Techno- grafting ( Technology is in the maker)

1. Techno-grafting(Technology is in the maker) Aminu Ibrahim (aminu@forum.org.ng) Convenor, The Nigeria ICT Forum (http://forum.org.ng)

2. Summary of What We Should Know Already • There are new issues & they are rapidly evolving & getting confounded, but the roots of the problems here (including the “divide”) are NOT new. • The same problems will NOT likely to be solved: • If we assume they do not exist • If we change their name • If we try a wrong solution for a long time • the nth time we try the same wrong methods • Development is a process, not a finished product • Grafting is as simple as rocket science; i.e. it all depends on one’s need to survive ignition, have predictable behaviour, etc. Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja

3. Before the Internet 92.5% Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja Source: DPR, 1991 9(1):99-106

4. Consider • So, throughout the 1960s-1980s, 93% of postal requests made for Nigerian article off-prints were external to Africa. • About when others had an “Information Explosion”, we had a Famine: the “book famine”. Example: In 1985, • US Library of Congress had holding of 75 million items compared to the 7 million volumes in all Nigerian libraries • There were 1,900 specialized libraries in the USA when Nigeria had only about 362 libraries of all types • That’s why everything BUT information, was to be available “for all by Y2000” • The precursor to the Internet was being handed over to existing universities; we are still establishing ICT-D.O.A Campuses Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja

5. Thought Experiments • What will happen, if we limit all: • Farming activities to relevant degree holders? • Building activities to relevant degree holders? • What are the socio-cultural assumptions (etc), behind (say), street-lighting, or crash-helmets, etc? • Why are we buying cooling systems from those who need heating, and solar systems from those with no sun? • What should be the best predictor of the future state of a Nation, say 15 years hence? What does this mean for us? Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja

6. Looking forward to going backwards? But what will happen, assuming we restore everything about education (say), back to the same state as in the 1960s-1970s? Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja

7. “Peculiar” issues • Widening ICT divide between the private sector and education and public sector • Connect (adequately, for academic development) or Perish • Student-Drain, is following the teachers’ Brain-Drain • The pace of change continues to increase: • The system’s internal ability to revise the curriculum and correct itself has been severely eroded • time, opportunity & capacity to anticipate have become vastly more important as a stop-gap measure Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja

8. What and how to • Faithful Strategic Planning! • Coach those who make decisions, and those who can unmake decisions • Prioritize investment in people and for people (i.e. Capacity Building/ HRD) • Professional development should also be: • A centerpiece of a university’s ICT strategic plan • Grounded in a competency-based framework, learner-focused, flexible and evidence-based • Academic staff should drive the design, planning implementation and evaluation of professional development. • Anything that restores confidence & esteem of academies & scholarship is very, very good. Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja

9. The Good News: IT’s in our character! • Most Internet & network services are electronic renditions of universities’ normal activities & desires. • Collaboration, on-line discussion groups, teleconferencing, are renditions of Committees, Seminars and Conferences. • Intranets are Academic & Research networks, societies & associations. • Academies can do Bulletins, Journals, and Content! • Academic freedom and autonomy gave roots to the freedom & democratic traditions now associated with the Internet. • Academies are paid to update, pass on skills, anticipate changes, upgrade the wider community, etc. • ICT is facilitative: the academic world has never had more opportunities to collaborate and share than at the present time. Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja

10. Curriculum Issues and Resources at hand • Organized Proprietary/ Commercial Content Providers: • CISCO Academies • Microsoft Academies • Linux Academies • In-a-Box OpenCourseWare resources, e.g. MIT’s OCW (http://ocw.mit.edu/) with links to many others • Open e-Learning resources & platforms, e.g. KEWL • Truly collaborative open tools & resources, e.g. University of Georgia’s Global Text Project (http://globaltext.org) • Annual Advanced hands-on training & for-life-help-lines for Academic Network Operators and others: • The African Network Operators Group (http://afnog.org): Abuja, 22 April – 4 May 2007 • The ng ICT Forum’s Nigerian Network Operators Group (http://forum.org.ng) Preparatory-ngNOG and ngNOG workshops and special interest groups (http://abuja.forum.org.ng/mailman/listinfo/) Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja

11. Fundamental Issues Remain • Curricular deficiencies and other fundamental issues severely reduce uptake of our staff & students at most excellent hands-on workshops & training programs • The HE system’s internal capacity to revise curricular and implement any appropriate revisions have unfortunately been severely compromised • Our entire concepts of staff development and of development itself, need to be totally over-hauled for these problems to be solved Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja

12. PHE (MacArthur & Carnegie) Interventions in ng • The Partnership Foundations, esp. MacArthur and Carnegie, are quite involved in both restoration and advancement of HE in ng • Six institutions are supported directly, and MacArthur directly supports dozens of other projects and interventions • Support to widen impact of, and institutionalize their interventions e.g. thro’ NUC, CVC • Systemic & Indirect supports include the ng ICT Forum, Library Development, the Bandwidth consortium, facilitation of donations (through e.g. NSRC), and training to improve the ability & capacity to look for additional help. • Support for MIT OCW and Data Standards are being considered by MacArthur • World Bank’s STEP-B and NESAP-ICT assistance • ISOC-NG’s ICT Centers • They have, and continue to send clear signals that something positive can happen, and is happening. • But it is all up to us. Technografting: IEEE Meeting, Abuja