1. PEDAGOGICAL INTEGRATION OF ICTS IN UGANDAN EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS By: Alice N. Ndidde, Jude Lubega Daniel Babikwa and Grace Baguma
Makerere
University

2. Introduction to research team
Partner institution : Makerere University Department of Adult education and communication Studies
Focal point: Dr Daniel Babikwa
Primary researcher: Alice Nankya Ndidde
Other researchers: Dr Jude Lubega, Dr Daniel Babikwa, Grace K Baguma
4/19/2019
Makerere University

3. Methodology The design was both quantitative and qualitative:
a mixed methods approach was used in the collection of data which consisted of:
self administered questionnaires,
one on one interviews,
focus group discussions
observation and review of documents
Eleven educational institutions were included in this study of which;
five (5) were primary schools,
four (4) secondary schools and
two (2) teacher training institutions
all the institutions were of mixed gender except one which was a girls’ only secondary school
the institutions were purposively selected from rural, semi urban and urban areas of Uganda
eight of the institutions were public and only three private
4/19/2019
Makerere University

4. Overview of research results
General state of pedagogical integration of ICTs :
ICT Integration is still inadequate,
More individualized than institutionalized
Highlighted successes in pedagogical integration of ICTs:
Educational Institutions are doing their best to acquire computers for teaching, learning and administration purposes;
Schools that have embraced public-private partnerships like cyber schools technology solutions have gone along way to integrate technology in science subjects
Existence of computer clubs has enabled peer learning sharing and documentation of information
4/19/2019
Makerere University

5. Overview of research results (cont...)
Specific challenges in pedagogical integration of ICTs:
Centralized computer labs as opposed to having computers in classes causes a limitation in usage
Public education institutions have a higher student to computer ratio than private ones partly because,
Government policy of not charging fees which makes it difficult for public schools to generate adequate resources to acquire computers and internet connectivity;
Negative attitude or lack of awareness towards use of computers and internet by school governance and Administration
Lack of teacher training in pedagogical integration
4/19/2019
Makerere University

6. Research Results National ICT Policies and pedagogical integration
Several ICT policies exist:
Broadcasting 2007, Communication 2007, East African e-Government Strategy 2005, National ICT Master Plan Final Report 2006, Uganda Country-based Research, Policy Support and Advocacy Partnerships for Pro-Poor ICT
The above, did not have a direct relationship on education improvement
However, the draft ICT Policy for Uganda (2008) was found to have a direct relationship on education improvement.
In the areas of:
teacher training , making the use of IT mandatory at all levels of educational Institutions, developing relevant IT curricula for the primary, secondary and tertiary institutions
But an ICT in Education/E-Learning Policy was missing
4/19/2019
Makerere University

7. Research Results (Contd..)
Equipment, access and connectivity
The study established that:
the studied institutions were trying their best to provide the necessary ICT equipment and infrastructure
BUT
the ratio of students to computers was still very high especially in public primary schools with none below 1:15
access to computers by educators and administrators was also limited
Educators in particular had to share computers with learners in all institutions apart from one tertiary institution (DAECS) where all lecturers had access to computers in their offices
4/19/2019
Makerere University

8. Research Results (Contd..)
Equipment, access and connectivity (Contd..)
4/19/2019
Makerere University

9. Equipment, access and connectivity (Contd..)
Research Results (Contd..)
Equipment, access and connectivity (Contd..)
However, in schools where cyber schooling and computer clubs existed, science students and club members often enjoyed greater access to the computers
Connectivity:
Internet Connectivity was found in only 8 out of 11 institutions studied and in all, connected to just a few computers
Institutions subscribed to different Internet providers (no policy/support, institutions depend on good will)
Bandwidth used was too low for majority of institutions and costly
3 out of the 5 primary schools did not have internet connectivity at all
Factors limiting Access and Connectivity:
Government policy of not charging fees in primary schools makes it difficulty for public schools to generate resources to fund the necessary ICT infrastructure and activities
School Governance and Administration attitude towards integration of ICT
Connectivity access costs are very high
Absence of a policy that streamlines pedagogical integration of ICT in education
4/19/2019
Makerere University

10. Research Results (Contd..)
Teacher training
The study revealed that:
Majority of teacher trainers reported to be computer literate, that they had competencies in using software like micro soft applications like Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint, Internet exploration and ing
Generally, more male than female teacher trainer have received ICT training.
Despite the above, the teacher trainers lack the attitude and motivation to fully integrate ICT in their training of teachers
This could be as a result of inadequate capacity in pedagogical integration of ICT, limited ICT equipment, lack of incentives from both institutions and government to encourage the use ICT
the design of the teacher training curriculum did not favor the pedagogical integration of ICT but still followed the traditional methods
At secondary level, majority of educators had participated in less than 50 hours of professional development which included ICT integration
4/19/2019
Makerere University

11. ICT Use for teaching and learning
Research Results (Contd..)
ICT Use for teaching and learning
It was only in one secondary school where 62% of educators were reported to having participated in more than 50 hours of professional Development including ICT Integration
Findings indicated that:
Tertiary institutions and secondary schools had to a certain extent integrated ICT in their teaching
Male educators on average used more hours per week on the computers for academic purposes than females
Three schools out of eleven had Cyber rooms connected to internet where teachers and students could undertake teaching/learning
In some schools like Kibuli SS plans were under way to compel all teachers to take advantage of the Cyber rooms and the Smart board for their teaching
4/19/2019
Makerere University

12. Research Results (Contd..)
4/19/2019
Makerere University

13. ICT use for learning by learners
Research Results (Contd..)
ICT use for learning by learners
Results indicate that:
There were variations in the ICT use for learning by learners and this was a result of levels of access to computers, institutional rules and regulations, the level of ICT skills by the learners and extent to which teachers used methods that would encourage use of ICT, i.e. inquiry based methods
At primary school level, learners used the computer labs only once a week for about thirty (30) minutes. In two public primary schools, students reported that they rarely used computers
At secondary level, learners’ use of ICT for learning varied according to school, class level and whether they belonged to the computer club or not
Students that had access to and used ICT regularly were those who were taking computer studies as an examinable subject at ‘O’ level
4/19/2019
Makerere University

14. ICT use for learning by learners
Research Results (Contd..)
ICT use for learning by learners
Challenges to the use of ICT as stated by the learners included:
High student Computer Ratio,
Intermittent power supply,
Unstable and slow internet facilities,
Regular computer breakdowns and viruses,
Limited time for practice,
Congested computer labs,
Absence of ICT teachers
Limited skills in ICT for most learners,
Absence of printing services,
Very old computers with outdated operating systems
4/19/2019
Makerere University

15. Institution Management and ICT
Research Results (Contd..)
Institution Management and ICT
The study reveals that:
Majority of institutions (8 out of 11) did not have well written out ICT integration plans: what the researchers found at institutional level were the expressed views and ideas of the educator in charge of ICT
Overall the institutions did not have written down strategic plans on how to sustain the ICT they had acquired
However in some schools a computer fee was being levied every term from every student which helped the institutions in acquiring and maintaining computers and internet connectivity where they existed
Barriers to ICT sustainability in institutions
Inadequate funding especially to access software as most schools use licensed as opposed to open source software
Lack of awareness by education managers and teachers towards use of ICT
Government policy of removing the payment of institutional fees and other costs by parents in public primary schools
Current teacher training has not mainstreamed ICT in the curriculum
Absence of an enabling environment in institutions i.e. intermittent power supply, proper infrastructure etc..
4/19/2019
Makerere University

16. Lessons learnt
Educational Institutions are doing their best to acquire computers for teaching, learning and administration purposes;
Public education institutions have a higher student to computer ratio than private ones partly due
government policy of not charging fees which makes it difficult for public schools to generate adequate resources to acquire computers and internet connectivity
Negative attitude towards computers and internet by school governance and Administration
With regard to connectivity, access rates are still high and therefore most institutions can not cope with connectivity
There is need for policy guidelines to cover education institutions with regard to ICT equipment and connectivity
4/19/2019
Makerere University

17. Lessons learnt (Contd..)
Effective utilization of ICT for teaching and learning purposes requires:
easy access to adequate and functioning computers and reliable Internet connectivity
competencies and skills/interest of educators in ICT integration and availability of supportive institutional ICT policies
Pedagogical Integration of ICT is still inadequate, more individualized than institutionalized
Teachers have continued to use traditional methods of teaching
Delivery of ICT enhanced learning is demanding on teachers’ time
Programmes that have attempted to introduce pedagogical integration have not been nationally rolled out
Government has not effectively embraced the issue of ICT integration by preparing both in-service and pre-service teachers for pedagogical integration
Continuous professional development of teachers has not targeted ICT integration
4/19/2019
Makerere University

18. Implications for policy and practice
There is need by Government to expedite the finalization of the drat National ICT Policy that will address challenges of equipment and infrastructure, training of educators in pedagogical integration of ICT
The need to develop appropriate ICT enhanced curricula content for national roll out
Government should take a leading role in equipping the institutions it supports with adequate ICT to realize its long term vision of providing quality education
4/19/2019
Makerere University

19. 4/19/2019
Makerere University

20. Policy Dialogue Uganda
Overview
Objectives
To present research findings of the first phase of the research on the pedagogical integration of ICT in the Ugandan Education institutions
To discuss the above research findings
To draw lessons and recommendations from the first phase of the PanAF study
To develop a framework for continued dialogue among different stakeholders
Methodology of Workshop
Mixed Methods, presentations, group discussions and plenary sessions
Participants
Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of ICT, Private Sector, NGOs, researchers and representatives from participating institutions
4/19/2019
Makerere University

21. Recommendations ensuing from policy dialogue workshop:
Govt should consider making integration of ICT in education among the proirities
Focus should be put on training of teachers ion pedagogical integration(inservice and preservic
Equipping institutions with hardware through pubilc private partnerships
Cost sharing to reduce on the costs of connectivity
4/19/2019
Makerere University

22. Policy dialogue (cont..)
There was need of development of ICT enhanced content to cater for the different categories of education institutions
Teachers need to train in development of ICT enhanced content
Next steps
Document best practices on pedagogical integration of ICT and how we can draw lessons from them to influence policy
Establish a training programme for the teacher trainers
Hold roundtable meetings with key decision makers in the Ministry of education, Ministry of ICT, Private Sector and Researchers
4/19/2019
Makerere University