Computing and ICT

So you thought the development of Applications for Mobile phones was just another gimmick to occupy those fascinated with smart phones? Well, think again! Abdu Ssekalala, a third year student of Information Technology at the School of Computing and Informatics Technology (CIT), Makerere University has his sights set on earning $1Million before he turns 23.

With funds provided by Microsoft Research Ltd, TWAS and AAS encourage the organization of scientific activities related to computer science in Africa by offering financial assistance to the organizers of conferences, workshops, symposia and special meetings held in Africa.

The College of Computing and Information Sciences, Makerere University is hosting the Microsoft Innovation Center (MIC) on behalf of the Government of Uganda.

Having invested USD 300,000 in the then Faculty of Computing and Informatics Technology to help set up a National Software Incubation Centre (NSIC), the Rockefeller Foundation made a follow-up visit to Makerere University on 4th July, 2011.

As the oldest university in Uganda, Makerere University is truly leading by example. In a bid to boost girl child education, the university has embarked on a study to investigate effects of early ICT exposure. This came after a joint study revealed that female students are less likely to use Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), compared to their male counterparts due to limited exposure at an early stage.

The study was undertaken under the Pan African Research Agenda on Pedagogical Integration of ICT in Africa funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), conducted in five primary schools, four secondary schools, and two institutions of higher education i.e. Makerere University and Kyambogo University.

While undertaking the study, Makerere University researchers found out that most of the Ugandans conversant with computer technology got exposed at the secondary school level. “The school system is the first point of contact for the majority of computer technology users in Uganda “observed Dr. Alice Ndidde a Senior Lecturer in the College of Education and External studies.

She also observed that schools largely exhibit deep seated negative stereotypes against girls and female teachers’ use of technology. Dr Ndidde confirmed this by highlighting that from the study, it was revealed that in one of the secondary schools, 99.3% of the computer users were boys with girls only constituting 0.7%, an alarming disparity.

Additionally, the study noted that there was more focus on teaching ICT and less on integrating it into teaching and learning. As such, students registered less improved levels of participation, self-direction learning, confidence levels, and self esteem in the use of ICT.

Schools that integrated ICT use also saw students being motivated and willing to study science subjects that have traditionally been believed to be difficult. Interestingly, the study also revealed that private schools have more ICT infrastructure than the prestigious public schools.

However, despite the positive impact of ICT integration, there are still challenges which have faced the implementation of the solutions to problems revealed by the study. They include:

• Inaccessibility to ICT facilities mainly due to poverty
• Under utilization and gender disparities in the integration of ICT into learning and teaching
• Inadequate computer infrastructure and internet connectivity in most of the learning institutions
• The high number of male teachers over female teachers in ICT, especially in rural areas.

In order to mitigate these challenges, the study provided recommendations such as encouraging females and males to participate in ICT at an early age and equally urging parents and guardians to ensure that girls and boys both use computers and ICT facilities equally without discrimination. The study further called for the training of teachers in transferring knowledge and skills around gender issues equally, and planning activities which encourage both boys and girls to develop ICT skills, among others.

Article by Toku Paul, Intern, Makerere University.

The Inter University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) is implementing a component for developing staff training programmes in ICT under the overall project of ‘Enhancing the Capacity of East African Universities to utilize ICT for Sustainable Regional Development’.

The Council of the member universities met during the three day workshop organized in Makerere University which started on 6th June 2011. It was attended by the various representatives from the various member universities among them being prominent personalities such as Prof. Mayunga H.H Nkunya, the Executive Secretary for IUCEA and Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, the Vice Chancellor Makerere University, who hosted the workshop.

The three activities in the training programme will include; undertaking staff training needs assessment for ICT in member Universities, developing ICT training staff for academic staff based on the identified needs, and Piloting the training on selected staff of universities in East Africa.

Prof. Mayunga confirmed that “the component of undertaking a staff training needs assessment for ICT in member universities has been completed” and added that as per findings, two major categories of ICT training needs were already identified as: the basic and pedagogical ICT training.

Basic ICT training provides the foundation upon which advanced ICT use skills and training are built. He revealed that although the majority staff of IUCEA member universities have basic ICT skills, studies recommended the need for a deliberate effort in IUCEA member Universities to have a programme for continuous basic ICT training in this rapidly changing ICT industry.

The study also showed that basic ICT training was required in; introduction to ICTs and common operating systems, functional skills for ICT maintenance, office automation systems, and email and internet use.

Pedagogical training provides skills needed for university staff (academic and administrative) to effectively execute activities aimed at improving the learning and teaching process. Research shows that academic and administrative staff need training in ICTs so as to enhance the efficiency of their day to day work.

Academic staff need training in; E-learning/online learning pedagogy, E-learning management systems, E-content development, ICTs for effective research, effective content delivery, and personal website development and update methodology. On the other hand, university administrative staff need more training on the use of their respective universities’ existing Management Information Systems (MISs) and the systems vary in different Universities.

Article by Toko Paul, Intern, Public Relations Office, Makerere University

The Workshop brings together specialists in Mathematics, Theoretical and Mathematical Physics and Physics. It offers the international scientific community an arena for interactions and presentations of scientific research results on contemporary problems in these fields, especially for research pursued within Africa.

7th International COPROMAPH will run from 29th October to 4th November 2011 in Cotonou, Republic of Benin.

Theme: Nonlinear and Noncommutative Mathematics with Applications to Life Sciences and the Material Universe

The Workshop also provides young African researchers an opportunity to know each other and initiate scientific collaboration. The Workshop thereby contributes in strengthening the research capacity and revitalizing activities in mathematical physics in African universities. Given that perspective, the Workshop is preceded by the 7th International COPROMAPH School dedicated to lay the ground-work in preparation for the Workshop, through two series of graduate level lectures, accompanying tutorials, and student seminars. The Workshop is organized every second year, and the School every year, in the Republic of Benin, under the auspices of the Executive Secretariat of the International Chair in Mathematical Physics and Applications (ICMPA – UNESCO Chair).

Deadline for applications: July 15th, 2011.

Registration and abstracts have to be received before July 15th. Invited speakers are also requested to send a one page abstract of their presentation.

See downloads for application forms and details

Downloads

COPROMAPH7 Announcement 2011: pdf, ps

The International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning (IJMBL) is devoting a special edition to mobile learning in Africa and contributions are warmly invited.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) , is holding a distance learning course on "Broadband for English speaking countries in Africa", to be conducted from 27 June to 5 August 2011. This course is organized jointly by the ITU and Telkom Centre for Learning (CFL) in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This distance learning course is part of the capacity building partnership between the ITU and Telkom SA, under the aegis of the Centers of Excellence network for Africa. This training is part of the 2011 action plan adopted by the Steering Committee of the Centers of Excellence Network for Africa.

This course is targeted at managers, engineers and employees from regulators, government organizations, telecommunication companies and academia, interested in learning more about the characteristics, dynamics, trends and status of broadband provisioning and access in Africa.
The participants will gain a clear understanding of the practical implementation of the broadband landscape and an effective and comprehensive learning on mobile broadband trends in Africa.

This course will cover a wide range of broadband network topics as follows:

• Current and future Broadband landscape in Africa , including a discussion on South Africa as an example
• African broadband trends with a special country focus en Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria
• Mobile Broadband trends in Africa
• Regulatory impact on the future of African Broadband provisioning and access
• Current and future plans of Broadband enabling providers: Seacom, Telkom SA,Vodacom /Vodafone, MTN

For any consultation contact the coordinator of ITU-AFR Diadié Toure (diadie.toure @ itu.int) and/or Nico Gibson (gibsonna@telkom.co.za).
If you wish to participate in this online training, please complete the electronic registration Form available in the ITU Academy portal http://academy.itu.int/ no later than 20 June, 2011.

See Downloads for course fees and details

Downloads

ITU CFL Broadband Training Invitation: pdf, ps

ITU CFL Broadband Training Payment Trems and Conditions: pdf, ps

ITU CFL Broadband Training Course Description: pdf, ps

ITU CFL Broadband Training Registration Information: pdf, ps

ITU CFL Broadband Training Guidlines for accessing course:pps, pdf, ps

The International Telecommunication Union-ITU launched a Green ICT Application Challenge to find the best and most innovative idea for a climate change focused application. The winning concept will be awarded USD10,000, thanks to challenge sponsors Research in Motion (RIM) and Telefónica.

As well as the cash prize, the winner will be invited to present their concept to a prestigious audience at ITU’s Green Standards Week in Italy in September. In addition, the winning app may be developed and showcased during a side event to be held at the COP-17 climate change talks in South Africa in December. 

The Green ICT Application Challenge ITU's way of spurring a next wave of innovation tackling real world problems.

The objective of the competition is to push contestants to think outside the box and develop concept papers for an ICT application that will be a truly valuable contribution to the green ICT industry.

Challenge sponsors RIM and Telefónica both recognize that ‘green’ applications for web and mobile devices have great potential to contribute to climate change abatement worldwide. While there are many apps on the market that target carbon footprinting, this Challenge aims to move to the next stage, with apps that focus on, for example:

• Mitigation of climate change through energy efficiency in sectors such as smart buildings, intelligent transportation systems, smart homes, etc.
• Community engagement
• Eco-design
• Monitoring of climate change
• Measurement of GHG emissions
• Adaptation to climate change (e.g. use of applications for emergency telecommunications and alerting systems for disaster relief)

Contestants are asked to submit a detailed concept paper with an explanation of how their idea helps combat climate change and provides an ICT solution to environmental or sustainability issues. Entries may be any kind of software tool or game, be it for the web, a personal computer or a mobile device. The closing date for entries is 17:00 CET, 17 June, 2011.

More information, including rules and entry requirements, is available at: www.itu.int/ITU-T/climatechange/greenict/index.html

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the Green ICT Applications Challenge. For information, please contact: greenstandard@itu.int.

More information on ITU’s work on ICTs and climate change is available at www.itu.int/climate.