The document discusses an online education program called Kepler that provides Rwandan students access to an American college degree for $1,000 per year. Kepler students take online courses through Southern New Hampshire University but receive support from Kepler instructors who help contextualize the American materials for Rwandan contexts and facilitate discussions. The hybrid model aims to prepare students for 21st century careers by teaching technology skills, English, and critical thinking. While an online model increases access, Kepler found on-site support is also needed as Rwandan students transitioned to a more self-directed learning style. Kepler works with employers to ensure students gain work experience and the program develops needed skills.

1. © The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 20151
A report from The Economist Intelligence Unit
Crossing the divide, digitally
Online education connects Rwandan
students to a brighter future
One recent morning at Kepler Kigali, a non-profit university programme in Rwanda,
students faced an interesting problem. Their online healthcare management course
was providing excellent training and an opportunity to earn an American college
degree, but it also involved the intricacies of the United States’ recently enacted
Affordable Care Act—aka Obamacare—and a significant portion of the materials did
not apply to the Rwandan students’ lives or future careers.
“The issues are going to be very different in a Rwandan context,” says Carolyn Tarr,
Kepler’s director of academic programmes. “So we challenged students to determine
how they could take their learning and address it here on the ground.”
Online learning programmes like Kepler have the potential to transform the lives of
young people in the developing world, as they can provide unprecedented access to
Western universities at a very low cost. The 300 students at Kepler Kigali and Kepler
Kiziba, a satellite school at the Kiziba Refugee Camp, pay US$1,000 a year to work
toward an associate’s degree at Southern New Hampshire University. They’re also able
to borrow money to purchase laptops through the non-profit lending platform Kiva.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, the vast majority of the world’s 1.8
billion people between the ages of 10 and 24 live in developing nations, and roughly
Sponsored by
©Kepler

2. 2
Crossing the divide, digitally
Online education connects Rwandan students to a brighter future
120 million young people reach working age each year. Online education could be a
key strategy for preparing them for the 21st-century workplace.
But Tarr notes that technology alone can’t do the entire job.
“A lot of people believe that if you give a student a computer, then all of the
education problems will be solved. But it’s also important to be engaged in real time
with other learners and a facilitator,” she says.
The Kepler instructors, all but three of whom are Rwandan, lead group discussions, work
one-on-one with students, curate and develop materials, and help put information
from the American platform into context. During the healthcare conversation, for
example, students discussed the pros and cons of both the American and Rwandan
systems. One student, intrigued by online- and app-based appointment-booking
platforms, explored ways to apply the technology locally.
Kepler’s hybrid system has two essential components. To receive the accredited
American degree, students engage in Southern New Hampshire University’s online
learning platform, College for America (CfA). Via individual portals, students submit
coursework, take tests and receive grades and evaluations—the Kepler staff have no
influence over CfA’s materials or grading. In this context, the Kepler faculty’s role is to
support students as they set goals and interpret feedback from CfA evaluations.
The second part of the programme is created and run by Kepler, with curriculum
materials stored in Google drives and grades managed and housed via the learning
management system Canvas.
For this portion, students receive in-class instruction, engage in group discussions and
conduct independent projects. Some of Kepler’s courses are built around Massive
Open Online Courses (MOOCs), free online courses from major universities throughout
the world. However, instructors must also be prepared to teach classes that don’t
require streaming videos or online engagement, as Internet services in the region can
be unreliable.
The Kepler curriculum aims to prepare students for success in the knowledge economy
by teaching technology skills, English, critical thinking and 21st-century communication
(such as writing research papers, business emails and social-media campaigns). Since
the programme launched in 2013, Tarr says the staff has continually beefed up support
structures, such as one-on-one coaching and small study groups, as the transition to
more student-directed learning proved challenging for some.
The Kepler
instructors, all
but three of
whom are
Rwandan, lead
group
discussions,
work one-on-
one with
students, curate
and develop
materials, and
help put
information
from the
American
platform into
context.

3. 3
Crossing the divide, digitally
Online education connects Rwandan students to a brighter future
“We were asking students to make a transition from a model where they sit and take
notes and regurgitate information to one where they’re given a problem and asked to
utilise different resources to solve it. It’s a fairly big shift,” she says.
During their first year, students experience a high level of teacher interaction, as they’re
in class for 16 to 20 hours a week. During the second year, online module courses
enable students to keep more flexible schedules that can accommodate internships
and employment. Tarr notes that typically Rwandan students don’t begin internships
until very late in their academic careers, right before or after graduation. Her team
works with employers, such as Kigali Farms and Off Grid Electric, to ensure that students
get work experience well before they graduate.
The Kepler staff also partner with employers to help determine the skills that students
need to develop, though in the future Tarr hopes to find a data analytics system that
will enable the team to monitor student progress, both in class and on the job, in a
more comprehensive way.
“For example, if an employer had 15 students and noticed a similar problem across
those students, we’d be able to directly address that skill here on campus,” she says.
This work-in-progress approach, she believes, is the key to creating a programme that
can successfully bridge two very different worlds. “We have gone through a couple of
different iterations,” says Tarr, which is fine. “We’re approaching it from the angle of
being leaners first.”
During their first
year, students
experience a
high level of
teacher
interaction, as
they’re in class
for 16 to 20
hours a week.