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DOT-COM Activity: Thailand - SEAMEO Innotech: IBM Strategic Planning Toolkit
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DOT: dot-EDU
Country: Thailand
Funder(s):
Short Description: dot-EDU partners EDC, SEAMEO INNOTECH, and IBM to collaborate in an activity that will develop a training package to guide strategic planning for the use of ICTs in education in the countries of Southeast Asia.
Phase/Type of Activity: Pilot Status: Completed
Start date: October 01, 2003 End Date: October 01, 2003
Partners:
Person(s) to contact
Contact
Roy Zimmermann , Project Director
Education Development Center
Email:
Tel: (202) 572-3700
Full Description: On October 15 through 17, 2003, the US AID dot-EDU program held a workshop for selected educational leaders in the Asian region. These participants worked together to assess a high-level planning process that incorporates strategies from organizational change management with a focus on education improvement and effective information and communications technology (ICT) utilization. The pilot was organized by the Education Development Center (EDC), hosted by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH), and utilizing the Reinventing Education Change Toolkit developed by IBM.
With economic recovery picking up among the countries of Southeast Asia and the opportunities and challenges coming through increasing globalization, the imperative of improving the quality and relevance of educational systems is strong. The countries of Southeast Asia, like countries everywhere, have already embarked upon or considering doing so using ICTs in their educational systems as a means to make systems more productive and competitive.
For these reasons, a pilot workshop was developed and delivered as part of the activities of the USAID dot-EDU project. Its goal was to evaluate the assumption that, as a critical component of ICT investments and innovative uses of technology in education, it is important that leaders at school, district, and country levels are able to understand organizational change and employ effective strategies in using ICTs as an agent for change in educational systems.
Dot-EDU partners EDC, SEAMEO INNOTECH, and IBM conducted this activity to determine if existing resources for helping education leaders understand change management specifically the IBM Reinventing Education Change Toolkit could be the basis for regional activities that develop capacity in school leadership for strategic planning utilizing ICT for education improvement in Southeast Asia.
Key Results: The Reinventing Education Change Toolkit is a solid resource for educators within the South Asian region. To be useful, it needs to be imbedded in a supported network of coaches that will work with teams as they use it to address specific implementation projects. In order for that to happen, new, Asian-specific modules need to be developed that address a specific domain within the education challenges facing the region. For instance, utilizing investments in ICTs for education to improve educational outcomes might be one such focus area. With this type of designated focus area, specific vignettes that are culturally relevant need to be developed. In summary, the Toolkit provides a robust base and when combined with some elements that address Asian issues, should prove a valuable tool in helping education leadership achieve better results when undetaking education change and reform initiatives. After this pilot dot-EDU staff went on to use the Toolkit in workshops with senior leadership from three states in India and also in Pakistan with the FDE
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