EXTENDING ONLINE LEARNING RESOURCES TO THE UNDER-SERVED

1. The Problem.

The future, in all economic fields, now lies in digital knowledge, and with the advent of robotics, this includes all the traditional workspaces in agriculture and hand dexterity (vocational skills). 

The government of Kenya recognizes this and has made effort to adjust the education curriculum to match the emerging trends.

Example

1. Failed government computerization of schools and failed to implement e-learning. https://www.cio.com/article/2888593/kenya-abandons-school-laptop-project-moves-to-computer-labs.html

2. Rolling out of CBC (Competency-Based Curriculum)

The new CBC seems to capture the gist of 21st-century requirements but it appears to be lacking the emphasis on the fourth industrial revolution

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution, 4IR, conceptualizes rapid change to technology, industries, and societal patterns and processes in the 21st century due to increasing interconnectivity and smart automation.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

2. The problem that we are trying to solve is:

Africans need to achieve equitable learning, digital workforce, and economic digital inclusion

Thus the need  to learn the skills required to thrive in the emerging 21st-century global economy

3. The why of the problem

Our Government is highly constrained by resources, particularly at teachers well versed in the technology required to achieve the elusive digital and economic inclusion.

Africa's Capacity Report  2017 notes that " African countries have underdeveloped science, technology, and innovation (STI) institutions and fail to generate and deploy technological innovations for socio-economic growth… They lack human resources to promote STI."

It is thus upon the parents, individually and collectively, to take up the task of ensuring our kids become competent and will thrive in the emerging 21st-century market.

Similarly, the challenges facing individual parents are many, broad, and interwoven,  including but not limited to:

• poverty

• Privilege and Economic Divide

• Education Apathy

• Covid pandemic effects

Create awareness of learning resources readily available online

give underserved learners access to online platforms:

1. providing cheap internet access
2. pooling computers/tablets to access the online learning resources
3. providing other assorted hardware to aid in online STEM learning such as
   1. Arduino Kits
   2. 3d printers

The Gallant Institute mitigates the limited human resources required to promote Science, Technology, and Innovation by enabling disenfranchised rural African learners to:

1. gain the privilege of learning with the best tutors/professors on online platforms.
2. help willing minds to develop an interest in the sciences.
3. develop an intuitive understanding of STEAM courses.

Gallant is a workshop for learners to:

1.  Self bridge their learning gaps  from challenges in formal classroom learning such as
   1. missed classes for any possible reason (fees, health, etc)
   2. skipped content in class either by the syllabus or the teacher
2. Resolving the bottlenecks encountered in their learning pursuits.

we are creating awareness of the superb and readily available online  learning resources 

This is achieved by  a multi-pronged application of multitudes of excellent education resources  that are now readily available on the internet to:

• create technical capacity by exposing the young and willing in a rural village to interactive, step-by-step, Multiliteracy instruction platforms. Such as listed below but Not limited to:
  • KhanAcademy Kids
  • https://www.khanacademy.org/
  • https://academy.autodesk.com/
  • https://www.duolingo.com/
  • Microsoft Imagine Academy
  • https://www.edx.org/
• Enable online certification by providing facilities of a proctored certification center. Pearson_Vue_Test_Centres

we are also open to commercial online courses. The options are unlimited!

Target population: Primary and Secondary School Students 

currently underserved by:

• • inadequate education programs
  • poorly delivered education
  • no books 
  • no school fees
  • distance to schools
  • unfairly competing against privilege (privileged kids have access to much more resources  at home)

Solution: "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." Frederick Douglass

• Gallant Institute Library will work with  Khan Academy to deliver Personalized Learning
• Khan Academy has Tools to Empower Teachers (Gallant Institute  Assistants).
  With Khan Academy, teachers can:
  • identify gaps in their students' understanding,
  • tailor instruction,
  • and meet the needs of every student.
• Gallant Institute  will work with  DuoLingo
  • Self-paced 'international' language learning
  • so that these kids can "Learn a language for free. Forever."
• To assist kids in developing interest and learning electronics, computers, programming, and robotics. Gallant Institute  will work with TinkerCad with Adruino kits;
  •  at Gallant Institute, we understand that big problems require daring thinking, even when the solution is as simple as exposing young African minds to technology, allowing young minds to tinker, think, and explore.

• Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use app for:
  •  3D design,
  •  electronics,
  •  and coding.
• The gallant institute will have:
  • Students practice at their own pace
  • first filling in gaps in their understanding
  • and then accelerating their learning

Target: young adults and other willing learners

currently underserved by:

• inadequate education programs
• poorly delivered education
• no books and school fees
• distance to colleges
•  cost  of college fees upkeep logistics

Many in the villages are educated, even to university degree level, the majority being unemployed and in despair, another good number are teachers in various government schools. All seek to tweak their skills and improve their life chances in business (self-employment) or employment opportunities.

Solution:

The Gallant Institute gives willing learners in rural villages access to online learning sites such as  https://www.edx.org/.Bringing professional courses closer to the underserved communities

• the gainfully employed such as the teachers will have Gallant Institute as a source of awareness to resources available online prompting them to seek possibilities for themselves. 
• Gallant Institute: offers them the facility to learn new skills or further their skills
• Authorized test center:  Gallant Institute  will partner with  Pearson VUE  to Enable online professional certification by providing facilities of a proctored certification center

I am a resident and a peasant farmer in the community. 

I first encountered the challenge of accessing education while attempting to further my education.

 I also encountered similar distance and cost difficulties as I sought to give my kids a  competitive education in the village. 

Thus I have been making efforts to provide the education solutions direly needed in my village with my meager savings and the assistance of my extended family.

The online learning opportunities that came to the fore during the Covid pandemic exploded the scope of my humble school project.

While interacting with my fellow villagers we have established the pressing need for fair access to educational opportunities for everyone despite demographic differences.

With many of our young adult villagers expressing interest in pursuing vocational and professional courses the idea of the school iterated and transformed into a 'fab lab' kind of institution,  a library of sorts. 

Thus we have been acquiring workshop power tools albeit slowly for vocational courses to be possible under the online learning guidance.

Due to the limited laptops I have, we, the older learners, have agreed to commence our advanced studies after the school-going kids return to school from their holidays, in about six weeks.

These transformations of the school idea do not exclude the primary objective: 

provide a solid strong education foundation for our kids.

1. we now have about 15 kids accessing khan academy on a laptop or tablet ( although in shifts due to limited devices).
2. we are also introducing the kids to learn a foreign language on duo lingo.
3. we have an Arduino science lab kit and an Arduino student starter kit. thus learners can have practical experience with online technical courses from
   1. Arduino, remort learning. https://www.arduino.cc/educati... 
   2. Tinker Cad classrooms https://www.tinkercad.com/ 
4. AutoDesk has been kind to grant us educational licenses for various software
5. we also have access to Autodesk Design Academy https://academy.autodesk.com/

N.B: We have adult learners WAITING for kids to resume formal schooling after holidays so that they can commence their further studies at EDX on the same few gadgets currently held up by kids.

This question forces me to indulge in retrospection and I have realized that I derive some kind of inexplicable joy when a learner grasps and internalizes an advanced concept. Maybe this whole idea is about my selfish need. Despite this concern, I am willing to place the world on my shoulders for a willing kid.

Gallant Institute applies to Solve for the chance to win the award(s). The finances (or in-kind) gained will  acquire the direly needed equipment listed below:

• computers and software,
• break-proof tablets
• Arduino Kits
• CNC machines
• Assorted teaching aids,
• internet, routers, and switches
• hire & train professional teachers (library assistants) 
• access to professional certification resources and academic online material

We are not re-inventing the wheel but paving the way for the wheel to go much further than it would have.

We are extending the reach of excellent online learning resources to underserved communities.

We are creating awareness in rural folk of the existing powerful online learning resources for them to pursue without much strain on the costs of upkeep, accommodation, and transport.

We aim at exposing the underserved African child in the villages to different insights.

We allow them to explore science in real-time with interactive physical activities and programs.

providing young underserved but deserving learners enough catalyst to see them work hard through their formal education with enthusiasm.

The young learners get intuitive interaction with science concepts and gain broader perspectives in many more aspects of the world and the importance of education.

"Khan Academy is an essential 'learning' resource. It is easy to use, relatively comprehensive, and free. It also allows for a level of customization that many traditional programs lack. " https://mashable.com/article/k...

"Arduino is about imagining possibilities, empowering creativity, and making ideas come to life." https://edu-content-preview.ar...

"Learning on edX transforms how you think and what you can do, and translates directly into the real world" https://www.edx.org/ 

I hope to make it possible for many more kids in my village to experience and participate in online learning platforms.

IMPACT EFFORT MATRIX

(LOW EFFORT - LOW RETURNS) Creating Awareness

• Motivating community to create awareness and encourage participation in opportunities now available at Gallant Institutes

• Invite local schools (primary and secondary) to visit, so their kids experience computers in the library as their class math teacher applies a Khanacademy course challenge on his/her class to understand their limitations in particular skills/topics. (the khan academy platform has a robust assessment and report)

(LOW EFFORT-HIGH RETURNS) Working the Self-Driven Persons at the computer library with a minimum participation of library assistants (trained teachers).

• Enrolling people to pursue online degrees

• Enrolling those pursuing computer skills stacks such as codding and other such skills certifications

• Allowing participation in online peer hubs
  

• Helping kids (grade 3 to grade 12) to self-study using Khan academy tools and Duolingo

• Enabling Staggered purchasing of computers by members of the community

(HIGH EFFORT- HIGH RETURNS) Employing Support of Skilled Labor/ Instructors

1. Preschools (K1 to grade 2) teach kids with aid of the best online resources. This preschool may scale up to grade12. Includes hands-on learning with Adruino and TinkerCad

2. Vocational courses: graphic design, carpentry, tailoring, and welding skills training will be carried out by qualified, trained personnel in workshops, 

3.  computer-aided designing (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAD), and computer numerical control(CNC) courses

4. robotics, electronics, and coding

(HIGH EFFORT-LOW RETURNS)

1. Marketing

we measure our progress towards our impact of goals guided by Monitoring & Evaluation of Seven Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations https://sdgs.un.org/goals

A. Partnerships for The Goals

1. The number of partners engaged. Amount of money donated or pledged.
2. Value of in-kind assistance earned in monetary value.
3.  Conditions and restrictions placed by partners.
4. Implication/ import of restrictions placed (by partners).

• Classification of partnerships into:

1. Capacity DevelopmentFinance & Financial inclusion
2. Academic
3. Science
4. Technology
5. Trade
6. Multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments
7. Local governments
8. National government

B. GOALS OF SIMILAR DATA

1. Gender Equality
2. Quality Education
3. Decent Work and Economic Growth:
4. Industry, Innovation, And Infrastructure
5. Reduce inequality within and among countries.
6. Sustainable Cities and Communities

Types of Measurements in data collection and analysis:

• DEMOGRAPHICS PARAMETERS

1. Age
2. Sex
3. Grade/ Qualification
4. Tribe
5. Race
6. Previous & current occupation
7. Previous & current residence

• CAPITALIZATION PARAMETERS

1. Online Certification courses registered for
2. Online degrees registered for
3.  Number pursuing vocational studies.
4. The number that enquires for vocational courses.
5. Uptake of CNC Courses (computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacture (CAM))
6.  The number of kids registered at Preschool.
7. The number of kids visiting Gallant Institute for self-paced learning bridging formal education gaps.
8. Number of kids participating in the Technology/Innovation space with Arduino/TinkerCad
9. tools used in visit, e.g., Khan Academy or Duolingo, etc
10. Certifications successfully attained.
11. Participation in professional online pear hubs
12. Interest and effort at online freelancing opportunities
13. Machines/ computers purchased in the staggered purchasing facility.
14. Number, type, and field of enterprises subsequently set up by beneficiaries

• TIME PARAMETERS

1. Frequency of visits
2. time of visits
3. duration of visits
4. time and frequency of workshop tools use
5. progress observed.

Gallant Institute applies existing web-based interactive solutions of superb quality that are widely accepted in many western nations, including the USA, to boost the engagement of underserved but deserving learners in rural Kenya.

Gallant Institute encourages informal and self-driven learning efforts.

Gallant Institute is an opportunity for underserved learners to learn how to develop solutions that use apps, SMS technology, software, AI, robots, drones, blockchain, virtual reality, digital electronics, and as much of this modern eras technology.

Gallant Institute allows rural learners guided access to computers, the internet, and Arduino kits.

We believe success lies in opportunity and grit. 

Gallant Institute seeks to enable inclusion and equitable reach of learning resources for all our willing learners.

We work with respect and the understanding of our diversity in upbringing and opportunity.

FINANCING THE INVESTMENT CAPITAL

1. Personal savings

2. Financial support of immediate and extended family

3. Financial support of Friends and people of goodwill

4. Multinationals support in cash or kind

LONG TERM REVENUE STREAMS EXPECTED from the amorphous business model of Gallant Institute 

A. Low-income client 

  i) School fees 

 ii) Online examination center Charges

 iii) Internet access charges

 iv) Sale of stationary and other items

  v). Printing and photocopying charges

B. Free-for-service

i). Subscription of membership

ii) Donation in the form of cash

 C. Entrepreneur Support, Organizational Support & Service Subsidization

   i) Workshop access charges

   ii) CNC machine use charges

   iii) Sale of CNC produced parts and or furniture

  D. Cooperative & Market linkage

the revenue accrued from linking the masses with:

   i) Online Commercial Learning Institutions & Online Certification bodies

   ii) Community Bulk Purchasing of services with pooled resources

  iii) Linking Users to Online Employers and Online Work opportunities

  iv) outlet for staggard purchase of computers and related learning devices

Gallant Institute has engaged successfully  with:

My parents  

My parents have given me land towards the development of Gallant Institute

Government of Kenya

Kenya's government supports the Gallant Institute and has so far issued the following supporting documents.

1. Letter of no objection issued by Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA}.

2. Business Name Registration

3.  Approval letter from Subcounty Ministry of Education

Autodesk: https://www.autodesk.com/

I am happy to report that in august of 2019, AutoDesk gave us education licenses for thirty-two (32) assorted software(s) for hundreds of computers (devices) worth thousands of dollars,

Autodesk Design Academy.   https://academy.autodesk.com/

we have access to many invaluable online lessons in Computer-Aided Design (CAD), computer-aided Manufacture (CAM)/  (CNC)at Autodesk Design Academy for free

we will provide a platform for the community to take advantage of the self-paced online training materials and professional certification offered by the AutoDesk Education Community.

Autodesk TinkerCad https://www.tinkercad.com/

we are learning with invaluable online lesson plans designed for young learners at Tinker Cad for free 

Adruino: https://www.arduino.cc/educati...

 Gallant Institute has acquired:

     1. Adruino Student Kit 

     2. Arduino Science Kit

     3. Access to Arduino Lesson plans

we will add more assorted kits with time.

Khan Academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/

    1. I am a teacher of several kids for free, 

    2. parent of three students for free, 

    3. and a donor for three years at khan academy in appreciation 

Duolingo: https://www.duolingo.com/

I am a parent of three at Duolingo for free and we are welcome to add more students at no cost.

Creative Commons: "What We Do - Creative Commons

we appreciate free learning resources and available due to Creative Commons.

EDX

I have received highly subsidized certifiable course enrollments in computer science courses from MITx and HarvardX and another in Circuits and Electronics 1 from MITx. 

Courses I am pursuing with a lot of gratitude as they will help me guide learners at Gallant Institute in their endeavors

I anticipate students to seek EDX courses starting soon.

Computers and Kids Tablets

we have 4 working laptops and 3 working kids tablets

Internet:

we have unlimited home wifi at about US$  34 per month

Marketing and Awareness

We have started creating awareness of the opportunity for young men and women in the villages

Meanwhile, a  few lucky kids in the village are enjoying access to Khan Academy at Gallant Institute for free.

We are limited only by the number of devices available.