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The New Wave : Students Empowering Each Other Across Continents Solomon Assefa

The New Wave : Students Empowering Each Other Across Continents Solomon Assefa. What is MIT-AITI?. A student run initiative at MIT MIT students sent to Africa during Summer Goals: Increase utilization of IT in African high schools and universities

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The New Wave : Students Empowering Each Other Across Continents Solomon Assefa

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  1. The New Wave: Students Empowering Each Other Across Continents Solomon Assefa

  2. What is MIT-AITI? • A student run initiative at MIT • MIT students sent to Africa during Summer • Goals: • Increase utilization of IT in African high schools and universities • Develop a long-term technical and cultural friendship between MIT and African Institutions • Provide MIT students with community service opportunities to implement their strong engineering background

  3. How is MIT-AITI run? • Student run: • unique, dynamic, creative, always evolving • direct input from MIT students who travel • Tasks designated to different committees: • Logistics • Publicity • Selection • Curriculum • Program excellence • Fund raising

  4. Winter/Spring: Execute Logistics Summer: Execute Program Fall: Fund Raising Summer/Fall: Evaluate execution and impact The ‘Four Seasons’

  5. YEAR COUNTRY SCHOOLS 2000 KENYA Strathmore 2001 KENYA Strathmore 2002 GHANA KENYA Achimota, Presec Alliance, Strathmore History of MIT-AITI ($17,000) ($17,000) ($50,000)

  6. ’00 - ’02: Learning Model • “Classroom” Learning • Morning lectures by MIT students • Afternoon lab sessions • Exams, class projects, feedback from students • Invited guest talks by local entrepreneurs

  7. Implementation • The courses are taught by MIT students who are selected from all disciplines in MIT. • The courses are offered over the summer period for a period of 6 weeks. • High demand at MIT: receive over 100 applications each year • High demand in Africa: many want to enroll

  8. Program content • AITI offers courses in JAVA, Java Server Pages(JSP) , ASP.NET (cutting edge) and LINUX (free operating system) • The African schools choose from our menu of courses • Students take exams and implement community based projects

  9. ‘03: Change and Expansion Expansion: Learning Models: Ethiopia:“Classroom” LearningandEntrepreneurship Ghana:“Classroom” Learning Kenya:“Self” Learning

  10. Learning Process • Cooperation: • Study together • Teach each other • Practice: • Lab sessions • Solving problems • Novel Resources: • MIT-OCW; online • Books and CDs • African lab coordinator/lecturer • E-mail exchange with MIT students Support • daily homework, weekly quizzes • Final project/internship Evaluation “Self” Learning Model

  11. Other Activities • Entrepreneurship lectures conducted in Ethiopia: • Gave visibility to the program • Liked by all participants (guests as well as students) • AIDS awareness initiative in Ghana • Brochures, open discussions • Talks on how to apply to US colleges • What exams to take, how to find on-line resources • Inspire: You can be successful; You can empower yourself and change the future; being proactive

  12. ‘04: Advanced Model • Continue “classroom” learning • Select 50 students per country • “Self” learning • implement in all three countries • involve 1 African professor from each school: give a few “practical lectures”, work with students • 2 MIT students working with students and professor • 20 African students per country • Entrepreneurship lectures • implement in all three countries • guest lectures by local entrepreneurs • conduct a business plan competition • Concentrate on universities (tertiary education) • Actively seek for local internships for AITI graduates

  13. Impact: MIT • Unique experience for MIT students in a new culture • Fostered the concept of “community service” and group collaboration by utilizing technical background • Enhanced MIT’s involvement in providing novel solutions for bridging the gap between developed and developing nations • MIT’s name has been mentioned in many African newspapers and other media outlets • created goodwill for further collaboration with African institutions • Increased awareness of MIT community about Africa • dispelling stereotypical images

  14. "One of the most culturally enriching, fun-filled, educational and productive trips I have ever been to. AITI enabled us to teach useful skills to Ghanaian students, while learning a lot about the local people and their way of life. Ghanaians are simply one of the friendliest and most beautiful people I have ever met. An AITI trip is a great service opportunity that complements the MIT experience." Impact Evaluation: MIT • increasing # of applications • increased student involvement in the organization • feedback from MIT offices • Testimonials

  15. Impact: Africa • Over the last three years AITI has taught over 500 students and 30 teachers • Introduced cutting edge technology (eg. ASP.net), and promote open software (eg. Linux) • Local community based websites initiated

  16. Impact: Africa • Students got jobs in local IT industry • Utilizing novel learning models • Inspired high school alumni initiatives • Inspired African universities to actively seek collaboration with US universities

  17. Impact • MIT students enable African students with the latest advanced IT tools • African students enrich MIT students with a deep understanding of unique cultures and communities • A new wave where students in different continents empowereach other

  18. Future Prospects • Strengthen AITI in Kenya, Ghana, & Ethiopia • Would like to expand to two more countries • Wishful thinking: would like to get $500,000 to fund AITI projects over the next five years

  19. Program Sponsorship • Mentors: • Professor Paul Gray • Professor Richard Larson • Foundations • Engineering Information Foundation (EIF) • Lord Foundation • Government • Educational Development Center (EDC) • Companies • Africa Online, 3Com • Private • Kate and Baty Gordon, Professor Paul Gray

  20. Support from MIT • Office of the president and the provost • Office of the chancellor • Graduate Students Office • Edgerton Center • Public Service Center (PSC) • Academic Computing Service

  21. Goals of LINC • Implementation of world class tertiary education in developing countries leveraging internet (e-learning), television, and radio technologies • Bring together professionals whose primary concern is quality tertiary e-learning in developing countries • 2004: creating and sustaining “learning communities”

  22. Summary: Link to LINC • MIT-AITI: • a successful, scalable, flexible, and sustainable model; • a model for other similar initiatives • Working with LINC • AITI is a good model to evaluate the impact of e-learning on tertiary education in developing nations • AITI is creating “learning communities” • AITI is bringing together “future professionals,” NOW

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