This document outlines two workshops aimed at building Sudanese teachers' competencies in using information and communication technologies (ICT). [1] The infrastructure for ICT in Sudan has grown rapidly in recent years, but it is still underutilized in education. [2] The first workshop focused on online tools for professional development but was above the teachers' levels and lacked follow-up. [3] The second workshop provided hands-on training for using ICT tools in teaching and professional development and included developing materials for future training.

1. Breaking Barriers: Building Teachers’
Competencies in the Use of ICT
Hala Salih Mohammed Nur
English Language Institute
University of Khartoum
halasalih64@gmail.com

2. Presentation Outline
• Introduction
• Infrastructure of ICT in Sudan
• Example
• The use of ICT in Education
• Barriers
• First Workshop
• Second Workshop
• Recommendations

3. Introduction
Youth, Skills & Employability
Why is teacher training in ICT important?
To prepare students to be successful in our
information-rich global society, teachers must
understand the power and potential of
technology tools.

4. Infrastructure for ICT in Sudan
• “The main objective of the Republic of the
Sudan is to provide reliable and affordable ICT
services to all the Sudanese citizens towards
achieving information and knowledge based
society.” (H.E. Theresa Siricio/State Minister of MCIT)

5. The remarkable transformation and achievements
witnessed in the Sudanese Telecommunication sector
coupled with the growing and diversifying use of the
ICT services including those of the Internet and its
applications have been a success story that made
Sudan to be widely held among the most developed in
Africa, if not in the Middle East. The telecom sector
currently has an annual growth of 30% making it the
fastest growing in the world.

6. An Example
• Wireless access points covering 70% of the
University of Khartoum campuses.
• 4000 computers with access to the internet.
• Campuses connected with fibre optics.
• Bandwidth for Internet is 30 Mbps.
• Moodle is installed in the servers of university.

7. Locations where Students Access the
Internet

8. The use of ICT in education
Despite the above mentioned growth,
there is a tendency for the use of ICT for
sectors other than Education and as
research shows Sudan is still at a very
preliminary stage and it is mostly in the
form of on-going or planned projects
especially in the tertiary sector which are
yet to be implemented..

9. Students’ Attitude Towards the Use of
ICT in Education
Nur, Hala (2009)

10. Barriers
• No clear policy for the use of ICT tools in
delivery of education.
• No training programs for tertiary level
teachers for the use of ICT in teaching.
• Resistance from teachers (digital emigrants)

12. First ICT Workshop
• Title of workshop: Innovative Online Trends
for Teacher Professional Development
• Content: Training on the use of online tools
for professional development.

13. Drawbacks
• Above the level of the teachers.
• Use of the tools for professional development
only.
• Time limit of workshop.
• No follow up plan.
• Teachers did not create much content.

14. Second ICT Workshop
• Title: ICT for ELT in the Horn of Africa:
Options and Approaches
• Content: Training on ICT tools for teaching and
professional development.

15. Sunday – 1st Aug Tuesday – 3rd Aug Wednesday – 4th Aug Thursday – 5th Aug
Monday – 2 Aug
nd
Common
Introduction to the The Web as a ICT for
Overview of ICT Technical
Workshop Tool for Distance
Resources Problems &
Session 1 Why Use ICT? What is Professional Learning &
Available How to Solve
09:30 – 11:00
the Rationale? Development Self-Access
Them
& ELT
Group Activity:
Getting to Know a Developing
ICT for ELT: the ICT for
New Program & ICT for ELT: Materials for
Ethiopian Professional
Session 2 Matching it with Your Hands-on Cascading
Experience Development
11:30 – 13:00
Curriculum Practice Workshop
Content
Using Web Group Activity:
E-Learning: a Tools in Class Developing Developing
Practical Ideas for
Practical (blogs, wikis, Tools for Materials for
Using ICT in the
Session 3
Demonstration etc): Hands-on Professional Cascading
14:00 – 15:30 Classroom
Practice Development Workshop
Content

16. Learned Lessons
• Policy makers must issue legislation for
making the integration of ICT in education.
• Development of a framework for teachers’
training in the use of ICT.
• Motivate teachers to use ICT in their
teaching.
• Provide technical support for subject teachers
to help them in creating content.

17. 15th Regional FP7 EuroAfrica-ICT Awareness
Workshop:
What do you regard as the most important
challenges in e-Learning?
Challenge 1:
Availability of Policy Framework for e-Learning
Challenge 2:
Human Capacity Building for e-Learning.
Challenge 6:
Localisation of Digital Content

18. Thank you