E-learning for empowering the rural people in Bangladesh, Opportunities and C...Domelid
Inadequate educational resources,
insufficient and unqualified teachers and health care providers,
and lack of community involvement, are some of the causes
that contribute to the poor state of education and health in
rural Bangladesh. This is although, it is well known that,
access to quality education and scientific knowledge is
essential for creating economic growth and sustainable human
development, including poverty alleviation and improvement
of human health.
The Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development (APARD) has been working relentlessly for over 54 years in building capacities for sustainable development of the rural poor. APARD is an apex training institute in AP for capacity building of rural development officers and panchayat raj officials. We also consistently focus on research that helps us offer high quality consulting services in rural development.
E-learning for empowering the rural people in Bangladesh, Opportunities and C...Domelid
Inadequate educational resources,
insufficient and unqualified teachers and health care providers,
and lack of community involvement, are some of the causes
that contribute to the poor state of education and health in
rural Bangladesh. This is although, it is well known that,
access to quality education and scientific knowledge is
essential for creating economic growth and sustainable human
development, including poverty alleviation and improvement
of human health.
The Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development (APARD) has been working relentlessly for over 54 years in building capacities for sustainable development of the rural poor. APARD is an apex training institute in AP for capacity building of rural development officers and panchayat raj officials. We also consistently focus on research that helps us offer high quality consulting services in rural development.
Alternative Learning System (ALS)) is the other side of basic education in the Philippines whereby programs and projects are delivered to the Out of school children, youths and adults through ALS Mobile Teachers and District ALS Coordinators in every district/municipality all over the country.
Present day showing techniques request imaginative and powerful utilization of innovation at most extreme level. Consolidating a virtual group outside classroom instructing has turned out to be inescapable in computerized age training. This exploration was planned to discover how this can be utilized as a part of terms of intuitive instructing and how it can encourage understudies to recuperate the absences of learning in classroom. A web group of a college called Learning Feedback System (LFS) has been utilized here as the strategy to break down five example cases. Impacts of
A critical level of connection in LFS showed that it decreased the correspondence hole between understudies and educators that obviously prompting appropriate learning.
Poverty of the mind is regarded as poor self-concept or image, a feeling of inadequacy and lack of will to achieve the object of one’s desires. Students who are poor at the mind tend to lack resolute determination and the will to succeed. They are not motivated, they lack unwavering faith in achieving anything worth-while, they are contented in their misery – “little world” and are wishful thinkers.
TCF - Sustainable giving to educate children and empower womenIspl ESap
- TCF’s vision is to remove barriers of class and privilege to make the citizens of Pakistan agents of positive change.
- Starting with 5 volunteer-run schools in 1995, grown to 1,000 schools in 100+ towns and cities
- Over 145,000 students nationwide, aged 4 to 17 years
- Focus on Woman empowerment, with close to 50% female students
The study examined the basic ICT facilities available for teaching and learning in Ekwusigo LGA of Anambra State, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the study. Three research questions guided the study while the population of the study was three hundred and twenty five (325) teachers in secondary schools in the area. Using simple random sampling technique, two hundred (200) teachers were drawn and used for the study. A structured questionnaire with 15 items was the instrument for data collection that was duly validated by 3 experts and its reliability determined using Cronbach Alpha Procedure. An index value of 0.73 was obtained showing that the instrument was reliable for the study.Mean statistic and standard deviation were used to analyze the data collected. The findings showed that there were basic ICT facilitated in the schools and that the interest and performance of the students were enhanced using these facilities to teach and learn. The study also revealed obvious challenges in the application of these facilities. Implications of the study were drawn and recommendations made to enhance proper utilization of the facilities to boost learners’ interest.
BEST PRACTICES in e-LEARNING:PARALLELISM BETWEEN SOUTH KOREA & THAILANDMavic Pineda
Presented last March 17, 2009 at the eli First International Conference in Al-Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh, KSA. The participation in this conference was sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education of KSA.
his study is an assessment of the implementation of Lower Basic Education curriculum in Idah Education zone of Kogi State. The expost facto design study was guided by seven research questions and 5 hypotheses. A sample of 376 (208 from public schools and 168 from private schools) Lower Basic Education (LBE) teachers were used from Idah Education Zone comprising of Ibaji, Idah and Igalamela-Odolu LGAs. Two instruments were used in this study are (a) Availability and Adequacy of Infrastructural Facility Scale (AAIFS) and (b) Basic Education Implementation Variables Questionnaire (BEIVQ). The reliability coefficient of the AAIFS is 0.88 for availability and 0.91 for adequacy while that of the BEIVQ is 0.83. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Following data analysis the following findings were made: (1). It was found that only three infrastructural facilities out of 20 listed were available and they are play field, teachers’ book and First Aid Box. Those that were not available include Class Rooms, Admin blocks, Science corner/mini Lab, Wall charts, Staff Offices, Audio aids (eg radio, TV), Motion aids, Stores, Desks and chairs, Projector, Library, Computer/Lap tops, Internet facility, Source of Electricity, Studios, Toilet facilities and Water source. (2). It was also found that teacher preparation for implementation of LBE in Idah education zone of Kogi State is adequate. Specifically it was found that qualified teachers are engaged and adequate in number; teachers go on seminars and workshops regularly though mostly through self efforts, newly recruited teachers are mentored by older teachers at an informal level and recruitment of teachers is through rigorous interview. Teachers are motivated and evaluation for promotion of teachers involves some practical observation in class. (3).
I presented this deck at the Bay-CHI Birds of feather meeting at Yahoo on June 22, 2010.
The deck provides a brief history of eye-tracking and the the kinds of decisions we make using the method.
Compliance: Data Management Plans and Public Access to DataMargaret Henderson
Presented at The 8th Annual University of Massachusetts and New England Area Librarian e-Science Symposium, Wednesday, April 6, 2016
University of Massachusetts Medical School
Alternative Learning System (ALS)) is the other side of basic education in the Philippines whereby programs and projects are delivered to the Out of school children, youths and adults through ALS Mobile Teachers and District ALS Coordinators in every district/municipality all over the country.
Present day showing techniques request imaginative and powerful utilization of innovation at most extreme level. Consolidating a virtual group outside classroom instructing has turned out to be inescapable in computerized age training. This exploration was planned to discover how this can be utilized as a part of terms of intuitive instructing and how it can encourage understudies to recuperate the absences of learning in classroom. A web group of a college called Learning Feedback System (LFS) has been utilized here as the strategy to break down five example cases. Impacts of
A critical level of connection in LFS showed that it decreased the correspondence hole between understudies and educators that obviously prompting appropriate learning.
Poverty of the mind is regarded as poor self-concept or image, a feeling of inadequacy and lack of will to achieve the object of one’s desires. Students who are poor at the mind tend to lack resolute determination and the will to succeed. They are not motivated, they lack unwavering faith in achieving anything worth-while, they are contented in their misery – “little world” and are wishful thinkers.
TCF - Sustainable giving to educate children and empower womenIspl ESap
- TCF’s vision is to remove barriers of class and privilege to make the citizens of Pakistan agents of positive change.
- Starting with 5 volunteer-run schools in 1995, grown to 1,000 schools in 100+ towns and cities
- Over 145,000 students nationwide, aged 4 to 17 years
- Focus on Woman empowerment, with close to 50% female students
The study examined the basic ICT facilities available for teaching and learning in Ekwusigo LGA of Anambra State, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the study. Three research questions guided the study while the population of the study was three hundred and twenty five (325) teachers in secondary schools in the area. Using simple random sampling technique, two hundred (200) teachers were drawn and used for the study. A structured questionnaire with 15 items was the instrument for data collection that was duly validated by 3 experts and its reliability determined using Cronbach Alpha Procedure. An index value of 0.73 was obtained showing that the instrument was reliable for the study.Mean statistic and standard deviation were used to analyze the data collected. The findings showed that there were basic ICT facilitated in the schools and that the interest and performance of the students were enhanced using these facilities to teach and learn. The study also revealed obvious challenges in the application of these facilities. Implications of the study were drawn and recommendations made to enhance proper utilization of the facilities to boost learners’ interest.
BEST PRACTICES in e-LEARNING:PARALLELISM BETWEEN SOUTH KOREA & THAILANDMavic Pineda
Presented last March 17, 2009 at the eli First International Conference in Al-Faisaliah Hotel, Riyadh, KSA. The participation in this conference was sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education of KSA.
his study is an assessment of the implementation of Lower Basic Education curriculum in Idah Education zone of Kogi State. The expost facto design study was guided by seven research questions and 5 hypotheses. A sample of 376 (208 from public schools and 168 from private schools) Lower Basic Education (LBE) teachers were used from Idah Education Zone comprising of Ibaji, Idah and Igalamela-Odolu LGAs. Two instruments were used in this study are (a) Availability and Adequacy of Infrastructural Facility Scale (AAIFS) and (b) Basic Education Implementation Variables Questionnaire (BEIVQ). The reliability coefficient of the AAIFS is 0.88 for availability and 0.91 for adequacy while that of the BEIVQ is 0.83. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Following data analysis the following findings were made: (1). It was found that only three infrastructural facilities out of 20 listed were available and they are play field, teachers’ book and First Aid Box. Those that were not available include Class Rooms, Admin blocks, Science corner/mini Lab, Wall charts, Staff Offices, Audio aids (eg radio, TV), Motion aids, Stores, Desks and chairs, Projector, Library, Computer/Lap tops, Internet facility, Source of Electricity, Studios, Toilet facilities and Water source. (2). It was also found that teacher preparation for implementation of LBE in Idah education zone of Kogi State is adequate. Specifically it was found that qualified teachers are engaged and adequate in number; teachers go on seminars and workshops regularly though mostly through self efforts, newly recruited teachers are mentored by older teachers at an informal level and recruitment of teachers is through rigorous interview. Teachers are motivated and evaluation for promotion of teachers involves some practical observation in class. (3).
I presented this deck at the Bay-CHI Birds of feather meeting at Yahoo on June 22, 2010.
The deck provides a brief history of eye-tracking and the the kinds of decisions we make using the method.
Compliance: Data Management Plans and Public Access to DataMargaret Henderson
Presented at The 8th Annual University of Massachusetts and New England Area Librarian e-Science Symposium, Wednesday, April 6, 2016
University of Massachusetts Medical School
RDAP 15: Virginia Tech University Libraries’ Data Service Pilot with the Coll...ASIS&T
Research Data Access and Preservation Summit, 2015
Minneapolis, MN
April 22-23, 2015
Natsuko Nicholls, Research Data Consultant, Virginia Tech
Andi Ogier, Research Data Consultant, Virginia Tech
Kyrille Goldbeck DeBose, College Librarian for Natural Resources and Environment and Animal Sciences, Virginia Tech
RDAP 16: Sustaining Research Data Services (Panel 2: Sustainability)ASIS&T
Research Data Access and Preservation Summit, 2016
Atlanta, GA
May 4-7, 2016
Part of Panel 2, Sustainability
Presenter:
Margaret Henderson, Virginia Commonwealth University
Panel Leads:
Kristin Briney, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee & Erica Johns, Cornell University
RDAP 16: If I could turn back time: Looking back on 2+ years of DMP consultin...ASIS&T
Research Data Access and Preservation Summit, 2016
Atlanta, GA
May 4-7, 2016
Part of Panel 5, "DMPs and Public Access: Agency and Data Service Experiences"
Presenter:
Angi Ogier, Virginia Tech University
Panel Lead:
Margaret Henderson, Virginia Commonwealth University
On Good Behavior: Human Factors + Building PerformanceKath Straub
Presentation at Greenbuild 2016. Presented by Jeni Cross and Kath Straub. Moderated by Sharon Refvem. As effective passive solutions and newer, smarter systems continue to improve building efficiency, the impact of occupant behavior on building performance has become ever more evident. What motivates people to engage in best behavior? Find out how lessons from scientific research can impact building performance. Hear from behavior experts about how to effectively engage the passive majority of building occupants to facilitate substantive, positive impacts on performance, health, and wellbeing in the built environment. A cognitive scientist and sociologist share insights into how social norms and human behavior can be leveraged for this purpose. Engaging human factors effectively requires a whole systems approach - one that addresses not just occupants, but also the organization, community, and marketplace. Although there is not a one-size-fits-all solution for facilitating positive behavior change, there are useful strategies. Early engagement with building occupants and organizational leaders is a critical first step in identifying project specific needs, constraints, and opportunities. Learn how to identify target audiences, frame messages, and implement positive measures effectively.
The simplified electron and muon model, Oscillating Spacetime: The Foundation...RitikBhardwaj56
Discover the Simplified Electron and Muon Model: A New Wave-Based Approach to Understanding Particles delves into a groundbreaking theory that presents electrons and muons as rotating soliton waves within oscillating spacetime. Geared towards students, researchers, and science buffs, this book breaks down complex ideas into simple explanations. It covers topics such as electron waves, temporal dynamics, and the implications of this model on particle physics. With clear illustrations and easy-to-follow explanations, readers will gain a new outlook on the universe's fundamental nature.
How to Add Chatter in the odoo 17 ERP ModuleCeline George
In Odoo, the chatter is like a chat tool that helps you work together on records. You can leave notes and track things, making it easier to talk with your team and partners. Inside chatter, all communication history, activity, and changes will be displayed.
This presentation was provided by Steph Pollock of The American Psychological Association’s Journals Program, and Damita Snow, of The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), for the initial session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session One: 'Setting Expectations: a DEIA Primer,' was held June 6, 2024.
MATATAG CURRICULUM: ASSESSING THE READINESS OF ELEM. PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS I...NelTorrente
In this research, it concludes that while the readiness of teachers in Caloocan City to implement the MATATAG Curriculum is generally positive, targeted efforts in professional development, resource distribution, support networks, and comprehensive preparation can address the existing gaps and ensure successful curriculum implementation.
Introduction to AI for Nonprofits with Tapp NetworkTechSoup
Dive into the world of AI! Experts Jon Hill and Tareq Monaur will guide you through AI's role in enhancing nonprofit websites and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.
Macroeconomics- Movie Location
This will be used as part of your Personal Professional Portfolio once graded.
Objective:
Prepare a presentation or a paper using research, basic comparative analysis, data organization and application of economic information. You will make an informed assessment of an economic climate outside of the United States to accomplish an entertainment industry objective.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
বাংলাদেশের অর্থনৈতিক সমীক্ষা ২০২৪ [Bangladesh Economic Review 2024 Bangla.pdf] কম্পিউটার , ট্যাব ও স্মার্ট ফোন ভার্সন সহ সম্পূর্ণ বাংলা ই-বুক বা pdf বই " সুচিপত্র ...বুকমার্ক মেনু 🔖 ও হাইপার লিংক মেনু 📝👆 যুক্ত ..
আমাদের সবার জন্য খুব খুব গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একটি বই ..বিসিএস, ব্যাংক, ইউনিভার্সিটি ভর্তি ও যে কোন প্রতিযোগিতা মূলক পরীক্ষার জন্য এর খুব ইম্পরট্যান্ট একটি বিষয় ...তাছাড়া বাংলাদেশের সাম্প্রতিক যে কোন ডাটা বা তথ্য এই বইতে পাবেন ...
তাই একজন নাগরিক হিসাবে এই তথ্য গুলো আপনার জানা প্রয়োজন ...।
বিসিএস ও ব্যাংক এর লিখিত পরীক্ষা ...+এছাড়া মাধ্যমিক ও উচ্চমাধ্যমিকের স্টুডেন্টদের জন্য অনেক কাজে আসবে ...
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionTechSoup
Let’s explore the intersection of technology and equity in the final session of our DEI series. Discover how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be used to support and enhance your nonprofit's DEI initiatives. Participants will gain insights into practical AI applications and get tips for leveraging technology to advance their DEI goals.
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of LabourWasim Ak
Normal labor is also termed spontaneous labor, defined as the natural physiological process through which the fetus, placenta, and membranes are expelled from the uterus through the birth canal at term (37 to 42 weeks
2. TABLE I.
Six of the 17 training camps were self-funded, where the
communities in question donated food and accommodation,
and each of the students was charged ₹ 500 for the 45 day
program. Disabled members and women members of Self
Help Groups (SHG’s) were charged ₹.350. These camps
were open to anybody with an interest in learning computers
and a 5th standard education.
Ms Office
DTP
Self funded Ni-Msme Self funded Ni-Msme
Dimili
2
0
0
1
Haripuram
1
4
0
4
Gokivada
1
0
0
0
Moolajampa
1
0
0
0
PK Palli
1
0
0
0
Munchingput (Tribal)
0
1
0
1
Somalingapalem
0
0
0
0
Kothapalem
0
0
0
0
Total
6
5
0
6
The other 11 training programs were free. Funding was
provided as part of the Entrepreneurship Skill Development
Program (ESDP) administered by the National Institute for
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (Ni-Msme). These
programs are focused on providing the necessary skills for
people who are about to enter the workforce. Consequently,
students needed to be at least 18 years old to enroll.
Instructor mediated peer-to-peer learning in the context
of our research, required the instructor to teach key concepts
to the first batch of the day. Once done, each student taught
another student in the following batch. After the first batch,
the instructor was asked to observe the quality teaching, and
steps in whenever a particular student was unable to teach a
concept to their peer. In order to avoid social sensibilities,
care was taken to ensure that girls and boys of a certain age
did not teach each other.
Training covered two courses, namely Office
Automation and Internet (OAI), and Desktop Publishing
(DTP). Both trainings were designed to last approximately
45 days. Student achievement was tested with open book
practical tests. Surprise theory tests were used to keep the
students on their toes. The final practical exam consisted of
200 marks; and would be provided to the students one week
before the final exam date. 100 marks would be directly
related to the material taught in the class. The remaining 100
marks consisted of material that was new to the students.
Students were encouraged to experiment and work in teams
to find the answers for the new content. Any student that
scored more than a 100 marks would demonstrate the ability
to go beyond what was taught in the classroom.
III.
Nine training camps were taught at the Haripuram center,
where students had access to electricity all through the day,
and open computer labs for 5 hours in addition to their class
times. The other eight training camps were run in the
villages, where electricity was limited to less than six hours a
day, and computer time was limited to 40 minutes a day.
Ten training camps were planned in villages. Out of these
10, BCT worked to involve the community in six of the
camps. In three camps, BCT worked to execute the camps
independently. In one of the camps, BCT worked with a
volunteer who took the initiative to request BCT for a
training camp.
METHOD
Table 1 presents and overview of the programs that were
run over a period of two years. Haripuram is an exception
because it is home to the BCT computer training center. The
center is home to 30 computers, broadband Internet, and a 5
KVA power backup.
IV.
All Ni-Msme training camps had a class strength of
approximately 25 students. Self-funded classes had an
average strength of 60 students each. In all around 650
students were trained. Somalingapalem and Kothapalem
have no training camps listed because these camps were
terminated prematurely for reasons that will be discussed in
the following chapter.
FINDINGS
A. Do More Resources Equate to better learning?
At the start of the program, we hypothesized that
providing more resources to students would deliver better
student performance. To this end, the nine training camps at
the BCT center had access to electricity throughout the day,
and provided up to five hours of additional computer time.
Surprisingly, the camps with access to more resources got
40% less marks than their peers in resource constrained
villages. Additionally, the student’s in resource constrained
villages had 20% better attendance and fewer disciplinary
issues. The community and students were also observed to
be more involved and empathetic to each other and to the
instructors who were staying in their village. Students were
also seen self organizing into study groups to help each other
study.
Two of the Ni-Msme MSO training camps were taught
using the mouse, while the rest of the MSO training camps
were taught using keyboard shortcuts. Four training camps
were taught using the instructor led teaching methodology,
where the instructor leads the class in a traditional manner.
The other 13 camps were taught using instructor mediated
peer-to-peer learning, where each student is expected to learn
for 40 minutes, and teach for 40 minutes.
54
3. D. How do students perform when taught computers
without using a mouse?
13 of the camps were taught using keyboard shortcuts.
Conversely four camps were taught using traditional mouse
base curriculum. Keyboard shortcut based curriculum is
language and GUI independent. As a result, we hypothesized
that this was ideally suited for rural students who may not be
able to navigate different versions of the software, or learn
English terms quickly enough.
It was common to see someone in the community
cooking food for the instructors, or offering their house for
free. Post training interviews revealed that students in the
resource rich classes did not feel as much pressure to attend
because they knew they could get extra computer time
whenever they wanted. On the flip side, the resource
constrained students felt that they had to use their time
wisely, and to work with each other so they could get good
marks – as a result, it was common to see students arriving
ahead of their scheduled time to write notes, study, and talk
to the instructors.
The hypothesis was supported when we noticed that
students had 50% better attendance in keyboard based
classes. And surprisingly, we realized that students enjoyed
showing off how quickly they could get a job done using
keyboard shortcuts. The method also impressed people who
know how to use the computer. As a result this aspect of the
training soon ended up becoming the selling point for the
program in rural communities. The marks list was lost for the
mouse based classes as a result we are unable to comment on
the improvement in grades.
B. What is the difference between Village based training
and Center based training camps?
64% of the center based camp students were male, and
the average age was 20 years. Village based training camps
on the other hand had around 48% male students, and the
average student age was 14.5 years old. We also noticed that
students in the center based camps performed worse, had
lower attendance, and had more disciplinary problems. In
contrast, parents and students in the village based training
center were more involved, and were thankful for the
opportunity to learn in the village.
E. What is the best way to manage community politics?
BCT planned 10 training camps in villages. However two
of them (Somalingapalem and Kothapalem) had to be
terminated prematurely. In both the communities BCT did
not build consensus prior to moving the computers. As a
result in one of the villages (Somalingapalem), the members
belonging to the opposition party started telling their
members to boycott the training. The members of the ruling
party promised their members that they would get discounts.
As a result the camp in that village became a political issue,
and we were unable to sign up enough numbers of genuine
students for the program.
The demographics were explained by the fact that parents
are unwilling to send their daughters and children outside the
village. Consequently, when a village based camp was
available, the girls would work hard to convince the parents
to send them to the training camp. Additionally, training
camps in villages tend to be easily accessible to the parent –
which makes it easier to monitor their child’s progress. This
phenomenon also contributed to the higher attendance and
performance rates amongst the village based students.
In the second village (Kothapalem), the initiative was
being run because a volunteer took the initiative to approach
BCT for the training. The volunteer used to run a primary
school. The community however withdrew support because
they believed that the volunteer was planning to expand his
school with the help of the training. In another case
(Gokivada), villagers started demanding exorbitant amounts
of money to provide accommodation for the training camp.
In this camp we set up a meeting with the village youth
groups, and let them know that we would terminate the camp
if the village did not support the effort. This brought a sea
change in the attitudes of the community and the camp was
successful. In all the other training camps, BCT took time to
reach out to the active youth groups, and Women’s Self Help
Groups – which generated the necessary support to deliver
the training camps.
C. Is there a difference between instructor led training and
Instructor mediated peer to peer learning?.
Four of the seventeen camps were taught using a
traditional instructor led training methodology, where
students were taught by an instructor, followed by a 40
minute hands on session with a computer. In the other
camps, students were asked to teach their peers from the
following batch – after their 40 minute session.
Student marks in Instructor mediated peer-to-peer
learning camps was 50% higher than their peers in traditional
instructor led camps. On further investigation we found that
students who did not understand a particular concept would
not normally ask for clarifications. However, when they have
to teach another person, the lack of understanding is quickly
escalated to the instructor. Additionally, students get to
exercise critical thinking skills when helping other students
solve their problems. The students also spend more time
preparing for their classes because they are motivated to
have the answers when one of their peers asks a question.
We also saw an improvement in the younger children’s
confidence levels and ability to verbalize their thought
process.
In Moolajampa village, when one of the political factions
tried to spread wrong information, the youth groups, women,
and elders in the village challenged them, and brought the
situation under control. Similarly, in Dimili village,
community members shared the costs of food for the
instructors and helped the camp become economically
viable.
55
4. V.
DISCUSSION
We hope that this paper will help drive more research
into how rural communities should be engaged, in order to
deliver sustainable results. Because, at the end of the day
success or failure will rest on the communities shoulders.
Center based training focuses on the individual. Where
the individual comes to class, learns, and leaves at their
convenience. Village based programs on the other hand
involve the whole community. Consequently, any program
that desires to bring about sustainable change in rural
communities must consider involving the whole community,
because doing otherwise would sidestep the very people one
is supposed to help. Rural development programs also run
the temptation to “get the job done”, and focus on short-term
metrics such as the number of people involved, or the grades
that the students attain. These metrics are individual in
nature, hence fail to engage the larger community.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This research was made possible with funding and
support from North South Foundation, Chicago; Cognizant
Foundation, Chennai; the Power Grid Corporation of India,
Visakhapatnam, and the National Institute for Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises, New Delhi.
We would also like to acknowledge Mr. B. S. Murty, Mr.
R. A. Rao, Mr. B. S. Rao, Dr. R. Chitturi, Mr. R. Chalasani,
Mrs. E. Kantamneni, Mrs and Mr. S. Kantamneni, Mrs. and
Mr. Rakasi, Ms. Deorah, Mrs. and Mr. Ojakaar, Ms.
Mamaghani, and Mrs. and Mr. Hausman for their time and
ongoing support.
Long term metrics such as community involvement and
ownership are harder to achieve because it takes time to
build the right partnerships. However, once the partnerships
are in place, the community pitches in to achieve the
sustainability -- because they see the value of the initiative.
Based on these insights, we recommend that rural
development programs focus on village based initiatives.
These initiatives would ideally engage with the women’s
Self Help Groups and with the youth groups in the
community. Individuals with political and personal agendas
are best avoided. Given the goals of BCT, there is a constant
pressure to deliver value driven programs. Consequently,
bandwidth is limited in terms of leveraging strong
experimental designs. To this end, quantitative evaluations of
the observed effects would be the ideal next step. Such a
study would also be able to identify interaction effects
amongst the different variables – something we were not
able to do.
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Another interesting question that bears looking at is: how
much resources are enough before students start losing
interest? We hypothesize that the answer would look like a
bell curve. Where too little or too much resources would lead
to sub-optimal results. A more rigorous study in this regard
would help accurately quantify the optimal amount of
resources to be provided to a community.
[5]
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