The TTE Sandbox is a one-stop portal for distance learning in Uganda's National Teachers' Colleges (NTCs) and Vocational Training Institutes (VTIs). In this case study, we look into the elements that allowed this innovation to support distance learning and answer the needs that arose from school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the midst of every crisis lies an opportunity
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020. In Uganda, the first case of COVID-19 infection was confirmed on March 21, 2020. Uganda’s 15 million learners (constituting about 40% of the country’s total population) were sent home on March 2020.
During the country’s 22-month school closure, which ended in January 2022 (one of the longest shutdowns in the world) Enabel and the Ministry of Education and Sports managed to ensure the continuity of learning in five NTCs and seven VTIs in Uganda.
National context
Digitalisation is a key priority in the third National Development Plan (NDPIII) and the Digital Agenda of Uganda. As such, the Ministry of Education and Sports has prioritised the digitalison of some of its services and promoted the digital transformation of the NTCs and the VTIs. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was already a strong focus on digital education, which formed the foundation of this initiative.
Advancing TTE in Uganda
The TTE Sandbox was developed in the context of a broader collaboration between Uganda and Belgium through the Teacher Training Education project, jointly implemented by the Ministry of Education and Sports and Enabel. The project seeked to strengthen professional competencies of teacher trainers and future teachers graduating from the NTCs.
The TTE Sandbox
The TTE Sandbox as a testing ground for EdTech, was co-created with the five NTCs. It clearly answered the needs that arose from the closure of schools in March 2020. The action focused on ensuring communication between college and students, piloting new ways of results-based management, and improving 21st-century skills of lecturers so that they are able to ensure the continuity of learning.
The TTE Sandbox was launched to ensure that communication was maintained between NTC management, staff and students with a bulk SMS system, complemented with an annual video conference subscription for each college (Zoom). A series of Community of Practice (CoP) sessions (20) for lecturers and ICT masterclasses (4) for students were organised in 2020, showcasing new digital tools and a ‘help-desk’ was established; a peer-to-peer support system that consisted of lecturers from each of the NTCs.
Hackaton and screen-casting challenge
A virtual hackathon and a screen-casting challenge were also organised to stimulate the lecturers’ interest in using the different technologies to design their digital lessons. When the lesson content was developed, it was then uploaded to a one-stop portal (Padlet) for easy access. Through a partnership with MTN, the portal was zero-rated (no data needed to download lessons).
Positive classroom culture
Positive classroom cultures that invite authentic learning can lead to more opportunities for students to positively connect with content, their peers, and their teacher. The Sandbox created innovative, open, creative and trustworthy digital places for students to grow, take risks, and feel comfortable in their own patterns of learning. The ability for lecturers, instructors and students to connect, grow and innovate not only with class content but also with each other, was the kind of culture the Sandbox developed in digital classrooms during the pandemic.
Results: e-learning readiness
A study on e-learning readiness conducted with IPSOS in December 2020 demonstrated how effective this innovation was in supporting the NTC lecturers to ensure the continuity of learning in Uganda:
- 62% of students indicated that they participated in distance learning (77% for Year 2, 47% for Year 1)
- 77% of the NTC lecturers were able to access the one-stop portal where all resources for distance teaching were uploaded. 56% rated it as extremely useful.
- 60% of the lecturers accessed the help desk, composed of ICT Champions and ATL Mentors, and 98% found it useful infacilitating e-learning.
Scaling up of the TTE Sandbox
In 2021, during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sandbox was scaled up to 7 VTIs. To ensure that communication was maintained between VTI management, staff and students an SMS bulk system was put in place and Zoom was introduced to the institutions. A series of Communities of Practice sessions (14) were organized in 2021, showcasing new EdTech applications and a virtual ‘Help-desk’ was installed to share all resources in a centralised place. Two hackathons were organised to increase teachers’ appetite for digitalsation, and an online International Computer Driving License (ICDL) was launched to increase the digital literacy of instructors.
Uptake of e-learning courses
The TTE Sandbox as a testing ground for EdTech, has proven impactful and scalable. It is useful for teachers, instructors and students to equip them with 21st-century skills for them to be able to adapt to a constantly changing society. During the pandemic not only digital lessons were created, but also full-fletched e-learning courses were co-created with and for the lecturers in 2020/21.
The TTE sandbox is definitely a digital adventure. It is also the success story of a human adventure. Innovation started by getting close to users: the TTE Sandbox answered the needs of teachers, and solutions were co-created together with the teachers. Its success lies in this human-centric design approach.
- Virgine Hallet, Country Portfolio Manager at Enabel
Scalability
Tools from the Sandbox (e.g. moodle, padlet, podcasting, screen casting) have already spread to other Enabel partner countries, impacting the continuity of learning during the pandemic in Morocco, Rwanda, Burundi, Mozambique, and Belgium.
Implementing partners
