Case Study Analysis III

M. Bernardine DiasFall 2007

2

Case Study HWObjective:o Encourage critical reading of ICTD case studieso Teach good case study writing skills

Lessons learned from last year:o Make sure you pay attention to the instructionso Make sure you pay attention to the distribution of

grades for sub-sectionso Make sure you analyze the technologyo Summarizing your analysis effectively but succinctly

is an important skillo It is important to first ask yourself many relevant

questions and spend the time and effort to seek the answers to these questions

o It is not a good excuse to say you don’t have a background in policy/technology/???

3

Case Study HW

Part 1: Brief summary of case studyPart 2: Technology evaluationPart 3: Evaluation of needs assessment, deployment strategy, and sustainabilityPart 4: Summary of your evaluation of the case studyRemember to cite ALL sources of information

4

Some Guidelines7/12 Habits of Highly Effective ICT-Enabled Development Initiatives http://www.bridges.org/12_habitsSustainable ICTs: Lessons Learnedhttp://www.sustainableicts.org/infodev/infodevreport.pdfParticipatory research for technology evaluationhttp://www.cimmyt.org/Research/Economics/map/research_tools/manual/pdfs/prm_all.pdf

5

Evaluating TechnologyRelevance to needo Does the technology adequately address the need?o What compromises were made?

Infrastructureo Power requirements and availabilityo Voltage fluctuationso Impact of environmental conditions such as temperature, dust, rain,

snow, monkeys, etc.o Connectivityo Operating systems

Required trainingo Required knowledge for userso Required knowledge for administratorso Potential fears/dislikes of technologyo Barriers: language, time, etc.

6

Evaluating Technology

Required maintenanceo Maintenance knowledgeo Availability of “spare parts”o Expected lifetime of solutiono Identifying likely problem conditions

Economicso Cost of solutiono Methods of paymento Implications for ownership

Technology trendso Likelihood of technology becoming obsoleteo Timing for introducing particular technologies

7

Evaluating TechnologyAlternativeso What alternative technologies could be used to address

this need?o What non-technology solutions might one consider

instead?o Are there more effective ways to deploy the proposed

technology?Contento Who will create relevant content?o How will this content be kept updated?o Will content be culturally relevant and accessible?

Implicationso Cultural and societal implicationso Implications to power structureso Environmental impact

8

Evaluating TechnologyBarrierso Cultural resistanceo Negative perceptions/fear of technologyo Perceived excess of costo Resistance from individuals/organizations that may

stand to lose from the solutiono Perceived lack of value

Enablerso Buy-in from key members of communityo Strong partnerships in implementationo Ease of deployment/maintenanceo “Coolness” factoro Fulfillment of a perceived need

9

Multiple Mice

Udai Singh Pawar, Joyojeet Pal and Kentaro Toyama, Multiple Mice for Computers in Education in Developing Countries, ICTD 2006

http://tier.cs.berkeley.edu/docs/ict4d06/multiple_mice-jp.pdf

10

IntroductionAddresses the challenge of lack of resourcesComputers can be expensive but mice aren’tOften many children use one computer in developing communitiesGroup engagement can be a positive element in the learning processShould allow several children to share a single computer with multiple miceNeeds relevant software applications

11

Results & Challenges

Developed several educational gamesA cursor with a unique color is “attached” to each mouseGames were implemented in English, Hindi, and KannadaPreliminary field trials were conducted

Questions answered:o Can children understand and

use the multiple-mouse paradigm when the number of mice is as many as five?

o How do children interact with each other with respect to multiple mice? How do they share or not share?

o Does the multiple mouse paradigm increase interest and engagement?

Observations:o Gender difference in sharingo One child didn’t like

competitive element

12

Future WorkBuild more educational applicationsMore extensive field testsEvaluate tangible learning outcomesAdaptive software for simultaneous multiple usersJoint decision making mechanismCollaborative applications

13

Evaluating TechnologyRelevance to needInfrastructureRequired trainingRequired maintenanceEconomicsTechnology trendsAlternativesContentImplicationsBarriersEnablers

14

Project Kané

M. Bernardine Dias, G. Ayorkor Mills-Tettey, and Joseph Mertz, The TechBridgeWorld Initiative: Broadening Perspectives in Computing

Technology Education and Research, 2005http://www.ri.cmu.edu/pub_files/pub4/dias_m_bernardine_2005_4/dias_m_bernardine_2005_4.pdf

15

IntroductionGhana is seeking means to improve English literacyOne major shortcoming with available resources is the opportunity for guided reading practiceCarnegie Mellon’s Jack Mostow and group had developed an automated English reading tutor –project LISTEN

16

Results & ChallengesField study designed as TDC class projectPilot study was implemented over the following summer with good resultsSearched for follow-on funding and partnershipUNESCO funding and partnerships secured in 2006 summer

Many challenges in implementing follow-on study including very limited fundingDifficulty in ensuring attendance for long-term studyInitial phase was carried out in Internet café; wasn’t possible for follow-onBeing a remote partner is difficult

17

Future WorkComplete on-going field study – comparison to guided practice with an older youth Seek creative ways to overcome recent licensing of the tutorSeek creative means of funding follow-on workFind other partnershipsLots of demand!English tutors for adults are also in high demand

18

Evaluating TechnologyRelevance to needInfrastructureRequired trainingRequired maintenanceEconomicsTechnology trendsAlternativesContentImplicationsBarriersEnablers

19

Text-Free User Interfaces

Indrani Medhi, Aman Sagar, and Kentaro Toyama, Text-Free User Interfaces for Illiterate and Semi-Literate Users, 2006

http://research.microsoft.com/users/indranim/Text-FreeUI.pdf

20

Introduction

User interface for novice/illiterate users (with no other help)Domestic laborers in Bangalore slums were chosenTwo applications:o Job searcho City navigation

21

Results & ChallengesDesign principles:o Avoid texto Numbers are oko Use semi-abstracted

graphicso Photo-realism with

deeper interactiono Pay attention to subtle

graphic cueso Provide voice feedbacko Provide help at all stages

Text-free but not click-freeLandmarks were important for navigationTesting conducted in homesUsed trusted contactsBollywood Method to encourage feedbackCollaborative use

22

Future WorkEthnographic process: 180 hours with 80 men and women from Bangalore slumsStrong preference for text-free interfaceHelp on every “page” was importantInclude short movie that loops at the beginningMove towards use-studies with no external assistance

23

Evaluating TechnologyRelevance to needInfrastructureRequired trainingRequired maintenanceEconomicsTechnology trendsAlternativesContentImplicationsBarriersEnablers

24

Braille Tutor

N. Kalra, T. Lauwers, and M. B. Dias, A Braille Writing Tutor to Combat Illiteracy in Developing Communities, 2007

http://www.ri.cmu.edu/pubs/pub_5676.html

25

IntroductionCollaboration with Mathru School for the Blind > 90% of world’s blind population live in developing countries< 3% of them are literateBraille:o Tactile writing systemo Six dots per cello Write by embossing papero Traditionally with slate and stylus

26

Results & ChallengesSuccessful 6-week long field test in Summer 2006Tutor catered specifically to needs of students and teachers in under-resourced communitiesDesigned to be low-cost and robust

Currently has activities for 3 grade levels Quantitative predictionso dots - letterso wordso sentences

In use at MathruSecond version of tutor developed based on feedback

27

Future WorkBattery-poweredIndependent of computerAdaptive to skill level of userLonger, more extensive field study at MathruField studies at other locationsOther languages (Arabic Braille)Games to increase enthusiasm

28

Evaluating TechnologyRelevance to needInfrastructureRequired trainingRequired maintenanceEconomicsTechnology trendsAlternativesContentImplicationsBarriersEnablers

29

SummaryBe critical in your reading and analysis of ICTD case studiesRemember to ask questions about:o Date and author of case studyo Author’s motivations/biases for writing the case studyo Needs assessmentso Capacity buildingo Monitoring and evaluationo Technology feasibility and appropriatenesso Infrastructural challenges and requirementso Sustainability and ownership of solutiono Social/cultural implications and relevanceo Equality of access and relevance

Helpful suggestions of alternatives are more useful than criticisms alone