A 4th training workshop and a regional conference

During the final workshop of the 6-month TEDE, Dr Ronde stated that “the flipped classroom builds the confidence of students by exposing them to the content online before coming to class.” Thus optimising the teaching of science by providing the theory online and applying it face-to-face.

The Training for Experts in Digital Education, which started in October 2021, guided future experts in a practical way through the complete transformation of part of their face-to-face courses into online ones. From the instructional design approach to the final integration of the content on a platform, the experts developed a range of skills to integrate digital education successfully into their teaching. They are now able to mentor their colleagues who are following the Digital Education Masterclass.

This training was delivered by EXAF, in collaboration with the Association of African Universities (AAU), as part of the ACE Impact project. It enabled eighteen professors and lecturers from Nigerian, Ghanaian, Beninese and Burkinabe universities to become official experts in digital education.

During the 4^th and final workshops, held in Cotonou and Abuja, they focused on how to keep students motivated and engaged during an online course. This included, proposing active learning and gamification methods, as well as addressing issues of student preparation and tutoring. For Dr Pélagie Houngue, lecturer in mathematics at the Institute of Mathematics and Physical Sciences (IMSP): "It is important to make the learner the main actor in his or her own success through the involvement, effective participation and interaction with peers". This realisation led her to review the content of her courses in a comprehensive manner.

The final part of the workshop focused on methods of course evaluation, an essential step in the development of a sound quality-assurance approach in higher education.

ACE Impact Regional Digital Education Conference

Sustainable integration of digital education in the post-Covid-19 era

12-13 May 2022, Abuja, Nigeria

In 2021, the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) launched a project aiming to create Centers of Competence in Digital Education (C-CoDE) within the Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence for Development Impact (ACE Impact). As part of the C-CoDE initiative, a regional digital education conference was held to promote the sustainable integration of digital education in the teaching processes of universities in sub-Saharan Africa.

The conference was hosted from 12-13 May 2022 by the Africa Centre of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning (ACETEL) of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in collaboration with the National Universities Commission, the Association of African Universities and EPFL.

At least 150 participants attended the event, including the Vice Chancellor NOUN, Hon. Min. of Comm. & Dig. Economy, Hon. Min. of Education, Senior Education Specialist at the World Bank, representatives of the AFD, AAU Secretary General, Executive Secretary of NUC, representatives of the African Digital Education Network (ADEN), Director General NITDA (National Information Technology Development Agency) and a representative from the Nigeria Communication Commission. Other participants in this conference included government officials and policy makers from Africa’s Higher Education landscape, industry players, representatives from AAU and EPFL and C-CoDE participating centres from Nigeria and Ghana.

The key messages from this regional digital education conference were that:

• digital education must be sustainably implemented for the achievement of intended educational outcomes,
• the various players in the digital education ecosystem need to play their parts and coordinate their efforts very well,
• the C-CODE initiative provides a scientifically proven methodology for implementing digital education,
• ongoing capacity building for academic staff, technical staff and students is very important,
• national and regional partnerships are important in the development of digital education, and
• the importance of national and institutional policies cannot be over emphasized. These policies must be properly implemented and their implementation regularly evaluated.