Technology 4 Education

SEC has adapted the local government curriculum for use on digital interactive whiteboards, which have been installed at government schools in Punjab. The program trains teachers to use these during regular classroom teaching to enhance learning achievements and the overall quality of education.

Secondary Topic(s):

Curriculum reform/design

Teacher Training and Evaluation

Data

Implementer:

Socio Engineering Consultants (SEC)

Not-for-profit

Year launched:

2012

Stage:

Pilot

Education level (ISCED):

Upper secondary

Learners served:

530

Female:

49%

Male:

51%

Location Data

Region:

South Asia

Launch country:

Pakistan

State/Province:

Punjab

City:

Mianwali

Geography type:

Peri-Urban, Rural

Program Description

This program aims to improve learning outcomes and the quality of education by creating an engaging and stimulating learning environment; through bringing interactive whiteboard (IWB) technology to the classroom.

Interactive content has been created and aligned with the government curriculum. Subject specialists, hired by SEC, were assigned a subject each (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Math) to translate from English to Urdu; and to compile workbooks for learning support in each subject.

The lessons are multimedia in nature and include teacher notes, student materials, and question banks which can be used in conjunction with other learning tools. Projectors display the lessons on the IWB which is designed as a large touch-screen. The teachers used ‘active pens’ to highlight content on the IWB, through which they can maneuver information and data on the board.

The program methodology includes various steps through which the expected outcomes are to be achieved, including; a baseline survey, installation of the Interactive White Boards (IWBs), translation of learning content, teachers training, and an impact assessment.

The IWB is designed to ensure that the benefits of the technology can be rapidly enjoyed by students and teachers alike. To make this process more effective, a comprehensive range of training materials has been developed to provide teachers an orientation on how to use all the essential features of the technology and to maximize its value and impact.

CEI approaches in action

Primary approach:

School support

Teaching materials (teaching guides, lesson plans, etc.)

Infrastructure and equipment

Model details

Subject focus:

Comprehensive curriculum

Main source of tuition or fees:

Free service or product

Technology

Main technology:

Other

Interactive Whiteboards

Purpose:

Teaching materials

Technology partners:

The Interactive White boards come from a separate international company called Promethean, for which SEC is the official distributor in Pakistan.

Scale

Date scale data collected:

May, 2013

Expansion

Program growth to date:

The pilot project was launched in June 2012, aimed at directly benefiting an estimated 1,600 students (Grades 9 &10), and 40 teachers in 5 schools located in District Mianwali.

A baseline assessment that focused on the teaching methodology in each school, course content, teachers’ profiles, and students’ learning capacity was conducted in the target schools, after which the IWBs were installed based on the results. An additional 5 schools were also selected as a control group, to assess improved learning outcomes as a result of IWBs, and were included in the baseline assessment as well.

Plans for future growth:

Future plans for this program include testing a financing model to see if schools will purchase the IWBs, if given the option to pay in installments.

Monitoring & Evaluation

M&E strategy in place?:

Yes

M&E strategy:

Monitoring is done on a regular basis by the field staff of SEC, where a record of all activities conducted and observed is maintained. The project staff assigned to schools maintain a record of all activities carried out within the target school (teaching methods, student attendance, etc.) and a report is forwarded to the Project Coordinator. Additionally, regular monthly and quarterly reports are compiled and sent to the donor.