The Unfolding Revolution in Education Gertjan van Stam Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC) Harare, Zimbabwe [email protected]

Abstract. This is the text of the address at the meeting of the Association of Computer Teacher Zimbabwe, ACTZ, 11 February 2013, in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1 Introduction Revolution is in the air! Revolution, where the ’old’ goes, and the ’new’ comes. A fundamental change in power and organisational structures is taking place in a relatively short period of time. And this revolution is in education. There is a growing swell of written opinion emerging, that show the signs of this revolution. For instance, not even two weeks ago, The Globe and Mail reported from the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos about ’The week university (as we know it) ended’ [1]. And last week, the Wall Street Journal reported about how the ’Big MOOC Coursera is moving towards Academic Acceptance [2]. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses. There is a revolution unfolding as we have never seen it before, and it is all because of the ubiquitousness of computing, which is exactly the field you are addressing.

2 Birds in the Air Let me give you some ideas about what is going on. Khan Academy, is an online school. At first it was just one person, Sal Khan, in his home. In 2006 he started posting lessons he created for his cousins on You Tube. By 2010, Khan Academy starting growing out of this one-man effort. The online school has now delivered over 235 million lessons [3]. These lessons cover almost everything in the the primary and secondary curriculum, and the academy is open for students, 24 hours/7 days a week, for free. Coursera, started with two people and now involves a little over 20 persons. It has amassed more than 2.6 million registered users who access the world’s best academic courses, online. Available 24/7, for free.

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Udacity started with one man, Sebastian Thrun in 2011 [4]. Thrun quit as a university professor after he opened up his world reknowned classes in Artificial Intelligence over the internet. He was used to teach about 200 students a year in the prestigeous and (very) expensive Stanford University. In his first online experiment in 2011, he found he was teaching 160.000 students [5]. Now Udacity leans towards having half a million students; that is just two years after the conception of the idea and while the first courses began just last year. The incumbent universities are also jumping in. A couple of years ago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) opened all its courses for online access through Open Course Ware (OCW) [6]. These courses have been accessed by more than 100 million individual learners already, and the number of learners is growing by almost 1 million per month [1]! That is way more students than the university has had through their gates throughout its whole existence. MIT now teams up with Harvard University to offer online courses via edX, at no charge. And there is much more. For instance iTunes U: Free courses via multimedia. To give you a personal example of its impact: last year I followed a course on Game Theory from Yale University via iTunes U [7]. Today, I am working with experts on how to utilize game theory in an mathematical model for the ’economy of giving’. Technology is truly disrupting the education system [8]. We can expect eBooks, applications on notebooks and tablets to be replacing textbooks. The end of libraries might be at hand [9]. Digital blackboards have entered the classroom. In addition, students can find most information on the Internet (e.g. Google, Wikipedia) and use social media to communicate (e.g. Facebook, Mxit). Experiences such as the Hole in the Wall project [10] have revealed how access to Internet empowers children to learn. The course ’The Evolution of the Internet’ shows what a blended, flipped classroom education could look like at Masters level [11]. And we might under-estimate new skills development, for instance through the contribution of computer games on learning.

3 Birds on the Ground What is happening in Africa? Reports are scant. Many are experimenting, often in a blended setup where one can access some of the resources through the internet. Most are entering cyberspace from an internal perspective only, for instance starting to move their e-mails off-site, into the cloud (e.g. [12]). In 2012, the first online African Virtual University (AVU) reported to have trained 43,000 students since its establishment in 1997. AVU strives to develop its course modules in various African countries [13]). Although more research is needed to get a good overview of the African situation, there might just not be much to report on yet. We can conclude that ’we are not yet engaged’, with many issues involved, as figure 1 shows. Further, there are many issues to be dealt with before we have acquired an African expression of ICT [14].

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Fig. 1. Ten defining features of the African eLearning sector 2007-2012 [15]

4 Taking Off Of course, these are the early days of this revolution. However, due to Moore’s law1 this revolution is likely to go much faster than previous ones that did not rely on the combined processing power through the Internet. It is clear that technology, and in particular Information and Communication Technology (ICT), plays a pivotal role in the current fast-changing world. Many acknowledge this. For instance, the Worldbank states that ICT has significant potential for improving living conditions, contributing to economies, boosting education and health care and, most of all, empowering citizens, by providing them with access to information and facilities for communication and collaboration [16]. Examples of the power of ICT for development can be seen in various places in Africa. One example is the village of Macha, in rural Zambia, where my family and I resided over the past 10 years. It provides a poignant example of how internet inspires people in rural communities to reach their collective and 1

Moore observed in 1965 ”Every eighteen months, processing power will double while cost remains constant”

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individual potential [17] [18] [19]. The Macha Works implementation model for rural, sustainable progress, relies upon the facilitation through ICT [20] [21] [22]. Undoubtedly, ICT is a disruptive technology. ICT provides the physical infrastructure, the data, and means of knowledge generation. For those of us with access to it and who interact in the global community, it has a profound effect on the way we live and work, on behaviour and social life. In our paper ”A Novel Model for Academic, Transcultural, and Global ICT Education, employing the full potential of ICT” to be presented at the ICT4Africa conference next week in this city, Gerard van Oortmerssen (Univerity of Tilburg), Alec Malichi (University of Zambia) and I give an overview of the issues at hand [11]. It is important to note that, although the world has evolved into a post-industrial society, our education systems are still focused on the needs of the industrial era. In fact, most educational systems programme young people to be ready to perform jobs in industry. This systems trains youth for jobs that will soon no longer exist, while, really, youth must be prepared for jobs that will emerge in 5 to 10 years time; jobs that cannot yet be imagined. More and more jobs carry titles like Big Data Analyst, jobs that were not imagined 10 years ago. Of course, many circumstances hamper the deployement of ICT in Africa, and thus its use. These constraints consist of environmental constraints, skills constraints, and cultural constraints [23]. And here we have an over-arching issue: the lack of access [24]. However, over the past decade, the connections between Africa and the rest of the world have multiplied. Investments and the arrival of sea cables coincided with master planning and development of terrestrial fibre networks [15] [25] [26]. Until recently, most African connectivity could only be achieved through extremely expensive satellite links. Additionally, the proliferation of mobile phone networks has extended possibilities for Internet connectivity, although coverage, bandwidth and the cost, (effectively USD 100 per 1 GB in Zimbabwe), remain huge issues. Then there is the human capacity issue. Realising the development potential of ICT requires an abundance of people with drive, vision, leadership capabilities and technical knowledge of ICT, grounded in the local context and culture. At present, there is a lack of human capital in this field. To change this, the whole education system (primary, secondary, vocational as well as academic) must embrace education in ICT to achieve digital literacy [27]. As an example, Rwanda is aiming for that right now [28].

5 And Thus We have a collective commitment to preparing the next generation to be able to lead a purposeful and fulfilling life, in which they can develop themselves and contribute to the progress of humanity. How can we do that, taking all that we have heard up to now into consideration? First of all, we need a society with citizens who have acquired digital literacy and digital skills. Further, sufficiently trained ICT specialists should be in

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supply to be able to build and maintain the infrastructure as well as the applications. They should be trained and certified in a context appropriate way [29]. The ongoing swift, and even accelerating, development of ICT requires lifelong learning. The knowledge that young people acquire in schools and universities will expire in a very few years, and some of it has already expired. We must facilitate learning how to learn so that young people can take responsibility for their own continuous development after their formal education. All this intertwines with many other disciplines: there is a need to understand not just the technical working of computers and communication networks, but also their interaction with human society. Therefore, ICT education must be increasingly trans-disciplinary in its nature. We can even anticipate that the content of education and the form in which education takes place will be affected significantly by ICT. This holds for courses in all disciplines, not just for Computer Teaching.

6 Visionary View We must acquire a vision for our educational future, as without a vision, the people perish 2 . The form of future education will most probably be a kind of blended learning: a combination of online lectures for transfer of explicit knowledge, combined with interactive class work where teacher and students meet and discuss, the so called flipped classroom. Online interaction and group work using social media will supplement real life interaction. Without doubt, future education will take place in a networked environment, embedded in the global community, with some strong regional as well as longdistance links, and a lot of weaker global links. The education centres will be meeting places for students and scholars, where they interact in projects and discussions on the challenges for the future, the role of knowledge and wisdom in the local society, as well as in the world at large. Students will select their courses from the network rather than their particular educational institute, while professors provide their courses to the network, and scientists participate in international projects. So, primarily, the education centre becomes a hub in a network, connecting people in different places. But at the same time it will be a physical focal point and meeting place, where debate takes place, where thinking is stimulated, where all are being challenged, and where moral issues are taken seriously. It will be a place where connections are fostered between disciplines, to develop a holistic view and understanding of reality, within the local societal and cultural context. In the future, students will not have to choose a specific education centre. Instead, they can select various courses by the best educators and put together their own programme. There will still be a need for some authority to check the achievements of the student and issue a certificate. 2

Proverbs 29:18

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It does remain questionable whether online courses will replace the role of a teaching centre entirely. An important part of education consists of the interaction with educators and peers. Students have to learn to collaborate in teams and need their peers to engage in discussions on values and to develop a shared vision on future challenges for science and society. Please note: the plural character of the positioning of ICT in Africa stems from two different and often competing paradigms: an African indigenous and a Western paradigm [30]. The paradigms diverge in terms of values, definitions of social aspects and realities, and cultural approaches. At the heart of this plurality are these inherently different worldviews, which in practice lead to a number of barriers to interaction, and even antagonism. In my view, these issues can be overcome by focusing on social innovation [31]. Undeniably, ICT provides tools that support people. The challenge is for ICT to be introduced and utilised in the right manner, and with the right timing. The balancing act, in my opinion, is an act of reconciling dilemmas [30] when strategy thus derived from reconciliation will facilitate and not denigrate existing and emerging social structures. The process to achieve sustainable progress is an exchange not only of physical capital, equipment and currency, but also of values and culture. Development of African access must be conducted in those terms. This process requires a shift of priority from front-loaded, formula-obsessed, pre-packaged development tactics towards more creative, long-term, flexible programmes that invest genuinely, not merely at a financial or technological level, but on a relationship level as well. In my view it is by integrating and reconciling knowledge of the context and culture with experience and outlook, that the vibrant complexity of human behavior can be released from the shackles of traditional rationality, and be appreciated as an unrestrained force of culture, development, and true sustainability.

7 In Conclusion This address does not do justice to the the width and depth of the subject at hand. However, with this address I hope to have sensitized you to the urgency of the matter, and with the apparent need to: 1. build up and integrate digital education at all levels, 2. provide for the need for immediate ICT knowledge in education and government organisations, 3. gather and disperse indigenous courses through means of the Internet and collaborate world wide, 4. develop an indigenous scientific and applied research, and social innovation systems (cf. [31]).

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8 About the Presenter Gertjan van Stam (47) was born in the Netherlands. For the last 10 years he and his family have lived in the rural village of Macha, in the Southern Province of Zambia. Before that he stayed for 2 years in rural Murambinda, Zimbabwe. He has been involved with strategic developments in ICT in Africa since 1987. His goal is to identify and inspire local talent and introduce appropriate technologies to build the necessary capacity for community-led activities to yield sustainable human development outcomes. His quest is for a logical framework for understanding dynamics of change in African communities and engendering leadership capable of inspiring, initiating, implementing, operating, and scaling up sustainable progress and the use of technology in the local community. Since 2011, Gertjan has volunteered in strategy-making at the IEEE, the largest professional institute in the world. He is part of IEEEs Ad Hoc Committee for Humanitarian Activities, working on Social Innovation and leading ’thought leadership and advocacy’. His activities in Zambia were featured in IEEE The Institute, and his career was documented in an award-winning IEEE video at TryEngineering. The activities in Zambia were documented worldwide though BBC Clicks. Gertjan authored the book Placemark, and has published over 20 articles on findings and lessons learned in rural Africa.

References 1. Don Tapscott. The week university (as we know it) ended, January 2013. 2. Melissa Korn. Big MOOC Coursera Moves Closer to Academic Acceptance WSJ.com, February 2013. 3. Khan Academy. Khan Academy, 2013. 4. Udacity. Udacity, 2013. 5. Blake J. Graham. Robotics Mastermind takes Education Online, January 2012. 6. MIT. Free Online Course Materials — MIT OpenCourseWare. 7. Open Yale Courses. ECON 159: Game Theory, April 2012. 8. Milton Chen. Education Nation: six leading edges of innovation in our schools. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, USA, 2010. 9. Kathryn Zickuhr. Should libraries shush?, February 2013. 10. Sugata Mitra. Minimally invasive education: a progress report on the hole-inthe-wall experiments. British Journal of Educational Technology, 34(3):367–371, 2003. 11. Gerard van Oortmerssen, Gertjan van Stam, and Alec Malichi. A Novel Model for Academic, Transcultural, and Global ICT Education, employing the full potential of ICT. In ICT4Africa, Harare, Zimbabwe, 2013. 12. Google Enterprise. Helping to bring African universities online, 2012. 13. Bakary Diallo, Catherine Wangeci Thuo, and Therrezinha Fernandes. Developing and Using OERs in Africa: Lessons Learned from the African Virtual University (AVU). In eLearning Africa, 2011. 14. Gertjan van Stam. Towards an Africanised expression of ICT. In Africomm 2012, 2012. 15. S. Isaacs and D. Hollow. The eLearning Africa 2012 Report. ICWE, 2012.

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16. World Bank. Information and Communications for Development 2012: Maximizing Mobile. World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012. 17. Karel Matthee, Gregory Mweemba, Adrian Pais, Gertjan van Stam, and Marijn Rijken. Bringing Internet connectivity to rural Zambia using a collaborative approach. In ICTD 2007. Ieee, 2007. 18. David L Johnson, Elizabeth M Belding, and Gertjan van Stam. Network traffic locality in a rural African village. In Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, pages 268–277, 2012. 19. BBC Clicks. BBC Clicks - Macha Works, 2011. 20. Gertjan van Stam and Gerard van Oortmerssen. Macha Works! In Frontiers of Society On-Line, Raleigh, 2010. 21. Gertjan van Stam. Technology Retains Talent. ICT-Update, 62:4–6, 2011. 22. Jasper Bets, Gertjan van Stam, and Anne-marie Voorhoeve. Modeling and Practise of Integral Development in rural Zambia. Case Macha. In Africomm 2012, 2012. 23. Gertjan van Stam, David L Johnson, Veljko Pejovic, Consider Mudenda, Austin Sinzala, and Darelle van Greunen. Constraints for Information and Communications Technologies implementation in rural Zambia. In Africomm 2012, 2012. 24. Veljko Pejovic, David L Johnson, Mariya Zheleva, Elizabeth M Belding, Lisa Parks, and Gertjan van Stam. The Bandwidth Divide: Obstacles to Efficient Broadband Adoption in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Communcation, 6:2467–2491, 2012. 25. Kevin G. Chege. Impact of New Undersea Fiber Capacity in East Africa and Barriers to KENET in supporting Science and Science Collaboration. In Science and Cyber-Infrastructure in Africa Workshop, Boulder, Colorado, USA, 2011. 26. Shuller Habeenzu. Zambia ICT Sector Performance Review 2009/2010, volume Two. Research ICT Africa, 2010. 27. KNAW. Digital Literacy in Higher Education (with English Summary). Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, Amsterdam, 2012. 28. Grace Mugoya. Five-year ICT literacy drive starts, January 2013. 29. Roger Hislop. Q&A: Professor Moshe Kam, 2012. 30. Gertjan van Stam. Is Technology the Solution to the Worlds Major Social Challenges? In 2012 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference, Seattle, USA, 2012. IEEE. 31. Gertjan van Stam. Towards an IEEE Strategy in Social Innovation. In 2012 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference, 2012.