1. Comparing Capacity Building Frameworks for Computer Science Education in Underdeveloped Countries: An African and Asian Perspective Jandelyn PlaneIsabella Venter University of Maryland College ParkUniversity of the Western Cape Department of Computer Science

2. ITiCSE 20082 Purpose of this Presentation Summary of the state of Computer Science Education in underdeveloped countries as we have seen it in our work Introduction of programs we have been involved with Frameworks used in these programs for comparison

3. ITiCSE 20083 Current Computer Science Education challenges in these countries Less technological background as students enter a program Wider variety needed within a program Stricter university wide rules on what else needs to be taken Lack of required practice, due to emphasis on theoretical

4. Teaching Who to teach Who to teach Curriculum choices Curriculum choices Technique Face-to-face Distance Education Support Institutional questions Institutional questions Framework options

5. ITiCSE 20085 Review of projects and programmes that we participate in: Rwanda Afghanistan South Africa AVOIR

6. ITiCSE 20086 Summary of the project: Rwanda

7. ITiCSE 20087 Teaching and support Teaching of courses Course support Curriculum design The University of Maryland College Park – one-on-one support

8. ITiCSE 20088 Expanding the Support

9. Technique Committee design of curriculum with consultation from UMD Face-to-face meetings Asynchronous distance education methods –Email, web page. … –DVDs with “tutor assisted video instruction” ITiCSE 20089

10. ItiCSE 200810 Summary of the project: Afghanistan

11. ItiCSE 200811 Support Curriculum development Faculty member development support from a worldwide alliance of universities

12. ItiCSE 200812 KU CS Faculty Members and me (Kabul, October 2005)

13. ItiCSE 200813 Afghanistan professors, Johnson and me at UWC, South Africa

14. ITiCSE 200814 Face-to-face classes were given in both Kabul, Afghanistan and Cape Town, South Africa. Alliance members presented classes in programming skills, engineering principles, research, etc. Teaching

15. ( Worst case scenario is during the winter in Maryland, USA) Meeting time is at: 3:30 am (EST) in USA 11:30 am in Cape Town 1:00 pm in Kabul 7:30 pm in Sydney Support Synchronous communication through video conferencing and the web

16. ItiCSE 200816 Support - graduate seminars through desktop video conferencing Weekly seminar on Thursday afternoon (Kabul Time) –thesis writing skills –computer science content –schedule and events –presentations by all participants Branches were created later for a weekly –seminar for English language development –meetings with thesis supervisor and individual student

17. ITiCSE 200817 Summary of the UWC programme: South Africa

18. ItiCSE 200818 Teaching The three year (taught) BSc degree is followed by an Honours degree Students are taught core and elective courses at Honours level The elective courses are chosen to inform the topic of the student’s Honours research project

19. ItiCSE 200819 Teaching –Course work is not, per se, part of the MSc, program. –The graduate program is very individualized and students do the necessary course work needed to fill in the gaps in knowledge considered essential for their research project.

20. ItiCSE 200820 Masters at UWC To be accepted into the masters program, offered at the UWC computer science department, a student must have completed a four year degree. In South Africa this will typically mean that a student would have passed both a Bachelors degree and an Honours degree. The requirement for the UWC MSc is a successfully accepted, externally reviewed thesis.

21. ItiCSE 200821 Technique Students with different backgrounds are accepted into the Honours and Masters programme. Course requirements are personalised depending on the topic of research.

22. ItiCSE 200822Support in language and writing skills development as workshops which reflect expressed academic needs from students and staff The Post-graduate Enrolment and Throughput project (PET project) offers support:

23. ItiCSE 200823 Support Individual coursework requirement, and research/writing support make it possible for students from much less technologically advanced countries to pursue a master’s degree

24. ItiCSE 200824 AVOIR African Virtual Open Initiatives Resources (AVOIR) Network Yellow Red: AVOIR nodes Blue: Collaborating partners Yellow: Supporting partners

25. ItiCSE 200825 AVOIR Continent-wide support for the AVOIR Masters

26. ITiCSE 200826 What is AVOIR? African Virtual Open Initiatives Resources (AVOIR) Network

27. ITiCSE 200827 AVOIR vision A pan-African Free and Open Source Software ecosystem originating in Africa so that African IT professionals can respond - with local solutions - to the needs of African universities, businesses, government and civil society while also tapping global business opportunities. To achieve this vision, AVOIR was established as a network for capacity building in Free and Open Source Software engineering

28. ItiCSE 200828 Teaching and Support All participants will teach courses AVOIR node universities, collaborators and supporting parties will provide the necessary support

29. ItiCSE 200829 Technique Each university will accept students into the AVOIR Masters programme according to their own entrance requirements Course requirements depend on the university that will confer the degree All collaborating universities will provide courses to participating universities

30. ItiCSE 200830 Comparisons – Lessons Learned Technique Progress in Internet reliability Distance Education Methods allow Constant Interaction Teaching Curriculum – maintainability and consistency More widely spread effect Retention of Students Support Individual relationship Remote alliance Local alliance

31. ItiCSE 200831 Thank you Questions…