PROJECT 20 (MRCI 329): Development of a Framework for the Sharing of R&D Resources on the Internationalization of Higher Education in Africa.

Transcription

1 PROJECT 20 (MRCI 329): Development of a Framework for the Sharing of R&D Resources on the Internationalization of Higher Education in Africa. Summary of Project: The African Network for Internationalization of Education (ANIE) and the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) proposes a project whose purpose is to strengthen the capacity and knowledge on the international dimension of higher education in Africa, through the development of appropriate research capacity and enabling the sharing of the available resources on this important but relatively ignored area. The project builds on the identification of this challenge by other stakeholders within and without the region, and on the continental undertaking that a deliberate effort be taken to deal with internationalization of higher education in Africa. The overall objective of this project is to provide an avenue through which Africa s higher education sector could respond to the increasingly challenging developments, consequences and opportunities of internationalization of higher education. This will be addressed through four project components: the development of a virtual forum for exchange of ideas; enhancement of the research capacity of Africa academia on internationalization issues; development of human resource capacity for research on internationalization of higher education; and enhanced capacity for dissemination of research output and sharing of information. In developing this virtual platform, the project will use the Open Educational Resources (OER) model to share information, experiences, and other resources on internationalization of higher education in Africa. From a methodological perspective, a number of activities will be performed including requirements analysis, content development, technical design and development, training, hosting and maintenance. The research and policy cluster will include a call for research proposals from different regions of Africa on how internationalization of higher education addresses the MDGs. Four MDGs have been selected to demonstrate this. In addressing the research capacity requirements, the project will bring together 20 young African scholars, who are active or have demonstrated interest in internationalization, for capacity building workshops to be held at a venue within Africa. The training is expected to enable the young scholars gain better and in-depth capacity for regional research undertakings. The project will buck the access problem with its development of open access, which allows maximum dissemination of research output, making output available to all with little or no restriction on use of materials for any

2 reasonable purpose. Other dissemination strategies will include presentation at local, regional and national conferences and meetings. Total Amount Approved: 99,892. Lead Institution: The African Network for Internationalization of Education (ANIE) Eldoret, Kenya. Project Leader: Prof. Bob Whishitemi. Partner: The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), Kampala, Uganda. 2

3 Project Contract Agreement: Attached 3

4 Project Inception Phase Report: PROJECT INCEPTION PHASE REPORT Title of research program Reference number Period covered by report Name of lead institution and director Developing a Framework for the Sharing of R & D Resources on Internationalization of Higher Education in Africa MRCI years African Network for Internationalization of Education (ANIE) Prof.Bob Whishitemi Treasurer ANIE & Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Extension) Moi University Key partners The Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) Countries covered Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and most other African countries 4

5 Table of contents ITEM 1.0 Background information 2 PAGE 1.1 Introduction Purpose and goals Major expected outputs and main project activities Logical framework Project Budget Management Structure of the Project 13 5

6 1.0 Background Information 1.1 Introduction The role of the African university in sustainable social, political and economic development is now widely acknowledged, especially within the context of the globalizing world. Universities have given ample proof of their viability over the years and their ability to change and/or induce change and progress in all societies. It is unimaginable trying to attain the MDGs in Africa without the involvement of the higher education sector. Jeffrey Sachs (2005) in The End of Poverty posits commitment to higher levels of training as one of the key drivers for development and societal transformation, especially in Africa. The 2009 UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education constituted a key moment for African universities by redefining the new dynamics for the universities which included social relevance and transformation through, social, cultural and economic development of societies through endogenic capacity building. The international dimension of higher education plays a significant role in all these. Internationalization is increasingly becoming important in the higher education sector (Knight, 2004) and is an important strategy for development (Welle-Strand, 2002). Jowi & Huisman (2009) recognize the growing importance of internationalization of higher education and thus the need for more empiricalbased knowledge in this field, especially from Africa. While the challenges and risks it presents need to be responded to, the enormous opportunities inherent in internationalization also need to be utilized for positive societal development especially in developing countries. Among other things, Africa needs to develop intellectual capacity and policy makers who can tap knowledge from these global knowledge networks and utilize it for local development, and in essence for the attainment of the MDGs. It is with this in mind that this project aims at building 6

7 research capacity in internationalisation and enabling the sharing of the available resources on this important but relatively ignored area. 1.2 Purpose and goals The project aims at the strengthening the international dimension of higher education in Africa. The overall objective of this project is to provide an avenue through which the Africa s higher education sector can respond to the increasingly challenging developments and consequences of internationalization of higher education. This broad goal will be pursued through the following specific objectives: i) To develop a virtual open forum/platform for sharing resources on the internationalisation of higher education in Africa; ii) iii) iv) To undertake research on internationalisation of higher education in Africa and produce empirical research outputs on its contribution to achievement of MDGs; To develop capacity that would enable the African higher education sector gain a more in-depth understanding of the international dimension of higher education, its risks, challenges and benefits; To develop a strategy for the dissemination of output emanating from the internationalisation activities. 1.3 Major expected out puts This section identifies the specific component activities and the strategies that will be put in place during the project execution phase in order to achieve the desired goals. 7

8 1.3.1 Development of a virtual open forum/platform for sharing resources on the internationalisation of higher education in Africa One of the main reasons that have retarded fast and well-balanced internationalisation processes in countries within Africa relates to the weak capabilities for informational networks (Valiulis and Valiulis, 2006). To improve on efficiency and effectiveness in managing information and to promote timely and rich interaction among stakeholders there is the need for an interactive virtual forum/platform to house relevant resources on internationalisation of higher education in Africa. The aim is to promote closer interaction and sharing of information and educational resources on internationalization, thereby enabling researchers, practitioners, policy makers, institutional leaders have a constantly widening access to information and inspiring others to participate. In developing this virtual platform, the project will use the Open Educational Resources (OER) model to share information, experiences, and other resources on internationalization of higher education in Africa. Open access enables research to meet its full potential by maximizing its dissemination and, therefore, usage. Many different initiatives have shown that open access is economically feasible, that it gives readers extraordinary power to find and make use of relevant literature, and that it gives authors and their works vast and measurable new visibility, readership, and impact. Activities in this will include; Requirements Analysis and Specification; Content Development; Technical Design and Development; Training; Portal Hosting; Maintanance; Organization and Monitoring and Evaluation Undertaking research on internationalisation of higher education in Africa and its contribution to achievement of MDGs Achieving the MDGs by African countries holds the promise of saving and improving millions of lives within the region, and African higher education 8

9 sector has a key role to play in this. Africa-based research and analysis on related issues of internationalization could be expanded in order to better influence policymaking throughout the continent. As Ramphele puts it, There is no way we can succeed in the eradication of poverty if the developing world is not part of knowledge creation, its dissemination and utilization to promote innovation. Higher education is a critical factor in making this possible and must be part of any development strategy (Mamphela Ramphele, World Bank). The research and policy cluster will include a call for research proposals from different regions of Africa on how higher education and internationalization addresses the MDGs. i. Identification of MDGs For the purposes of this project, four MDGs have been selected from which research will attempt to showcase how internationalisation of higher education in Africa would help in addressing these. Global partnership for development Universities in their very nature are organizations that have local, regional and international dimensions mainly based on the universality and complementarity of knowledge and scholarship. They are a core part of global partnerships, especially where invention and utilization of knowledge is key and are a viable mechanism for strengthening linkages and building sustainable regional and global partnerships that could create a special milieu for achieving the MDGs. Universal primary education 9

10 Universal primary education is crucial for the long term achievement of the MDGs. Even though several African countries are on track towards achieving universal primary education by 2015, progress remains slow in some other countries. These and other challenges also affect access to higher levels of education. Countries need to make concerted efforts to among other things increase access, strengthen curricular, efficiency mechanisms, governance, among others. Higher education institutions are critical actors in supporting reforms to implement basic education for all, as they are the avenues through which capacities required for the implementation and attainment of universal primary education may be achieved. International experiences, collaborative efforts and the role of international agencies in the implementation of universal primary education in developing countries must be emphasized. Promote gender equality and empowerment of women Training and knowledge are among the best tools for empowering women and stemming the feminization of poverty. Universities are useful in analysing the multiple factors influencing gender roles and striving to put in place contextappropriate conditions that allow women to fully contribute to development. Universities in Africa have a significant role not only in empowering women in the acquisition of various skills but also in working towards gender parity in accessing higher education and contributing to the critical mass of female graduates. They also provide avenues for looking into which opportunities work best for women especially for poverty reduction and enhancement of maternal health. The international dimension of higher education brings several opportunities including varied experiences and partnerships that could be utilized to enhance the achievement of this goal. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases 10

11 On HIV/AIDS in the developing world, building knowledge and human resources capacity is essential for creating better healthcare, and improving health policies and practices over the long term. Universities in Africa as research institutions, community leaders, education and information hubs, and as employers have a crucial leadership and capacity role to play in developing national, regional and global knowledge and responses to combat HIV/AIDs. Like most other challenges facing Africa and most other developing countries, this pandemic is an international catastrophe and thus requires to be responded to within that context. If higher education has such a key role to play, then this must also be within an international dimension. ii. Developing call for research proposals This component of the project proposes to make a call for research proposals for the undertaking of research on the international dimension of higher education in Africa and how it would relate to the above MDGs. In developing the call, the project team will constitute a panel of lead experts in internationalization, which will design and develop the guidelines for the research proposals. To undertake these, the panel will have at least one face-to-face meeting. After receiving the research proposals responding to the call, the panel will undertake an evaluation to select the 15 proposals to be awarded the research grants, distribute equitably within the five sub-regions in Africa (East, West, North, South and Central). As the research progresses, the researchers will be required to submit a progress report three months to the completion of the project for ensuring that the research is progressing in accordance with the requirements of the call and is keeping within the timelines. The final report must be submitted at the end of the project Developing the capacity for more in-depth understanding of the international dimension of higher education in Africa 11

12 One of the main goals of this project is to develop capacity to fill the void for research capacity within the international dimension of higher education. Inadequate capacity is a persistent challenge in Africa s quest to implement the MDGs. With regard to internationalization, Africa still has glaring gaps in its research capacity for internationalization (Knight, 2008; Teffera and Knight (2008). The project will bring together 20 young Africa scholars, who are active or have demonstrated interest in internationalization, for capacity building workshops to be held at a venue within Africa. The training is expected to enable the young scholars gain better and in-depth capacity for regional research undertakings. The aim is to establish an effective and sustainable pan-african network of researchers on internationalization to contribute to furthering not only national research objectives, but collaborative work that will add value to a greater pan-african thinking on internationalization of higher education. The long-term goal envisions that through the capacity building initiative, NESI will develop an African-driven productive cohort of young African researchers and practitioners for future research endeavours on internationalization Developing a strategy for the dissemination of output emanating from the internationalisation activities In order that the results of the research reach the intended audience, the project will develop a dissemination plan, which will form a key part of the collaborative research planning process. The dissemination plan developed at the outset of the project will evolve as the project progresses, and will help the project stakeholders focus the project and identify key audiences. This project will buck the access problem with its development of Open Access (OA), a potentially revolutionary access model which allows maximum 12

13 dissemination of research output, making scholarly papers freely available to all with little or no restriction on use of materials for any reasonable purpose. Other dissemination tools will be implemented, including e-journals, weblogs and e- newsletters. 13

14 2.0 Logical Framework Activities Starting Budge Expected Input Expected Expected Objectively Date t Outputs Outcomes Verifiable and Performance Duratio Indicators n 1 Development and April 28,400-1 Web -Virtual -Enhanced -Website maintenance of virtual forum/platform months administrator/ research assistant -1 Expert for Requirement Analysis -Web and content developer -Hardware and software forum for members and researchers capacity to share R&D resources on international ization of higher education in Africa (URL) with the Virtual forum - Availability of information on internationa lization on the website -Interactive site for members to share information and intteract 2 Research on April 17,300 -Lead experts to Progress -Informed -Research internationalizatio n of higher 2010 develop the call and evaluate reports and understanding on reports/papers -Research 14

15 education in 15 received reports contribution publications in Africa months proposals selected researchers to undertake the researches of research outcome s and policy docume nt of internationali zation on attainment of MDGs -Research skills enhanced the E-Journal - Presentations/di ssemination of research outcome in other fora 3 Capacity building Septemb 43,150-2 Training -List of -Enhanced -Number of on er 2010 expert trained and Improved members trained internationalizatio members capacity & and extent to n of higher education in Africa 7 months -20 Young Scholars (Trainees) - Training materials -Workshop reports/trai ning curriculum skills for the international dimension of higher education which their skills have improved -Workshop report 4 Development and Septemb 7,200 -Strategy - Strategy Resources on -Strategy paper implementation er 2010 development paper with internationali -Implementation of strategy for expert disseminatio zation of of strategy via disseminating 13 n plan higher -Web log outputs months education in -E-Journal Africa -E- Newsletter disseminated 15

16 3.0 Project Budget 1 Development of a virtual forum and project administrative framework ACTIVITY UNIT QTY RAT E AMOUN T Requirements analysis Days Technical design and development Days ,500 Content development Days Hosting months Hardware/server and software one-off 1 5,000 5,000 Maintenance months 1 2,000 2,000 Administration (research assistant) months ,500 Office (furniture, stationery, communication) one-off 1 1,000 1,000 TOTAL 28,400 2 Research on internationalisation of higher education in Africa ACTIVITY QTY DAYS RAT AMOUN 16

17 E T Developing call for proposals (panel, guidelines Evaluation of proposals Research grants ,000 15,000 Stationery and communication TOTAL 17,300 3 Capacity building on the international dimension of higher education in Africa ACTIVITY QTY DAYS RAT E AMOUN T Travel (trainers) 2 1 1,500 3,000 Travel (trainees) ,000 20,000 Travel (project staff) 4 1 1,000 4,000 Accommodation ,400 Trainers' fee Out-of-pocket for trainees/staff ,600 Stationery and communication

18 1 500 Report writing TOTAL 43,150 18

19 4 Developing a strategy for the dissemination of output ACTIVITY UNIT QTY RAT E AMOUN T Development of dissemination strategy (consultancy) days Implementation of strategy (ejournal, blog, etc) days ,500 Conference attendance (air ticket, accommodation, registration) conference 2 2,000 4,000 Monitoring and evaluation days Communication one-off TOTAL 7,200 TOTAL EXPENSES 96,050 of costs 3,842 GRAND TOTAL 99,892 19

20 4.0 Management Structure for Project As a joint initiative, this project will be implemented by ANIE in collaboration with other African organizations. The project leader will be Prof. Bob Whishitemi, Treasurer of ANIE and also Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Extension)- Moi University. The Project Coordinator will be Mr. James Otieno Jowi, ANIE Secretary. The project assistant will be Mr. Philip Ayoo, of IUCEA who will also spearhead the development of the OER. This is described briefly in the figure below. 20

21 Organizational Chart for the Project PROJECT DIRECTOR Prof Bob Whishitemi Treasurer ANIE and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research & Extension), Moi University will be responsible for the overall management of the project. He has held various teaching positions in a number of universities and has vast experience in j t l d hi / t H h l h ld PROJECT COORDINATOR ANIE Mr James Otieno Jowi ANIE Coordinator Will provide administrative and M&E guidance for the project. He is currently responsible for projects and programmes, covering research, academic and administrative aspects. Has a Masters degree in Comparative and International Education (Higher Education Specialty) from University of Oslo, Norway, a Masters Degree in Linguistics and a Bachelor of Education degree both from Moi University, Kenya. Currently concluding a PhD in Higher Education Studies at Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), University of Twente, the Netherlands. He also teaches Comparative and International Education at the School of Education, Moi University, Kenya. He is a founding member of ANIE and has been the founding coordinator. He has published four papers on internationalization, presented papers in several conferences and is a member of the IAU Task Force on the 3 rd PROJECT ASSISTANT - IUCEA Mr Philip Ouma Ayoo Electronic Database Specialist Will provide the technical guidance for the for the virtual platform and dissemination strategy parts of the project. As head of the ICT unit, he oversees the development of appropriate ICT capacity at the IUCEA and member universities. Currently coordinates the MRCI-supported project aimed at enhancing the capacity of East African universities to utilize ICT for sustainable regional development. He holds a Master of Philosophy degree in Information Science and a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Currently a PhD student in Information Systems at Makerere University, Uganda. His research interests are in the areas of online learning and ICT policy development, where he has published and presented a number of papers. Before joining the IUCEA he was teaching at the Department of Information and Media Technology, Moi University, where he had previously served as a Senior Technician. A senior member of the Uganda Computer Society. OTHER KEY PROJECT STAFF Other staff whose services will be required during the project will include Alvin Bagaka Manko (ICT Assistant) who will provide both administrative and technical assistance in the execution of the project. Mr Manko holds a bachelor of Information Technology from Jomo Kenyatta University in Kenya. He is currently pursuing masters degree in Computer Science from Makerere University. Other needed support will be drawn from IEASA and PROJECT SUPPORT STAFF The project will engage the services of a research assistant to be full-time in the management of its activities, especially with respect to updating the virtual platform with research information. 21

22 22