Seven research grants to academic institutions in China, Hong Kong SAR, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka have been approved as part of the Digital Learning for Development (DL4D) Network, co-funded by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), and administered by the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development (FIT-ED) in the Philippines.
The seven grantees were selected from among 27 institutions that submitted research proposals under a call released in September 2015.
DL4D Network Principal Investigator Prof. Cher Ping Lim of the Hong Kong Institute of Education expressed enthusiasm for the Network’s initial line up of grantees. “It is indeed exciting to work with a group of top digital learning researchers in Asia. With these seven research projects, we hope to initiate a region-wide network of researchers, practitioners, learners, policymakers and other stakeholders that harnesses north-south and south-south collaborations to produce and use rigorous research in digital learning by and for developing countries,” he said.
Grantees will examine the impacts on educational equity, quality and efficiency, as well as the potential for sustainability and scaling up, of localized digital learning interventions in developing countries in Asia in the form of Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs, Digital Game-Based Learning, Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Learning Analytics.
“DL4D reflects the kind of demand-driven research IDRC wants to support: systematic investigations of concrete solutions to locally-identified development problems,” said Matthew Smith, Senior Program Officer at IDRC.
Grant research projects are expected to run for 12 months.
View the list of grantees below.
MOOCs
Title: MOOCs as an Alternative for Teacher Professional Development: Examining Persistent Teacher-Learners in One Chinese MOOC
Principal Investigator: Qiong Wang, Peking University, China
Co-investigator: Bodong Chen, University of Minnesota, USA
Research Site: Beijing, China
Title: MOOC for Higher Education in Nepal
Principal Investigator: Manoj Shakya, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Co-investigators:
Sushil Shrestha, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Rajesh Manandhar, Kathmandu University, Nepal
Research Site: Nepal (nationwide)
Digital Game-Based Learning
Title: Investigating the Impact of Game-Based Learning Using Tablets in Learning Mathematics for Primary School Students in Pakistan
Principal Investigator: Muhammad Muddassir Malik, National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan
Co-investigators:
Farzana Ahmad, National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan
Salma Siddiqui, National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan
Research Site: Islamabad, Pakistan
Intelligent Tutoring Systems
Title: Examining the Effects of ABRACADABRA, a Web-Based Literacy Program on Primary School Students in Rural China
Principal Investigator: Alan Cheung, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Co-investigators:
Barley Mak, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Sunny Guo, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Phil Abrami, Concordia University, Canada
Anne Wade, Concordia University, Canada
Research Site: Hunan, China
Title: A Localized Problem-Based Tutor for O/L Mathematics in Sri Lanka
Principal Investigator: Gihan Dias, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Co-investigator: Surangika Ranathunga, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Research Site: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Learning Analytics
Title: Micro-Climate Studies in a STEM-Based Curriculum Using Open Source Hardware and Software
Principal Investigator: Kenneth Lim
Co-investigator: Ari Widodo, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
Research Site: Bandung, Indonesia
Title: Developing a Student Support System for Undergraduate Students in Distance Education Through Learning Analytics
Principal Investigator: Charisse Reyes, University of the Philippines Open University, Philippines
Co-investigators:
Patricia B. Arinto, University of the Philippines Open University, Philippines
Sheila R. Bonito, University of the Philippines Open University, Philippines
Rhonna Marie R. Vereña, University of the Philippines Open University, Philippines
Research Site: Los Baños, Philippines
