ICT Capacity Building: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Rwandan Policies from Higher Education Perspective Cover Image

ICT Capacity Building: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Rwandan Policies from Higher Education Perspective
ICT Capacity Building: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Rwandan Policies from Higher Education Perspective

Author(s): Jean Claude Byungura, Henrik Hansson, Kamuzinzi Masengesho, Thashmee Karunaratne
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Education, Higher Education
Published by: European Distance and E-Learning Network
Keywords: ICT Capacity building; ICT policies; Higher education system; Technology integration; Critical Discourse Analysis

Summary/Abstract: With the development of technology in the 21st Century, education systems attempt to integrate technology-based tools to improve experiences in pedagogy and administration. It is becoming increasingly prominent to build human and ICT infrastructure capacities at universities from policy to implementation level. Using a critical discourse analysis, this study investigates the articulation of ICT capacity building strategies from both national and institutional ICT policies in Rwanda, focusing on the higher education. Eleven policy documents were collected and deeply analyzed to understand which claims of ICT capacity building are made. The analysis shows that strategies for building ICT capacities are evidently observed from national level policies and only in two institutional policies (KIST and NUR). Among 25 components of ICT capacity building used, the ones related to human capacity are not plainly described. Additionally, neither national nor institutional policy documents include the creation of financial schemes for students to acquire ICT tools whilst learners are key stakeholders. Although there is some translation of ICT capacity building strategies from national to some institutional policies, planning for motivation and provision of incentives to innovators is not stated in any of the institutional policies and this is a key to effective technology integration.

  • Issue Year: 19/2016
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 46-62
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: English