06. Pan-Commonwealth Forum 6 (PCF6), 2010

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Browsing 06. Pan-Commonwealth Forum 6 (PCF6), 2010 by Subject "Community Learning"

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    Open Access
    Community Based Learning And Outreach For Development: Factors Influencing The Urbanite Woman Learner Participation In Mass Literacy Programme, Accra, Ghana
    (2010-11) Saah, Albert A; Mensah, Joseph A
    Adult learner participation is indispensable to the overall access and success of a community based learning and outreach for development programme. The University of Ghana, by policy, is promoting the formal, informal and the non-formal community based learning programmes. It collaborates with the Social Welfare and Ministry of Education’s Non-Formal Education Division (NFED) especially in the non-formal programme. Most of these community-based programmes are located in urban areas as the one in this study. In some communities, patronage of the programme is very high, whiles in some areas patronage is low. NFED is referred to as the Functional Literacy Agency (FLA) in this study. // This exploratory study, focusing on the non-formal programme, has for its objectives to capture and evaluate the internal and external factors that influence the Urbanite Woman Learner Participation (UWLP) in Mass Literacy Programmes (MASSLIP) run by NFED, further, use factors to create models for enhancing UWLP.
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    Open Access
    Community Schooling: Novel Strategy to Expand Value Education
    (2010-11) Lenka, Kishore K
    Education aims at the all round development of the child to help them grow as able citizens those who understand the purpose of safe guarding natural values, virtues and wise use of the resources to campaign for conservation and preservation to safe guard the ‘Mother Earth’ from manmade coercion. There is a crisis and lapse of critical analysis of ‘values’ in all spheres of life in present day society. Qualities like love, truthfulness, honesty, sincerity, co-operation, tolerance, non-violence, service etc. have almost vanishing as a result there is violence, terrorism, hatred, cruelty etc. are dominating in the whole world. The citizens of tomorrow are mainly the products of the present educational system. This indicates that the present system of education is not enough to produce good human beings. All the educational Commissions and Committees of preparing the National Agenda of the past have recommended stories on Value Education for children from the school stage. But this has not been attempted with spirit to attend success after manifold trials. The reasons are many but one of them is no substantial minimum awareness or knowledge of teachers and parents in this regard on various Value Education methodologies.
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    Open Access
    Connecting Community with Knowledge: Novel Strategy of ICT Convergence
    (2010-11) Nanda, Bijay K
    Access to ICT and ICT-supported educational experiences potentially offers learners valuable opportunities to learn new skills and new competencies for effective functioning in the twenty-first century, and should arguably become part of the entitlement of citizens. It is also on the basis that large amounts of money have been allocated to the realization of IT-in-education master plans in many countries. However, success in implementation depends greatly on the understanding and readiness of the many stakeholders involved in the process. On the other hand, the shelf-life of ICT products and configurations is generally very short. A strongly ICT infrastructure-led development plan may thus lead to wastage of valuable resources if the teachers are not prepared, or if the understanding of the purpose is merely a technological one, such that the impact of the introduction of technology becomes rather limited.
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    Open Access
    Creating a Learning Environment using a De-institutionalized Approach to Learning
    (2010-11) Cran, Wendy I D; Cran, Gregory J
    Yekooche First Nation is a small, isolated aboriginal community in British Columbia, Canada which has been working towards finalizing a land claims and self government treaty with the federal and provincial governments. In preparing for the responsibilities that flow with self government, Chief and Council decided to seek assistance from Royal Roads University in helping to prepare the community for this change. This paper is about a partnership that formed between a university and this remote aboriginal community to create a learning environment that would help its members prepare for governance by accessing non traditional forms of learning using technology. // This paper describes the background, benefits and challenges of establishing a learning environment and the lessons learned along the way. The paper also describes different approaches and engagement strategies through three stories of youth, who not only learned how to use the technology, but also revived their curiosity through interaction and mentorship that the Learning Centre provided.
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    Open Access
    Creating awareness about Urban Planning to the community
    (2010-11) Baguant-Moonshiram, Y; Nowbuth, Manta D; Gunness, Sandhya
    One of the fundamental prerequisites for the achievement of sustainable development and sustainable planning is broad public and specially community participation in decision-making and involvement of all stakeholders specially the social groups and NGO’s. Furthermore, according to Agenda 21, new forms of participation have emerged and these include the need of individuals, groups and organisations to participate in decisions particularly those which potentially affect the communities in which they live and work. Individuals, groups and organisations should have access to information relevant to urban planning and development held by national authorities, including information on products and activities that have or are likely to have a significant impact on planning, and information on sustainable development. The government of Mauritius has embarked on a project called the ‘Maurice Ile Durable’ (MID) project which is a long term vision aimed at promoting sustainable development. The main aim of this project is to make Mauritius a role model of sustainable development. One of the key partners of the government in this endeavour is the University of Mauritius as one of the roles of the University is to educate the people about important issues and to encourage community development. As such, the university has to go forward and be a tool in creating awareness among the Mauritian people and to encourage community participation towards achieving sustainable development.
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    Open Access
    Emerging Technologies, Established Communities, & Evolving Universities
    (2010-11) Anchan, John P
    Post-secondary institutions in Canada and around the world are in a constant state of flux due to changing population demographics and newer technologies. With multifarious demands for corollary revenues and bottom lines, universities are being stretched beyond their limits. Increasingly, the ivory towers have lost their gleam and are under constant pressure to respond to a Net generation demanding employable credentials (Cote & Allahar, 2007). Many of these issues are not recent as we see scholars having raised the alarm bells even in the sixties (Coombs, 1985; Dore, 1997). The emerging technologies have begun to challenge our notion of relevant education in relation to pursuit of knowledge. The influence of technology in the way we learn and interact is undeniable. In the meantime, universities have become isolated islands distanced from their immediate communities. With the seeming disconnect that has plagued higher institutions of learning, traditional universities have begun to revisit the notion of production of knowledge for its own sake. This is especially true in Canada. // This paper explores selected studies within a given theoretical framework involving projects and initiatives at the institutional level. It highlights some of the challenges faced by such emerging technologies along with cultural, political, and economic realities that impinge upon community development.
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    Open Access
    Exploring the Introduction of Certificate Program in Microfinance through ODL: A Study
    (2010-11) Chandraiah, Esampally
    Poverty poses a major threat to the development, particularly in India. In view of the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing extreme poverty and hunger by half by 2015 (IIBF (2009), the microfinance education through open distance learning (ODL) assumes importance in alleviation of poverty. Education is considered to be an effective approach and single powerful weapon against poverty. It widens the financial services delivery system by linking the large number of rural population, particularly people living in Below Poverty Line (BPL), with formal financial institutions through Self-Help Groups. However, there was an absence of microfinance education to explore possibilities of setting up specialized small business activities or social enterprises to develop the rural economy. Therefore, microfinance education and skill-building of rural poor through Open Distance Education and Learning (ODEL) are big challenges to alleviate poverty. // Broadly this paper intends to provide a greater understanding of the role played by microfinance in general and Self-Help Groups in particular in Andhra Pradesh. Further, it intends to analyze the needs assessment of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to offer a “Certificate / Diploma program in Microfinance” through Open Distance Education and Learning (ODEL) system at Dr.B.R.Ambedkar Open University, India.
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    Open Access
    Getting Ready: Using Participatory Communication and Learning to Improve Food Security and Climate Change Adaptation in the Caribbean
    (2010-11) Protz, Maria P
    Rural communities in many parts of the world face increasing challenges to survive due to pressures caused by climate change and globalization. This is especially true in Small Island Developing states (SIDS) such as those in the Caribbean. Climate Change (CC) is forcing communities to adapt quickly not only for their own survival but also for national food security. // But “getting ready” demands new skills and the adoption of new practices, both of which can involve steep learning curves. // Participatory communication can play an important role in making this learning transition easier, and in fact, without it, adaptation is not likely to be sustainable. // This paper shares how Communication for Development, or ComDev, is working to improve food security and help rural communities adapt to climate change in the Caribbean. Through the “Communication for Sustainable Development Initiative” (CSDI)’s Caribbean programme, communities are using participatory video, ICTs, radio and other community media to establish backyard gardens and organic farms – practices that are not only helping to improve household health and nutrition, but also helping to improve national food security.
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    Open Access
    The importance of community service learning in engineering
    (2010-11) Nowbuth, Manta D; Gunness, Sandhya; Moonshiram-Baguant, Y
    Community service learning (CSL) is gradually shaping up the way of applying the design tools and techniques which students learn during their undergraduate courses in Engineering in Mauritius. A case study was carried out to evaluate the extent to which CSL could be applied in the field assignments so as to help students better understand the practical and social aspects of a problem. The course BEng(Hons) Civil Engineering is of 4 years duration, with 3½ years being full time courses at the University of Mauritius and the remaining half year being spent as industrial training in either a consultancy or a contracting firm. During the time spent at the University, the students are assignments different types of assignments, with the objectives of enabling them to take their own initiatives, to work in teams, to organise themselves as they work in groups and to get better understanding of the social aspects of engineering problems and practical acceptable solutions. However, over the years it was noted that though several of the objectives are actually met successfully, the appreciation of the social aspects was not always successful. Students tend to fail to understand that some practical economical solutions were not always the ones that the society would accept and trust. With a view of remedying this issue, the structure of an assignment was modified. Third year students were given this assignment and were asked to liaise with the public to find the socially acceptable solution.
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    Open Access
    Knowing and Growing Network of Organic Women Farmers in the Caribbean: Digital media for learning, networking and farm management
    (2010-11) Tandon, Nidhi
    With no explanation for climate change or the abrupt shifts in weather, farmers may think this is ‘God’s work’ - and beyond the control of mere mortals. By extension, farmers might not consider themselves actors of consequence whose actions could have direct impacts for climate change and for our collective futures on this planet. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth! // We have been working with farmers in the Caribbean region since 2004, developing an e-network support system of organic women farmers – first teaching them about the holistic benefits of organic farming (food and health, management of climate change, biodiversity, local production) but also teaching them technical aspects to using the Internet more broadly and social networking tools more specifically over time. In 2010, six workshops later, the network is at least 180 people strong – primarily but not exclusively, women farmers. What began as a network of farmers seeking to become organic has now extended to farmers concerned about a healthy and resilient food economy in the context of climate change and environmental stress. // A review of current research and documentation shows that there are few comprehensive materials that look at women’s use of and access to ICTs in the context of farming and climate change. Our research indicates that despite the lack of dependable data on the impact of climate change on agriculture, the issue is gaining more attention as climate issues attract more urgency. At the same time, it is clear that the treatment of climate change and agriculture needs to be localized in order for it to be of any value to farmers and policy makers alike. // We will present our work, the challenges, and the particular gender dimensions of working with media and technology tools in a rural and multi-island setting – in a participatory workshop session.
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    Open Access
    Open Learning Communities for Development: Revisiting the Gender Dimensions
    (2010-11) Thomas, A J
    Although learning may enable mobility, new alignments and identifications, a contrasting reality suggests that women may not be able to fully exercise choice. Open learning communities cannot succeed unless they acknowledge and celebrate differences, seeking to create and construct pluralistic environments which promote and foster these differences (Jain 1997). Conceptual models which emphasize notions of co-evolution (learning and changing together) and partnership between open learning communities (OLCs) need to be developed and expanded.
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    Open Access
    Supporting Community Learning with Digital Technologies and Knowledge for Societal Development: Open and Distance Learning to Educate Rural Farmers by Enhanced Blended Learning Management System through School ICT Laboratory in Malaysia
    (2010-11) Lee, Tan Luck
    Purpose – This research was attempted to examine the feasibility of open and distance learning on educating rural farmers in improving the quality of their knowledge and upgrading their livelihood through the school ICT Laboratory in the village vicinity. The rural farmers could use the internet facilities and connectivity of the school ICT laboratory not only to communicate but also to acquire knowledge on agriculture. The culture of using technologies in acquiring first hand agro knowledge and the fluctuating produces prices have great influence in determining the quality of their livelihood. // Design/ methodology/ approach – Five dimensions of enhancing open and distance learning to educate and improve livelihood of Malaysian farmers through the secondary school ICT laboratory (demographic, technology availability, rural farmers; learning culture and leadership of village chieftains) were examined to determine the success of supporting community learning in the digital age: enhancing open and distance learning to educate and improve livelihood of Malaysian farmers. // Finding - In general, there are significant differences among factors stated above which will upgrade the rural farmers’ livelihood and be competitive with their peers from other sectors. The usage of the school ICT laboratory by enhancing open and distance learning could be beneficial to the rural farmers by upgrading their knowledge on seeding, cloning, fertilization, proper usage of agro chemical and bio technology etc in fostering the production quality agriculture produces’ as well as avoiding the agro middleman’s preying when there is fluctuation of the agro produces price. In addition, the rural farmers could use the ICT facility to foster friendship, exchange of ideas and networking among their peers in the region. // Research limitations/ implications – This study represents an addition to the extant literature on supporting community learning in the digital age: enhancing open and distance learning to educate and improve livelihood of Malaysian rural farmers through the school ICT laboratory. // Practical implications – Enhancing digital technology in improving farmers’ livelihood is of paramount important in the upgrading of not only the farmers livelihood but national economy. It is utmost important for the maximization in the utilization of digital technologies provided by the government initiative to improve its efficiency and integrity on quality assure of ODL in producing quality human capital. // Originality/ value – This study provides further groundwork for the quality utilization of open and distance learning platform in educating rural farmers.
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    Open Access
    The use of potential social structures and entities for HIV prevention education: The role of Queen mothers in Ghana
    (2010-11) Koomson, Ebenezer
    Having used varied modes of education to tackle the HIV problem, it was decided to appeal to the queen-mothers at their regional council and have a look on their capacity in pulling people along to pursue things of social value and effect, and use it also in promoting the health status of their people for public good and governance. The best way to promote sexual and reproductive health among young people and to raise awareness of HIV is to make information and services available as part of a wider programme that addresses their social needs and help empower them to make healthy choices.