Project
MOPEDE - Capacity Building for Modernizing TVET Pedagogy in Ethiopia
Project sponsors
The specific outcome of the project was that e-learning will
be institutionalized in the Federal Republic of Ethiopia's Technical and
Vocational Training Institute and its 15 satellite colleges (TVTI) and by doing
so to increase the quality of TVET teacher education around Ethiopia, as well
as increasing access to TVET higher education nationally. The outcome of the
present project was planned to benefit the whole TVET-system of Ethiopia, as
modern teaching methodologies are adopted by the students who would become TVET
teachers after their education. Furthermore, the project was to support the
development of high-quality education in rural areas. Developing rural areas
was one of the focuses of the Country Strategy for Development Cooperation of
Finland in Ethiopia 2016—2019.
To achieve these outcomes, four outputs were planned
as follows.
Output 1 Establish an e-Learning lab to
provide state-of-the-art facilities for TVTI teachers to create online
resources for vocational higher education.
Output 2 Develop an LMS platform to host
online learning resources and develop policies and procedures to manage and
administer them.
Output 3 Build capacity by developing
competence in digital pedagogy through a cascaded Training of Trainers
programme.
Output 4 Capacitate institutional
leadership's ability to manage online learning and the digital transformation
process through a programme of change management.
The expected impact of the project was: Accessibility
and quality of TVET teacher education would be improved and modernized around
Ethiopia, and thus, the TVET-sector could fully contribute to the aims
emphasized in Ethiopian Education Development Roadmap (EEDR, 2018), framework
document of Technical Vocational Education and Training for Sustainable
Development (TSDP, 2018), and in the Growth and Transformation Plan of Ethiopia
(GTP II, 2016).
Project results
The development of digital pedagogy and the necessary
technological aspects required for effective e-learning was a key, holistic
focus throughout the project. Foundations for the project's work were laid by
conducting baseline research. Through a questionnaire, the goal was to assess
the current state of e-learning throughout TVTI and identify the strategic
services and support required for future growth. While many of the core
perceptions were previously considered, this study helped to establish a shared
understanding of the situation in Ethiopia and at TVTI for all partners. It
served as an effective starting point for launching new development initiatives
and fostering cooperation across various faculties and colleges.
Following careful analysis of the baseline study work in
each of the four outputs began. The project successfully achieved its key
targets in each of the four output.
An e-Learning lab was established to provide
state-of-the-art facilities to create online resources for vocational higher
education. The lab included technical infrastructure equipment, for
example, audio and video recording equipment, as well as an editing suite
equipped with online editing tools. TVTI's staff from the Directorate of ICT
were trained in how to configure the suites for various technical scenarios
enabling them to exploiting the technology and manipulate output in different
forms.
TVTI's learning management system (LMS) was developed
to effectively host online learning resources and develop policies and
procedures to manage and administer them. This was achieved by configuring
the Moodle environment for optimal performance and instigating institutional
ITIL boards and procedures for service-oriented management. More than 91
courses configured for student-centred online learning across diploma, bachelor
and master levels were uploaded and are available for student enrolment.
The level of professional skills for TVTI teacher was
increased empowering them to create and deliver effective e-learning resources.
A programme of upskilling in digital pedagogy theory and application, including
peer mentoring as a tool for cascading knowledge was delivered involved 89
teachers across all TVTI campuses. This upskilling produced the 91 plus courses
reconfigured for student-centred online learning, and uploaded onto TVTI's LMS
across vocational diploma, bachelor's and master's degree level programmes.
TVTI's institutional leadership's ability to
manage online learning and the digital transformation process was capacitated
through a programme of change management. A programme of upskilling in specific
change management included 30 institutional managers and programme leaders from
all TVTI campuses. It also included guided awareness raising events in all
campuses, coaching managerial supervision in adopting new technologies in
teaching and learning contexts. It also produced an open publication, Digital
Transformation of Learning Environments providing key conclusions and
practical guidance for the introduction and institutionalization of online
learning, focusing on critical areas such as project administration, the role
of change management in sustainable digital transformation, the professional
development of staff and the assurance of quality in blended learning, as well
as the technical requirements and support processes necessary for effective
implementation.
JAMK University of Applied Sciences served as the lead
consultant for the project, assuming responsibility for the following key
areas:
• Overall project management and oversight,
• Communication and coordination with the client,
• Liaison and collaboration with project partners,
• Coordination of activities and tasks performed by the key experts in
accordance with the implementation plan,
• Preparation and submission of official reports,
• Development and delivery of all project outputs and deliverables,
• Official representation of the project at various forums and events.
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