talk deliverd at Making It Happen workshop London 16 May organised by LinkedUp Project see linkedup-proect.eu. I reflect on issues in use and relevance of data from two case studies of mobile applications delivering learning in Africa
The Rush for Mobile Education and Data-Driven Learning
1. The Rush for Mobile Education
Let’s talk about user Data
London 16 `May 2014
Stephen Haggard
Consultant in Educational Technology
Reflections based on
case studies for
UNESCO and Web
Foundation
• SMS and USSD app for
pupil quizzing
• SMS Professional
learning app for farmers
2. CDRs - proven role for mobile data in
Development
Society:
traffic
management
Health:
epidemic
tracking
4. What about data in mobile learning ?
“If you think technology can solve your
education problems, then you don't understand
the problems and you don't understand the
technology. The solution lies in process and
systems -- and people”
Mike Trucano
5. Data mining is most helpful to
disadvantaged learners
Impact of data-driven content recommendation on students in
4 US community colleges and state universities, 2013
6. Mobile Education app
reaching 200,000 pupils
Data Consumers
Learners guidance on:
Focus areas, targets
Parents supervise
Pupil performance
School performance
Education Ministry
monitoring results by:
School, region &
teacher
7. 100,000 users of rural smallholder
SMS education service
Benefits to sponsoring organisation
• Controls value chain, has satellite
surveys of all plots, owns user data
• (mis)perceived to be a source of
loans or subsidies
Benefits to farmers
• SMS guide reduces costs (<80%)
• Training centres, literacy,
numeracy etc. 40% participation
• Yield increases <25%
Data captured : farm
size, yield, name, age,
picture, phone number,
enquiries, sales, e-
commerce
9. Issues
• Consent & ownership of data
• How can we spread benefts
• Incentivisations based on data-driven insights:
WHOM should they support
– Company revenue
– Best-progressing learners
– Most needy learners