Icts) As Springboards to Advance Their National Development in All Areas, Including Education

A System Dynamics Approach to Educational Technology Introduction in Developing Countries by Trinidad Grange-Kyner B.Sc., Electrical and Electronics Engineering University of Lagos, Nigeria, 1994 Submitted to the System Design and Management Program in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Engineering and Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology June 2008 ©2008 Trinidad Grange-Kyner, All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. Signature of Author U VI Trinidad Grange-Kyner System Design and Management June 2008 Certified by ) ,- J.Bradley Morrison Senirec of th n.n e'drinp Tysep Division Accepted by Pat Hale MASSACHUSMTS INSTITUTE OF TEGHNOLOGY Director System Design and Management Program JUL 0 3 2008 A LIBRARIES A System Dynamics Approach to Educational Technology Introduction in Developing Countries by Trinidad Grange-Kyner Submitted to the System Design and Management Program and the Engineering Systems Division on May 9th, 2008 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Engineering and Management ABSTRACT Developing nations around the globe are focused on ways to use Information and Computing Technologies (ICTs) as springboards to advance their national development in all areas, including education. There are multiple ways in which various organizations are tackling the unique challenges these nations face in equipping their schools with modem educational technologies. This study evaluates two examples of computing technology intended for wide-scale deployment in developing nations. It aims to test the hypothesis that in order to be successful, ICT implementations require adequate funding, available electrical and telecommunication infrastructure, the presence of strong local champions and a local support ecosystem. Interviews were conducted with stakeholders involved in two pilot implementations in Nigeria. A system dynamics model was used to investigate into the relative effects of relevant factors on the speed of ICT deployment. The results from the modeling show the need for a significant increase in financial investment, in order to cover all costs associated with ICT deployments. The results also revealed the daunting task nations face in equipping all students with individual laptops and it presents some alternatives to a wide-scale deployment of one-to-one computing. Finally, the results highlight the necessity of providing economical means of completely powering ICTs in order to rapidly deploy these technologies to the nation's schools. A number of recommendations were made for the consideration of any developing nation undertaking ICT implementations in education. Thesis Advisor: J. Bradley Morrison Title: Senior Lecturer of the Engineering Systems Division Acknowledgements I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my husband for his steadfast love and support, and to our son for bringing meaning to my experiences at MIT. I am also very grateful to my advisor, J. Bradley Morrison, for his inspirational introduction to the field of system dynamics and for his guidance throughout this project. In addition, I owe a debt of gratitude to all who took time out of their busy schedules to answer my interview questions - Mrs. Okonkwu, Mr. Leda, Mr. Edegbe, Drs. Onamusi & Armstrong and to Dr. Oduloju for organizing these interviews. On a personal level, I would like to thank all the members of my family, JASA ladies, and my church family for their prayers and encouragement every step of the way and to all our friends who volunteered for babysitting. I am also deeply appreciative of Rebecca-Jane and Irene who helped to proofread this work. Thank you Dad and Mum for always encouraging me to reach higher. Thank you Lord for making this dream come true. To the Nigerian Child Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. - Deuteronomy 11: 18 - 19, New InternationalVersion Table of Contents AB ST R A CT .......................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgem ents ........................................................................ .............................. 5 T able of C ontents ................................................................................................................ 6 List of Figures........................................................................... ........................... 8 L ist of T ables ..................................................................................................... ............9 1 Introduction ......................................... 10 1.1 M otivation ................................................................... .......................... 10 1.2 Objectives and Hypothesis......................... ..... ............... 12 1.3 Approach .................................................................... ........................... 12 1.4 Thesis organization .................................... ...... ................ 13 2 Literature review ..................................................................... ............................ 14 2.1 Historical background of computer use in education ...................... 14 2.2 Impact of computer technology on education .................................. 16 2.3 The realities of ICT in education ....................................... ...... 18 2.4 A proposed framework for implementing ICTs in schools............ 19 2.5 Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) ...................................... ...... 20 3 Case Study Background: Nigeria .................................... .... ............. 22 3.1 N igeria Facts ................................................................ ......................... 22 3.2 Nigerian Education Policies ...................................... ..........23 3.3 Nigerian Educational System Statistics .................................... 25 3.4 Current ICT in Education initiatives .................................... ... 27 3.5 National Investment in Education................. .........28 3.6 Introduction to One Laptop Per Child Foundation ........................ 29 3.7 Introduction to Intel's®World Ahead program .............................. 32 3.8 A Comparison of the two projects .................................... .... 33 4 Case Studies ....................................................36 4.1 Galadima Primary school - One Laptop Per Child pilot................ 36 4.2 Jabi Junior Secondary School - Intel ® Classmate pilot ................. 38 4.3 The local consulting firm - Alteq.ict .................................... ... 39 5 C ase study analysis................................................ .............................................. 41 5.1 Education Technology Introduction Model Summary.................... 41 5.2 Model analysis details .................................................. 48 5.3 Summary of XO and CMPC model differences ............................... 55 6 Discussion and interpretation ................................................. 56 6.1 Sensitivity analysis .................................................... 56 6.2 What-If Scenarios ........................................................ 64 6.3 Assumptions made in what-if scenarios ...................................... 67 7 Recommendations and Conclusion ...................................... ........... 69 7.1 Radical Changes to implementations................ .......... 69 7.2 Incremental Changes to Implementations .................................... 69 7.3 C onclusion ................................................................. ............................ 73 Appendices ............................................ 74 Appendix 1 - Education Statistics .................................... .......... 74 Appendix 2 - Estimated XO and CMPC Implementation Costs ................... 76 Appendix 3 - The XO and Classmate PC System Dynamics model............... 78 Appendix 4- Electrification Infrastructure Growth................. 85 List of Figures Figure 1: M ap of N igeria ........................................................................................................... 22 Figure 2: Graph of Comparative Education Enrolment Statistics - Nigeria and USA........... 26 Figure 3: Comparison of number of teachers - Nigeria and USA ...................................... 27 Figure 4: Local champions exert political pressure to adjust ICT budget ................................. 42 Figure 5: ICT Budget drives implementation of schools and growth of implementers ............. 43 Figure 6: Teachers and Students with ICT skills .................................... ............. 45 Figure 7: Feedback loop - Increased enrolment reduces budget................................ ...... 46 Figure 8: General Model for educational technology introduction in developing countries ..... 47 Figure 9: XO vs. CMPC Implementation - Installation costs only................................. 49 Figure 10: Implementation of XOs - Operating and Implementers' Recruiting costs ........... 50 Figure 11: Implementation of XOs - Increased Enrolment impact .................

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