology:
Specify (Yes / No) whether the institution has at least one computer connected to the Internet.

Budget: 20 (10 000 CFA), for the 10 institutions.




Sub-category: The number and percentage of institutions with Internet connectivity


12. Indicator: Types of connection and bandwidth

Methodology:
Describe, in 150 words: the type(s) of Internet connection (via telephone line, radio, or satellite) available in the school. Please also specify the number of computers connected to the Internet and the number of hours/week the Internet connection is available (if it is “full-time” perhaps give some idea of its reliability). Importantly, please attempt to determine the speed of the school’s connection in kbps (this is often very challenging to specify, as what is stated by the ISP, what is thought to be available by the school, and the actual connection speed at each terminal, vary greatly). Please also note any other pertinent information.

Budget: 40 USD (20 000 CFA), for the ten schools.



Total: 480 USD