A research team headed by the University of the Western Cape has been awarded a $1 million grant to research information and communication technology (ICT) in higher education.
The grant, by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, will fund a three-year project to look into the applications and benefits of ICT in higher education. A team of developers will also investigate innovating technologies to meet the demands of teachers and students.
The Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC), an organisation representing the five higher education institutions in the Western Cape, will carry out the research.
The University of the Western Cape (UWC) said in a statement that the project would draw together the complementary strengths of regional experts in the areas of teaching and learning, information management and higher education policy management. The aim of the project is to ultimately enhance quality and equity in higher education. The question of equity will be addressed by tracking the experiences of black and female students and staff, and providing an environment best suited to them.
Derek Keats, UWC`s executive director of Information and Communication Services, says the project represents a major step forward for UWC and the Western Cape in terms of their ability to deliver new applications to help overcome inequity in the higher education sector. "It also the first of what we hope will be many collaborative academic projects involving members of the CHEC," Keats said.
The project will include six sub-projects, among them a review of gender differentials in ICT competency and short courses to improve skills shortfalls in the workplace, research into the use of ICT to enhance teaching and learning, and the development of innovative tools to support the project.
By the end of the project, the team will have produced eight research reports, one complete Masters programme, three Masters level modules and one short course, 60 postgraduates will have acquired skills appropriate to the workplace and higher education management field, 30 postgraduate study bursaries, 24 internships, and six staff development grants will have been awarded to underrepresented groups. At least two complete technology tools will also be distributed via open source licensing.
The Carnegie Corporation was founded in 1911 by the industrialist Andrew Carnegie to promote "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding", and will make over R75 million in grants this year. Carnegie staff commented that the Western Cape project was both "ambitious" and "critically important".
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