The partners of the Africa Digital Campus (ADC) project organised on Wednesday 29 March 2023 in Lokossa a “Community of Practice” meeting on E-Learning. This workshop, aimed at the teachers of the Institut National Supérieur de Technologie Industrielle (INSTI) of Lokossa involved in the project, aimed at creating a community of learning and practice in Benin to support the deployment of distance learning in higher education.
A day to bring out the community
Following the series of training sessions held in 2022 on the scripting, design and implementation of courses, then on the evaluation of learning, some thirty teacher-researchers from the Institut National Supérieur de Technologie Industrielle (INSTI) in Lokossa met again on Wednesday 29 March 2023 in the premises of the former IUT for a day of exchange and sharing of experiences. The aim of this meeting was to create a sustainable community of practice on E-Learning in Benin, in order to support the deployment of distance learning at the University in the country and beyond.
Towards an African digital education community
Through an alternation of plenary presentations and examples, the participants first discussed the notion of communities of learning and practice. Then they worked individually and in small groups to define their own “E-Learning” community in Benin.
At the end of the day, everyone wished to continue the dynamic initiated through online discussion forums, weekly webinars and new meetings to share experiences. “The community of practice created today will allow me to share any difficulties with peers and to solve problems related to pedagogy and education”, says one teacher. Another teacher said that he could now “learn from my community of practice and use peers to improve my online teaching design and delivery”. Because “community life is essential for professional success”, concludes another participant.
ADC, an innovative project at the service of teachers and students
Some 65 teacher-researchers from the Institut National Supérieur de Technologie Industrielle (INSTI) of Lokossa of the National University of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (UNSTIM) in Benin are involved in the Africa Digital Campus (ADC) project. They are thus involved in the production of online training modules to enrich the training courses offered by the Institute (formerly the IUT of Lokossa).
Led by the Institute of Research for Development (IRD) and the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN), in partnership with the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) with funds from the European Union (EU) delegated to the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Africa Digital Campus (ADC) project aims to :
— to provide access to quality e-learning for students from universities in West and Central Africa, including INSTI in Lokossa, Benin;
— to strengthen the use of e-learning on a local scale.
The two-year project aims to pool resources and promote the exchange of knowledge between the various stakeholders.
For more information on the project: https://direcct.eu/en/projets/africa-digital-campus-deploying-the-offer-and-access-to-distance-learning-for-pedagogical-continuity-in-higher-education-in-west-africa/